Near East, 1962–1963


121. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 784A.13/12–2762. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Talbot and approved in the White House on January 18, 1963. A summary of this memorandum of conversation was sent to certain posts in circular telegram 1168, January 4, 1963. (Ibid., 611.84A/1–463)


122. Telegram From the Embassy in Saudi Arabia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786H.02/12–2862. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution.


123. Telegram From the Embassy in the United Arab Republic to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786B.11/12–3062. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Jidda, Amman, London, and Taiz.


124. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Arab Republic

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786A.5486B/12–3162. Confidential; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Barrow, cleared by Davies, and approved by Talbot. Repeated to Jidda, London, Amman, and Taiz.


125. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Saudi Arabia

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786A.5486B/12–1362. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Seelye; cleared by Davies, Quinn (OSD/ISA) (in substance), and Padelford (NEA/NR) (in substance); and approved by Talbot. Repeated to Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Kuwait, London, Paris for CINCEUR, Tel Aviv, Dhahran, and Taiz.


126. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Talbot) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.86B/1–263. Secret. Drafted by Barrow.


127. Memorandum From Robert W. Komer of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, United Arab Republic, Nasser Visit. Secret.


128. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 218, JCS Records, 1961, 9180/3100 (31 December 1962). Top Secret. On January 3, Gilpatric forwarded this memorandum to Ball under cover of a memorandum indicating: “I am in agreement with the views enumerated in paragraph 6 of the JCS memorandum. However, before implementation of any follow-on military action by the United States, I would hope the U.S. might secure prior action on the part of the Saudi Arabian Government to curtail its activities in support of the Yemen Royalists and thereby reduce the provocation for the bombing attacks.” (Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 69 A 3131, Arabia 1963)


129. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Arab Republic

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 686B.86H/1–463. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Barrow and Davies and approved by Talbot. Repeated to Jidda, Amman, London, and Taiz.


130. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Saudi Arabia

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786A.54/1–463. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Seelye; cleared by Davies, Quinn (OSD/ISA) (in substance), Cramer (OSD/ISA) (in substance), Padelford, Komer, and Davies (S/S); and approved by Talbot. Repeated to Amman, Cairo, London, Dhahran, and Taiz.


131. Telegram From the Embassy in the United Arab Republic to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786A.5486B/1–963. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Jidda, London, and Taiz.


132. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Taylor)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Saudi Arabia, 1/63–3/63. Secret.


133. Telegram From the Department of State to the Sana’a Office of the Legation in Yemen

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786H.00/1–1663. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Campbell; cleared by Seelye, Strong, Sisco, and Wallner; and approved by Talbot. Repeated to Amman, Cairo, Jidda, and USUN. On January 28, the Legation at Taiz was raised to the level of an Embassy, with Robert W. Stookey serving as Charg?’Affaires ad interim. Stookey occasionally traveled between Taiz and Sana’a to conduct official business with various Yemeni officials.


134. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Arab Republic

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786A.5622/1–1563. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Barrow on January 17, cleared by Talbot (in draft) and Little, and approved by Strong.


135. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Arab Republic

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786H.02/1–1963. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Barrow; cleared by Strong, Rowe, and Komer; and approved by Rusk and Talbot.


136. Memorandum From the Department of State Executive Secretary (Brubeck) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 788.00/1–2163. Secret. Drafted by Bowling and Miklos on January 18 and cleared by Gaud (AID/NESA) and Grant.


137. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 325.84/1–2263. Secret; Limit Distribution. Repeated to USUN. On January 23, Bundy directed that this telegram and telegram 538 from Cairo, January 22, be forwarded to President Kennedy under cover of a memorandum from Komer to Kennedy. Telegram 538 from Tel Aviv is ibid.; for text, see the Supplement, the compilation on the Arab-Israeli dispute. Komer’s covering memorandum is Document 138.


138. Memorandum From Robert W. Komer of the National Security Council Staff to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Israel, 1/21/63–1/31/63. Secret. Komer sent Bundy this memorandum and telegrams 537 (Document 137) and 538 from Tel Aviv, under cover of a note that reads: “Don’t you think JFK ought to see this with my comment before Mike gets to him? It’s one of the most artful “no sales’ I’ve seen.” Bundy wrote on the note: “pass original to Mrs. Lincoln for Pres.” Another handwritten notation indicates: “done.” (Ibid.) For telegram 538 from Tel Aviv, January 22, see the Supplement, the compilation on the Arab-Israeli dispute.


139. National Intelligence Estimate

Source: Central Intelligence Agency Files. Secret; Controlled Dissem. A table of contents is not printed. According to a note on the cover sheet: “The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, Defense, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, AEC, and NSA.” All members of the U.S. Intelligence Board concurred in this estimate on January 23, except the Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who abstained because the subject was outside his jurisdiction.


140. Assessment Prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, United Arab Republic, 1/63–3/63. Secret; No Foreign Dissemination. Forwarded to General Clifton at the White House under cover of a note from Brigadier General Linscott A. Hall, Assistant Director for Processing of DIA.


141. Telegram From the Embassy in the United Arab Republic to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786H.02/1–2463. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Amman, Jidda, Taiz, London, USUN, and Sanaa.


142. Telegram From President Kennedy to Prime Minister Macmillan

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, President Kennedy’s Correspondence with Prime Minister Macmillan. Secret; Eyes Only. The Department of State sent the text of the message to the Embassy in London for its information in telegram 3950, January 26. (Ibid., Central Files, 786H.00/1–2663) The Department of State telegram indicates the message was drafted in the White House.


143. Memorandum From the Department of State Executive Secretary (Brubeck) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Syria, 1/63–2/63. Secret.


144. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Iran

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 788.00/1–2663. Confidential. Drafted by Tiger (NEA/GTI), cleared in draft by Crawford, and approved by Bowling.


145. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Staff Memoranda, Robert W. Komer, Vol. I. Confidential. Drafted by Komer. Sent to Bundy and Kaysen.


146. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission to the United Nations

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786H.00/1–2863. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Campbell and Seelye; cleared by Strong (in draft), Wallner, Sisco, and Rogers (S/S); and approved by McGhee. Repeated to Cairo, Jidda, and London.


147. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Syrian Arab Republic

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783.11/1–2863. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Davies and Barrow, cleared by Rogers (S/S) and Komer, and approved by Strong.


148. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Iran

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 788.00/1–2963. Official Use Only. Drafted by Tiger and Bracken, cleared by Rogers and McGeorge Bundy, and approved by McGhee.


149. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Iraq

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 1–3 IRAQ-US. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Killgore and Davies on February 1, cleared by McGhee, and approved by Strong. Repeated to Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Jidda, Kuwait, London, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Ankara, and Basra.


150. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, REF ARAB. Confidential. Drafted by Grant on February 7 and approved by the White House on February 11.