Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Near East: Jordan-Yemen, Volume XIII

355. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (Rountree) to the Acting Secretary of State¹

Washington, August 13, 1957.

SUBJECT

• Proposed Steps in Response to Syrian Government Actions Against the United States

Discussion:

The Syrian Government over the past several months has been taking an increasingly unfriendly attitude towards the United States and concurrently establishing closer ties with the Soviet Union. It has just made the following specific moves:

1. Issued on August 12, through the Government-controlled Syrian Broadcasting Station, an official statement alleging an American plot to overthrow the present Government. The statement named Howard Stone, Attaché and Political Officer, and Frank Jeton, Vice Consul, as being directly involved.²

2. Stopped and searched the official car of our Diplomatic Courier at the Syrian border on August 12.³

3. Surrounded the American Embassy Chancery at Damascus on August 12 with approximately 30 armed Syrian security forces.

4. Declared as persona non grata Howard Stone, Frank Jeton and the Army Attaché, Colonel Robert Molloy on August 13. The Syrian Government demanded that they leave the country by 12:00 noon, Wednesday, August 14.⁴

I believe that we must act quickly and decisively in response to these openly hostile actions by the Syrian Government.

Recommendations:

1. That I summon the Syrian Chargé this afternoon and:

a. Protest the vicious campaign against the United States carried on by the Syrian press and Government-controlled radio culminating in the fabricated charges of United States involvement in a plot against the Syrian Government.

b. Protest the declaration of the three officers mentioned above as persona non grata.

c. Protest interference with our Diplomatic Courier.

d. Inquire regarding the significance of the posting of security forces around the Embassy Chancery.

e. Hand the Chargé the attached note (Tab A)⁵ declaring Ambassador Zeineddine and Dr. Yassin Zakaria, Second Secretary, persona non grata. Zeineddine is now in Syria. We would demand that Zakaria leave within 48 hours.

Zeineddine has a long record of unfriendly and pro-Soviet activities. We welcome an opportunity to expel him from this country…. Zakaria … is the member of the Embassy staff who has maintained the closest contacts with the Soviet Embassy here. The Military Attaché has only recently arrived…. The action recommended would leave a Syrian Embassy staff consisting of the Chargé, a First Secretary, and the Military Attaché. Despite the existing restrictions on our personnel in Syria which may be expected to increase, we do not wish to invite the Syrians to close down our establishment completely. Therefore, we believe it inadvisable to act against additional Syrian officers in this country at this time.

2. That we issue a press release (Tab B)⁶ simply recounting the steps which we have taken because of the demonstrated hostile attitude of the present Syrian Government.

3. That with respect to the Syrian charges of United States involvement in a plot and similar ones now being levied by the Egyptian Government, we would continue to take the position that they are only the latest and most extravagant of a long series of obvious fabrications.

4. That we instruct Ambassador Moose not to return to Syria, thus forestalling possible Syrian action declaring him persona non grata. Our intentions in this respect would be mentioned in the press release, but we would not inform the Syrian Chargé.

5. That we suspend visits to Syria by groups and persons under our Cultural Exchange Program. The Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and two professors are scheduled to leave shortly for Damascus.

Depending upon the Syrian reaction to these various moves, it may be necessary for us to take further steps, such as banning American travel to Syria. However, we do not believe that any additional steps need be taken immediately.

1. 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.
2. The broadcast was made at 11:45 p.m. Damascus time on August 12. At 1 a.m. on August 13 in Damascus, Strong notified the Department of the broadcast and of the fact that the Embassy building had been surrounded by approximately 30 armed Syrian security forces since 9 p.m. that evening. (Telegram 411; Ibid.) A translated text of the broadcast was transmitted to the Department in telegram 419 from Damascus, August 13. (Ibid.)
3. Reported in telegram 408 from Damascus, August 12. (Ibid., 116.32/8–1256)
4. At 1:45 p.m. on August 13 in Damascus, Syrian Foreign Office Secretary General Tarazi informed Strong that three members of the Embassy staff had been found working against Syria and that in order to preserve good relations between Syria and the United States it was necessary for the Syrian Government to declare them persona non grata. (Telegram 423 from Damascus, August 13; Ibid., 783.00/ 8–1357) Telegram 435 from Damascus, August 14, transmitted to the Department the text of a Syrian Foreign Office communiqué concerning the action which had been printed in the Syrian press. (Ibid., 783.00/8–1457) For additional reports and comments from the Embassy in Damascus concerning the situation, see Ibid., 783.00.
5. Not attached to the source text, nor found elsewhere.
6. Not attached to the source text. Presumably, it is the same as Department of State press release 462, issued on August 14, and printed in Department of State Bulletin, September 2, 1957, pp. 388–389.