324. Editorial Note
Selwyn Lloyd recalled in his memoirs that during a conversation with Nuri Said in Baghdad on March 10, the Iraqi Prime Minister had emphasized to Lloyd that the Syrian Government was evil and that Iraq could organize friendly elements within Syria against it. [Page 570] Nuri cautioned, however, that while this operation was underway, it was essential that Turkey and Israel forego any initiatives against Syria. Following his return to London, Lloyd presented to the British Cabinet on March 21 a wide-ranging set of proposals aimed at countering Nasser’s leadership in the Middle East and buttressing pro-Western governments in the area. These proposals included the assertion that the United Kingdom should seek to establish in Syria a Government more friendly to the West. (Suez 1956 (London: Jonathon Cape, 1978), pages 56–60)