893.00/1201
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by Mr. Gordon P. Merriam of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs
Responding to my question whether he had seen the article by Judge Crabites61 entitled “Britain’s Debt to King Farouk”, published in the July 1941 issue of Foreign Affairs, the Minister said that he had and that he considered it a very fine article. He was, he said, sending two copies of the review to his Government, and he informed me that another article by Judge Crabites was about to appear in another magazine. The Minister had sent for some copies and promised to loan me one.
I then asked the Minister whether anything had happened with reference to his difficulties with PM and Life. Hassan Bey said that he had discussed the matter with Mr. Long, who had advised him to forget about it, pointing out that PM had also attacked both Mr. Long himself and Mr. Berle.62 The Minister said laughingly that he was therefore prepared to follow Mr. Long’s advice and to drop the matter, and that he would so inform his Government. He had not even received an acknowledgment of his communications to these publications, but whereas last week he had spoken of their discourtesy with considerable umbrage, today he dismissed the matter with a laugh.
The Minister appeared to appreciate my calling him to tell him of the Foreign Affairs article.