890E.00/163: Telegram
The Diplomatic Agent and Consul General at Beirut (Wadsworth) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 22—5:33 p.m.]
280. Refer my 266, September 3, 7 p.m. and penultimate paragraph, my 277, September 17, 5 p.m.60 Lebanese Chamber of Deputies met in special opening session yesterday and, after choosing its officers, selected Shiekh Beshara-el-Khouri as President of the Republic. For biographic data report please see despatch No. 164, August 6.61
Of 55 deputies 47 were present, 3 abstained from voting; balance voted unanimously. Absentees and abstainer[s] were Shiekh Beshara[’s] chief rival, former President Edde, latter’s remaining partisans.
Khouri’s election was result of fortnight intense electioneering during which it became clear he was generally favored by Spears, Syrian Government and local Moslem Executive as well as his own group of primarily Christian deputies. Even French who had been strongly supporting Edde came into eleventh hour line.
Edde’s last minute abstention was “in protest against foreign (i.e. primarily Spears) interventions” which considering support given him by French makes him laughing stock of Chamber. All objective observers agree, however, that campaign took an [on?] increasingly color of intense Franco-British rivalry for ascendency of influence, with Spears clear winner.
As Khouri is Maronite, precedent for filling Presidency from member this numerically leading community is met. Similarly Premiership will be filled by Sunni Moslem; but departure from precedent was made at urgent insistence Shia Moslems that presidency of Chamber formerly filled by minority Christian be given member this third leading community.
Sabri Hamadi prominent feudal chief from Beqaa was selected to latter post. Riad es Solh is favored for Premiership by Nationalists and British and is apparently acceptable to French.
Khouri’s address to Chamber following election stressed Lebanon’s long time aspirations for independence and for internal concord among its communities. “We shall certainly not renounce any of our traditions or our friendships” he said “but we know that no friendship is incompatible with the rights of independence”.
He paid highest tribute to Allied cause and referred to Lebanon’s relationship with Arab states as that of “a neighbor sure understanding [Page 993] and fraternal, maintaining a cooperation sealed by friendship and sincerity” in a world where isolationism can no longer exist.