MacDonald Letter facts for kids

The MacDonald Letter, also known as the Black Letter, was an important letter written on February 13, 1931. It was sent by Ramsay MacDonald, who was the Prime Minister of Britain at the time, to Chaim Weizmann. Weizmann was a very important leader in a movement called Zionism, which supported a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

This letter was written because of something called the Passfield White Paper. That White Paper had tried to limit how many Jewish people could move to Palestine and how much land they could buy from Arab people there.

Why Was This Letter Written?

Many Jewish organizations around the world were very upset about the Passfield White Paper. They started a strong protest against it. This protest eventually led to Prime Minister MacDonald writing his letter.

His letter was meant to "clarify" the White Paper. It basically said that Britain still supported Jewish people moving to Palestine and buying land there.

What Did the Letter Say?

Even though the Prime Minister had said in Parliament that his letter wasn't as important as the original White Paper, many people saw it as taking back the Passfield White Paper's limits.

The MacDonald Letter confirmed that Britain's policy was to keep supporting Jewish immigration. It also said that land purchases by Jewish people would continue without many restrictions.

However, the letter also mentioned the importance of fairness for "non-Jewish sections of the community." This meant it acknowledged the rights of Arab people living there too.

How Was the Letter Drafted?

Interestingly, Chaim Weizmann, the Zionist leader, later said in a private meeting with a special group called the Peel Commission that he had seen a draft of the letter before it was sent. This allowed him to suggest changes.

How Did People React to the Letter?

Arab people strongly disagreed with the MacDonald Letter. They called it the "Black Letter." They were mainly upset because Jewish immigration continued to increase, and Jewish people kept buying land without many limits.

Steps that were supposed to protect Arab farmers from being removed from their land also didn't work very well.

What Was the Letter's Impact?

By confirming that the policy of the Palestine Mandate would continue to support Jewish immigration, the letter basically cancelled out what the Passfield White Paper had tried to do.

This made it easier for more Jewish people to move to Palestine during the 1930s. This was a time when hatred against Jewish people, known as antisemitism, was growing in Europe.