Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XIX, Arab-Israeli Crisis and War, 1967

113. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson¹

Washington, May 31, 1967.

SUBJECT

• Today’s Security Council Meeting

We presented our interim resolution-calling for Security Council endorsement of Thant’s appeal to forego belligerence and for further diplomatic and UN efforts to resolve the crisis.² In his speech, Justice GoldbeRG called on the members of the Security Council to have the courage to exercise their responsibilities and to harmonize their actions to save the world from the scourge of war.

The UAR subsequently presented a resolution essentially calling for a reversion to the situation before 1956.³ The UAR Representative attacked the 1951 Security Council Resolution (which said that neither side was entitled to belligerent rights). His basis was that some of the states voting for the resolution should have abstained as parties to the dispute and that the resolution was based on the “permanent character” of the Armistice which had been shattered by the 1956 attack.

Fedorenko maintained a running, sarcastic challenge to Goldberg to explain our naval blockade of Cuba in 1962 in light of our present championing of maritime rights.

Various Arab countries continued their attacks on Israel. Japan supported Thant; India supported the UAR Resolution; Ethiopia made a temporizing down-the-middle statement; and France called for-and got-an adjournment until 10:30 a.m. Friday⁴ in order to study both resolutions (and, obviously, to get further instructions).

Walt

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. III. Confidential. A handwritten “L” on the memorandum indicates the President saw it.
2. UN document S/7919.
3. UN document S/7919.
4. June 2.