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.
377. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/8–2857. Secret; Priority. Received at 5:33 p.m. Also sent niact to Beirut and repeated to Amman, Ankara, Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, Jidda, Paris, London, and Moscow.
On August 29, Howe forwarded to Goodpaster copies of telegram 199 from Tel Aviv and telegram 563 from Beirut under cover of a note indicating that Dulles wished the cables to be shown to Eisenhower. (Ibid., 783.00/8–2957) Copies of the telegrams are in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series.
In telegram 563 from Beirut, August 28, Henderson reported on his initial meetings with Foreign Minister Malik, Prime Minister Solh, and President Chamoun following his arrival in Beirut that day. During these discussions, the Lebanese officials emphasized the seriousness of subversion from Syria which Lebanon faced; Henderson explained that the United States shared this fear for Lebanon and other neighboring states. (Department of State, Central Files, 110.13–HE/8–2857)
378. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Lebanon
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Top Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rountree and Rockwell and approved and signed by Dulles.
379. Telegram From the Embassy in Egypt to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/9–157. Secret. Received at 9:17 a.m., September 2. Repeated to Amman, Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, Jidda, London, Moscow, Paris, Rabat, Rome, Tel Aviv, Tripoli, Tunis, and Khartoum.
380. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, White House, Washington, September 2, 1957, 3 p.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Top Secret; Personal and Private.
381. Telegram From the Consulate General in Istanbul to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Top Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Received at 3:04 a.m., September 3. Forwarded to General Goodpaster at the White House on September 3 under cover of a note from Howe. (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Miscellaneous Material)
382. Telegram From the Consulate General in Istanbul to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.13–HE/9–357. Top Secret; Priority.
383. Special National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Department of State, INR–NIE Files. Secret. According to a note on the cover sheet, “The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and The Joint Staff.” The estimate was concurred in by the Intelligence Advisory Committee on September 3, 1957. “Concurring were the Special Assistant, Intelligence, Department of State; the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Department of the Army; the Director of Naval Intelligence; the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, USAF; and the Deputy Director for Intelligence, The Joint Staff. The Atomic Energy Commission Representative to the IAC and the Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, abstained, the subject being outside of their jurisdiction.”
384. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, September 5, 1957, 1:14 p.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Asbjornson. The President was in Newport, Rhode Island.
385. Letter From Secretary of State Dulles to Prime Minister Macmillan
Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, Dulles to Macmillan Correspondence, 1955–1957. Top Secret. The source text is a carbon copy of the original. Attached to the source text is an earlier draft of the letter with Dulles’ handwritten changes. Dulles sent a copy of the letter to Eisenhower on September 6.
386. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Iraq
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Secret; Limit Distribution.
387. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Turkey
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Henderson and approved and signed by Dulles.
388. Memorandum of a Conversation With the President, White House, Washington, September 7, 1957, 10:07 a.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Miscellaneous Material. Top Secret. Drafted by Goodpaster. Attached to the source text are handwritten notes of the meeting by Goodpaster, Wisner, and Cutler. The memorandum of conversation printed here is a composite of those notes. A separate memorandum of the conversation by Rountree is in Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. The time of the meeting is from the President’s Daily Appointments. (Eisenhower Library)
391. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/9–1057. Top Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rockwell; cleared with Dulles; and approved by Rountree who signed for Dulles. Repeated to Ankara, Baghdad, Amman, and Beirut.
392. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Turkey
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Top Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rockwell and Burdett; cleared in draft with Dulles; and approved by Rountree who signed for Dulles. Repeated to Beirut, Baghdad, and Amman.
393. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Turkey
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Top Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rockwell and Burdett; cleared in draft with Dulles; and approved by Rountree who signed for Dulles. Repeated to Baghdad, Amman, and Beirut.
394. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Lebanon
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Top Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rockwell and Burdett; cleared with Dulles; and approved by Rountree who signed for Dulles. Repeated to Ankara, Baghdad, and Amman.
395. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Jordan
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Top Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rockwell and Burdett; cleared with Dulles; and approved by Rountree who signed for Dulles. Repeated to Ankara, Baghdad, and Beirut.
396. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and Senator William F. Knowland, September 11, 1957, 2:40 p.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Bernau.
398. Memorandum of Discussion at the 336th Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, September 12, 1957
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Gleason on September 13.
399. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Turkey
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 320/9–1657. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Rountree and approved by Dulles. Also sent priority to Amman and Baghdad and repeated to London and Beirut.
400. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in France
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 782.54/9–1757. Top Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Rockwell on September 12. Revised by Dulles and Elbrick on September 13, and approved by Dulles, evidently prior to his departure for New York on September 16.
During a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on September 12, it was agreed that a need existed for the Council to obtain more information and study the situation developing in Syria and the Middle East. (Polto 569 from Paris, September 12; ibid., 780.00/9–1257) Subsequent to that meeting on September 13, the Department of State informed the Embassy in Ankara of its belief that NAC permanent representatives should receive more information concerning U.S. attitude toward the problem. In the same telegram, the Department transmitted a verbatim text of the instructions to Perkins printed here and instructed the Embassy to discuss the matter with the Turkish Government and inquire whether they had any objections. (Telegram 806, September 13; ibid., S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123) Menderes and other Turkish officials approved the proposed U.S. initiative to the Council during a meeting on September 16. (Telegram 752 from Ankara, September 16; ibid.)
401. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in France
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 780.00/9–1357. Secret; Niact. Drafted by Dorman and Rockwell and approved by Berry who signed for Murphy. Repeated to Amman, Ankara, Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, and London.
402. Memorandum of a Conversation, the Secretary’s Suite in the Waldorf Astoria, New York, September 18, 1957, 11 a.m.
Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 66 D 123. Top Secret. Drafted by Reinhardt. The source text is marked “draft”, but contains handwritten corrections. The text printed here is the corrected version.
403. Special Staff Note, Prepared in the White House
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries. Secret. No drafting information is given on the source text. Eisenhower initialed the source text.
404. Circular Telegram From the Department of State to Certain Diplomatic Missions and Consular Offices
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/9–2557. Secret. Drafted by officials in NEA and USIA; cleared with officials in USIA, NEA, and PA. Approved by Rountree who signed for Dulles. Sent to the Embassies in Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan, the United Kingdom, Morocco, Israel, Libya, Tunis, and Iran; and pouched to the Embassies in Ghana, Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Spain, Liberia, India, France, and Italy, and to the consulate general in Jerusalem.
USIA Director Larson informed President Eisenhower of the contents of circular telegram 278 in a memorandum of September 28. Eisenhower initialed the memorandum. (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Administration Series, USIA)
405. Letter From the Chargé in Syria (Strong) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (Rountree)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.00/10–1657. Secret; Official-Informal.