Office of the Historian

Deterioration in Relations Between the United States and Syria; Syria’s Response to the Baghdad Pact and the Formation of the Egyptian-Syrian-Saudi Arabian Pact; Questions of Economic and Military Assistance; the Syrian Crisis of 19571

1. For previous documentation, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. IX, Part 1, pp. 875 ff.

347. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Egypt

Washington, February 27, 1957—6:29 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/2–2757. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Wilkins and Rockwell and cleared by Rountree who signed for Dulles.

349. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (Rountree) to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy)

Washington, March 18, 1957.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 883.2553/3–1857. Secret. Drafted by Shaw and Rockwell on March 15.

351. Telegram From the Embassy in Syria to the Department of State

Damascus, May 17, 1957—5 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/5–1757. Confidential. Repeated to Amman, Ankara, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Jidda, Tel Aviv, Aleppo, London, Paris, and Moscow.

352. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Syria

Washington, May 28, 1957—7:40 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/5–1757. Secret. Drafted by Waggoner and approved by Rountree who signed for Dulles. Repeated to Amman, Ankara, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Jidda, Tel Aviv, Aleppo, London, Paris, and Moscow.

353. Despatch From the Embassy in Syria to the Department of State

Damascus, July 15, 1957.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.83/7–1557. Confidential. Drafted by Barrow.

354. Despatch From the Embassy in Syria to the Department of State

Damascus, July 29, 1957.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.83/7–2957. Confidential. Drafted by Barrow. An official-informal letter of July 31, from Counselor of the Embassy in Damascus Robert Strong to Ambassador Moose who was then in Washington, indicates that despatch 43 was airpouched to Washington under cover of Strong’s letter for Moose’s review and signature. (Ibid., NEA/NE Files: Lot 59 D 38, Syria Correspondence—Damascus) No indication has been found as to whether Moose revised the despatch.

Strong’s letter of July 31 also made the following comment concerning the situation in Syria:

“Things are not improving here, as you can imagine, and more Syrians are being intimidated by the G–2 into avoiding association with Americans. There may be trouble with the military over a run-in Chefic had last evening with a carload of Syrian officers while driving me back to Damascus from a dinner with Anwar Kotob near Bludan. Syrian military police and G–2 agents have appeared outside the Embassy scrutinizing the car and Chefic. Perhaps the matter will be dropped after some demonstrations of this sort. I have told Chefic to proceed normally; if there is trouble I’ll do my best to protect him. This is a cheerful note for a letter to you.”

355. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (Rountree) to the Acting Secretary of State

Washington, August 13, 1957.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/8–1357. Confidential. Drafted by Burdett and Waggoner and concurred in by Lightner and Reams. A marginal notation on the source text by Rountree indicates that the memorandum was approved on August 13 by Herter, Henderson, Murphy, and Moose (who was then in Washington for consultation) and on August 14 by President Eisenhower. Herter was acting in the absence of Dulles who was vacationing.

356. Memorandum of a Conversation, White House, Washington, August 14, 1957

Washington, August 14, 1957

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/8–1457. Secret; Limited Distribution. Drafted by Rountree.

357. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Jordan

Washington, August 14, 1957—6 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.83/8–1457. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Rockwell and approved by Rountree who signed for Herter. Also sent to Baghdad, Beirut, and Jidda, and repeated to Cairo, Damascus, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv.

358. Daily Top Secret Summary

Washington, August 19, 1957.

Source: Department of State, Daily Summaries: Lot 60 D 530. Top Secret; Eyes Only for Designated Recipient. According to the cover sheet, the Top Secret Staff Summary was “the joint work of S/S–RO, the policy information officers in various areas of the Department and the Department’s research and intelligence organization.”

The Top Secret Summaries were routinely distributed to the Secretary of State and other principal officers of the Department of State.

359. Notes of the Secretary’s Staff Meeting, Department of State, Washington, August 19, 1957, 9:15 a.m.

Washington, August 19, 1957, 9:15 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Staff Meetings: Lot 63 D 75. Secret. Drafted by Howe.

360. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, August 19, 1957, 3:45 p.m.

Washington, August 19, 1957, 3:45 p.m.

Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Secret. Drafted by Howe.

361. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President

Washington, August 20, 1957.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles-Herter Series. Confidential.

362. Telegram From the Embassy in Turkey to the Department of State

Ankara, August 21, 1957—5 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/8–2157. Top Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Received at 8:26 a.m. Repeated to Baghdad.

363. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Washington, August 21, 1957, 11:30 a.m.

Washington, August 21, 1957, 11:30 a.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Secret; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles.

364. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Saudi Arabia

Washington, August 21, 1957—7:52 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 683.00/8–2157. Top Secret; Niact; Presidential Handling. Drafted and approved by Dulles and cleared by Rountree.

365. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel

Washington, August 21, 1957—7:54 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/8–2157. Top Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rockwell and Dulles and approved and signed by Dulles.

366. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Turkey

Washington, August 21, 1957—7:59 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/8–2157. Top Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rountree; and revised, approved, and signed by Dulles. Repeated to Baghdad.

367. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom

Washington, August 21, 1957.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/8–2157. Top Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted and signed by Dulles and cleared by Rountree.

368. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State

Tel Aviv, August 22, 1957—6 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/8–2257. Top Secret; Niact. Received at 6:25 p.m. Rountree was notified concerning the telegram at 8:15 p.m. A copy of telegram 175, in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series, was initialed by Eisenhower.

369. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Turkey

Washington, August 23, 1957—3:41 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.13–HE/8–2357. Top Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rountree and approved and signed by Dulles.

371. Letter to the Secretary of State

Washington, August 24, 1957.

Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Secret. A note attached to the source text from the duty officer in S/S, R.A. McKinnon, to Howe, August 24, indicates that the letter was delivered to Rountree at 2:45 p.m. on August 24 in Berry’s presence and that Rountree said he would deliver the letter to Secretary Dulles later in the afternoon.

372. Telegram From the Consulate General in Istanbul to the Department of State

Istanbul, August 25, 1957—6 p.m.

Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Top Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Received at 5:43 p.m. A notation on the source text indicates that it was read by Cabell and A. Roosevelt.

Howe forwarded a copy of telegram 190 along with four other messages from Henderson (telegrams 191, 192, 193, and 197) to the White House on August 26 under cover of a note indicating that Secretary Dulles had asked that President Eisenhower be shown the telegrams. Howe’s covering note and its attachments are in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Miscellaneous Material.

373. Telegram From the Consulate General in Istanbul to the Department of State

Istanbul, August 26, 1957—5 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.15–HE/8–2657. Top Secret; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Ankara.

374. Telegram From the Consulate General in Istanbul to the Department of State

Istanbul, August 26, 1957—6 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.15–HE/8–2657. Top Secret; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Ankara.

375. Memorandum of a Conversation With the President, White House, Washington, August 28, 1957, 10:30 a.m.

Washington, August 28, 1957, 10:30 a.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Miscellaneous Material. Top Secret. A separate memorandum of the conversation by Rountree is in Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. It contains a briefer account of the conversation than Eisenhower’s memorandum printed here.

376. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Lebanon

Washington, August 28, 1957—5:31 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.13–HE/8–2857. Top Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Burdett; cleared in substance with Colonel Shepley, Greene, and Murphy; and approved by Rountree who signed for Dulles.