867N.01/11–1445: Airgram
The Chargé in Syria (Porter) to the Secretary of State
[November 29—1:26 p.m.]
A–86. Upon receipt of the Department’s approval of the suggestion contained in my telegram no. 82 of November 11, I called at the Foreign Office during the regular Tuesday 5–7 p.m. period which Saadallah Bey Jabri reserves for members of the diplomatic corps. I informed him in the sense of the telegram under reference, i.e. that while we greatly appreciated his desire to cooperate with us in this matter of the Roosevelt–Kuwatly correspondence, we would have no objection if the suspension of Alef Ba were lifted. As I did so his relief was evident. He said, “I felt I had to suspend Alef Ba to prove to your Government my good faith in this matter. But this suspension has been very embarrassing to me.”
Saadallah Bey did not go into detail, but we were aware that his embarrassment was increasing. Alef Ba had taken this correspondence from an Egyptian newspaper, and Saadallah Bey promptly suspended it for 1 month. However, Al Waqt of Aleppo the next day reprinted the correspondence from Alef Ba, and was also suspended. Ad Duha of Homs then took the texts from Al Waqt on November 13 and was about to be suspended when I conveyed the above message to Saadallah Bey. As a result, it seems probable that the holidays (Id al-Adha37) of several editors will be rendered more enjoyable.
- A Moslem holiday of approximately 4 days, the last 3 of which are given over to festive pastime; the first day is marked by the observance of the “sacrificial feast”, and coincides with the end of the Mecca pilgrimage.↩