The answer was President Harry S. Truman. He proclaimed that he supports Zionism when he was a senator and 1943 he advocated that Jews who survived Nazi rule should be given a homeland. However, the State Department was hesitant to endorse a Jewish state for fear of offending the Arabs who were against the establishment of a Jewish state. Despite objections from Secretary of State George Marshall, on May 14, 1948, Truman recognized the State of Israel. He believed that the Jews deserve a home and America should not prevent them to rebuild their lives.