In what ways, from about 1945 to about 1960, did the U.S. government relate to the Zionist movement and (after 1948) the state of Israel? What factors encouraged Washington to show sympathy for the aspirations of the Zionist movement and the posture of the Israeli government? What factors hindered the development of such sympathy? How did the U.S. government attempt to reconcile its policies toward Zionism and Israel with the imperatives of waging the Cold War and of securing Western access to Middle Eastern oil?

You are both permitted and encouraged to use the assigned readings, the materials posted to Gauchospace, and the course lectures as your principal sources in this assignment. You may buttress your arguments with additional sources if you wish, but this is not required.

In any event, be sure to provide adequate citations, following one of the approved methods outlined in The Chicago Manual of Style or in Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Information derived from course lectures should also be cited; a simple citation like "Lecture, History 171ME, January 26, 2017" will do.

Your first assignment is to write a short paper (3-4 pages, in 12-point, double-spaced type) in answer to one of the following two questions. Be sure to address every element of the question you answer, and to support your arguments with examples drawn from the entire period mentioned in the question.