55. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel1
444. You should immediately convey following to high Israeli official:
US concerned lest tense situation on Israeli-Syrian border deteriorate into further armed action. Seems to us essential that everything possible be done to restore calm, and that matter continue to be handled in UN. If incident not closed and wider repercussions occur, implications would be grave for security of NE.
US has noted Eban’s words in Security Council December 8 re Israeli capacity to silence Syrian artillery attack.2 We assume these words were uttered for their deterrent effect only and that Israel, as Eban indicated in SC, would continue to use UN as appropriate rather than resort to armed action which US could not support. In our view this is correct course to follow, both in interests of Israel and those of area security. US is approaching UAR to urge extreme caution lest this matter get out of hand.
For Cairo
You should immediately convey following to high UAR official:
[Page 128]US is approaching Israeli Government to emphasize necessity that nothing be done to aggravate current situation on Syrian border in view of its possible grave implications for security of area. We are making clear to Israelis our conviction that calm must be established and the matter continue to be handled in UN. We desire UAR Government to know this, and at same time to urge that in its turn UAR exercise great care to insure that there be no further armed action in this area.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86B/12–1158. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Rockwell and cleared by Walmsley and UNP. Also sent to Cairo and repeated to Beirut, Damascus, Jerusalem, London, USUN, and Amman.↩
- For the verbatim record of the discussion at the Security Council on December 8, see U.N. Doc.S/PV.841.↩