883.404/20
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Dawes)
Sir: There is enclosed a copy of a letter dated March 24, 1930, together with copies of its enclosures, addressed to the American Minister at Cairo by the Egypt Intermission Council.25 The letter and its enclosures explain the concern of the Council, which represents various American and European Protestant sects, with regard to the future of religious liberty in Egypt. It is believed that a perusal of these documents will indicate clearly the reasons for the Council’s anxiety.
Doctor C. R. Watson, President of the American University at Cairo and Chairman of the Intermission Council’s Committee on Missions and Government, is now in the United States and on April 17, 1930, he called at the Department to discuss some of the points raised in the enclosed documents. During the course of his conversation Doctor Watson stated that he had been given to understand in Cairo that the British Government would not be averse to receiving an expression of opinion with respect to the question from the Government of the United States. Such an expression of opinion, Doctor Watson understood, would tend to strengthen the hand of the British Foreign Office in any conversations on the subject which it might have with the Egyptian delegation which is now in London negotiating an Anglo-Egyptian Treaty.
It is therefore desired that you seek an early occasion to make oral inquiries of the appropriate British authorities as to whether any [Page 759] steps are being taken to safeguard religious liberties in Egypt in connection with the new arrangements that are being made between Great Britain and Egypt.
You may add that this Government considers the viewpoint of the Intermission Council in this matter to be reasonable and hopes that at an appropriate time sympathetic consideration may be given to the Council’s suggestions.
I am [etc.]
- None printed.↩