Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, The Near East and Africa, Volume V

883.20/6–2547

The British Embassy to the Department of State

secret

Ref: G63/ /47

Aide-Mémoire

the egyptian army

The Egyptian Government have intimated to His Majesty’s Government that they propose to engage American military instructors for service in Egypt. This would be contrary to the terms of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 and we would be entitled to raise formal objections. Under the Third Note annexed to the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 the Egyptian Government are obliged to choose, from amongst British Subjects only, any foreign instructors which they may require for their army and air force.¹

The object of this provision in the Treaty was to ensure that the Egyptian Army would be so assisted as to enable it to collaborate as efficiently as possible with His Majesty’s Government in the defence of an area strategically important both to Egypt and H.M. Government. From a technical point of view this could clearly best be achieved by British assistance were it possible for Great Britain to continue to supply all the material required. H.M. Government cannot, however, undertake such supplies in full at the present time. This being so, they do not wish to obstruct the development of the Egyptian Army if the U.S. Government are in fact willing to share with H.M. Government in assisting the Egyptian Army by supplying instructors or military equipment. (As regards equipment, under the Third Note annexed to the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 it is laid down that Egyptian military equipment must not differ in type from that of the British forces and that H.M.G. undertake to use their good offices to facilitate the supply of such equipment from the United Kingdom.)

Owing to the supply difficulties of H.M.G. and to the political complications resulting from the general attitude of the present Egyptian Government, H.M.G. think that the eventual introduction of American instructors would be the best solution in the circumstances.

H.M. Government would, however, be grateful if the U.S. Government would refrain from taking any public step, whether by way of actually sending instructors or announcing their intention to send instructors or military equipment pending consideration of the threatened appeal by the Egyptian Government to the United Nations. H.M. Government are anxious to avoid giving the Soviet Government any pretext for going back on their statement concerning British policy in Egypt, an explanation of which has already been conveyed by the British Embassy to the State Department.² Overt U.S. action of the kind just mentioned might, in the view of H.M. Government, provide such a pretext.

H.M.G. are moreover anxious for the U.S. Government to avoid giving any definite undertaking on these lines to the Egyptian Government at this juncture, seeing that acquiescence by H.M.G. in a breach of the 1936 Treaty at this stage would have implications which need further consideration.³

Washington, 25 June, 1947.

1. In telegram 3608, July 1, the Embassy in London reported information from the Foreign Office that about four months before, Egypt had advised the British Government that it would like to reduce the staff of the British Military Mission in Egypt by July 1, 1947, and terminate it by the end of the year (841.2383/7–147).
2. See Mr. Matthews’ memorandum of conversation, May 7, p. 771.
3. This aide-mémoire was handed to Henry S. Villard, the Deputy Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs, on June 25 by John Balfour, the British Minister. According to a memorandum of conversation by Mr. Villard, he informed Mr. Balfour that “we were, of course, aware of the terms of the 1936 Treaty and that we had been somewhat embarrassed at the prospect of receiving an Egyptian request for American assistance in the face of these provisions. I said I was glad to note that the British Government would have no objection to the possibility of our helping the Egyptians, and that I believed this Government would be agreeable to the British proposal that no announcement be made until the Egyptian case had been disposed of in the United Nations.” (741.83/6–2547). For the view of the Department concerning possible military cooperation with Egypt and its limitation because of the military clauses of the 1936 treaty, see p. 523.