258. Memorandum of a Conversation, Washington, August 26, 19571
SUBJECT
- IPC Pipeline
PARTICIPANTS
- Mr. Garran, British Chargé
- Mr. Willie Morris, British Embassy
- NEA—Mr. William M. Rountree
During the course of a meeting in the evening of August 26th, Mr. Garran referred to his recent conversation with the Secretary,2 in which the Secretary had mentioned the IPC pipeline in connection [Page 576] with current Syrian problems. According to Mr. Garran, the Secretary had asked for the British evaluation of the possibility of the pipeline being severed. He had now received certain information from London. He said the Foreign Office evaluation was that the lines would probably not be severed in present circumstances. If, however, the Syrians were put under heavy pressure and there was trouble in Syria itself, or if there were any question of intervention from outside, the lines would likely be severed.
I told Mr. Garran that we would certainly share the evaluation that the lines would probably be severed in the circumstances mentioned. I felt the Secretary’s question, however, had been a bit broader. Although I was not present I was under the impression that the Secretary had sought information on the effects upon the UK and Europe of the lines’ severance. We would want to know, if possible, whether the consequences would be of manageable proportions so that this factor would not be an over-riding consideration in the attitude which we and others might take toward the Syrian Government in trying to deal with the extremely dangerous political problem which had been created by recent developments there. I said that I would present the information to the Secretary, and speak to the Secretary later about a more precise evaluation of the information we sought.