297. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State1
Dulte 1. For Hoover,Merchant and Allen from the Secretary. Today at luncheon with Lange, I spoke separately to Nutting and to Alphand about the Egyptian situation. I said we were informed definitely that there would be a substantial sale of military equipment from the Soviet Union to Egypt. I told them of my prior talk with Molotov,2 and said I felt greatly concerned about the situation. I feared that the Israelis might insist upon attacking Egypt before the arms arrived, or if not, the Egyptians would attack the Israelis after the arms had been assimilated. I suggested our three governments consider whether we should not unitedly raise this problem with Molotov when the three Foreign Ministers meet with him next week.
Nutting said he would communicate at once with Macmillan.Alphand said he would do the same with Pinay when he arrives tomorrow morning.Alphand said that it was almost a certainty that [Page 503] if the arms flowed into Egypt, some of them would flow from Egypt into Libya and to the insurgents in North Africa.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 774.56/9–2255. Secret; Priority. Received at 5:04 p.m.↩
- See Document 286.↩