419. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State1
527.Herzog, Chief American Section Foreign Ministry, yesterday referred to Ben Gurion’s November 15 conversation with Ambassador (Embtel 5152) and inquired whether Embassy had received information confirming or denying Macmillan’s message that Secretary was in full agreement Eden’s statement. In replying I avoided any direct answer but made the following points:
- (1)
- US area policy had been set forth publicly in Secretary’s August 26 address and President’s statement November 9.
- (2)
- The Secretary in his talk with Sharett at Paris3 had emphasized need for Israel to give urgent consideration to sacrifices it would be willing to make to obtain settlement.
- (3)
- The USG endorses Eden’s speech insofar as it supports the Secretary’s August 26 address.
In reply,Herzog in a tone of unwonted bitterness said that Nasser appeared to be getting everything he wanted. He was getting his arms from the Soviet Union, the High Aswan Dam from the US and now Eden had come along and offered him slices of Israel’s territory. I commented it was not clear at this moment as to how any of these 3 matters were developing but suggested that perhaps Israel was too prone to look to the US to solve all of its problems and that the time had arrived for GOI to do some hard practical thinking re bringing about an Israel-Arab settlement. It appeared to me that if there was going to be a settlement an accommodation by both sides was required.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/11–1955. Secret. Received at 2:14 p.m. Repeated to London, Paris, and Cairo.↩
- Document 417.↩
- See Document 359.↩