Office of the Historian

304. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Merchant), Washington, September 23, 1955, 6:23 p.m.1

Washington, September 23, 1955, 6:23 p.m.

The Sec. said he was talking to Denver—an interim reply is planned to the other fellow2 and he suggested he might include in that a reference to these developments in Egypt. The Sec. told him he did not make that suggestion but had been thinking of his doing [Page 511] something in that quarter. The Sec. did not see the value of doing it in the other quarter. His army will overthrow him. The Sec. told him of the British suggestion today.3 He wants to talk it over with Merchant. The Pres. will call at 10:30 tomorrow—the Sec. will bring out to M.’s house tonight4 a draft of something and perhaps we can have a meeting here at 8:30.5 The Sec. asked for M.’s immediate reaction. M. said it is all right to mention it but then it seems to him it has to be followed up. Maybe the draft would give it a sufficiently solid treatment to take care of that. It is worse than nothing to mention it almost in passing without following up. M. is almost inclined to make it a separate communication. This other may be published. The Sec. suggested it could go in the same envelope. M. seemed to agree.

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Bernau.↩
  2. Reference is to Bulganin’s message of September 19. See footnote 4, supra.↩
  3. See Document 300.↩
  4. According to Secretary Dulles’ Appointment Book,Dulles had dinner with the Merchants at their home at 8 p.m. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers)↩
  5. According to Dulles’ Appointment Book, the Secretary met at 8:30 a.m., September 24, with Jernegan,Merchant,Phleger, and Allen to discuss the Soviets’ sale of arms to Egypt. (Ibid.)↩