741.83/9–847: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Douglas) to the Secretary of State
4867. Egyptian Department Foreign Office asked Embassy today to advise Department that Foreign Office greatly appreciates contents Department’s 3800, August 30, and in particular reaffirmation of US policy in final paragraph.
Foreign Office feels that at some stage US Government should make it clear that its policy remains to encourage an agreement between British and Egyptian Governments of which mutual defense arrangements will form a vital part. In Foreign Office view irrespective of outcome of Anglo-Egyptian dispute before SC, when Anglo-Egyptian negotiations are resumed, possibility of agreement will be just as far away as ever unless principle of mutual defense is admitted in some form.
Foreign Office has no definite ideas as to how and when statement of US views might be made. Foreign Office believes important thing is to make Egyptians understand that US favors such an agreement.
British Embassy, Washington, was instructed September 6 to approach Department in above sense.1
- Lord Inverchapel approached Mr. Lovett on this matter on September 8. The Acting Secretary of State informed him that “the advisability of making such a statement would depend on the nature of the resolution the British might agree to; and that if such a resolution did not have a fair chance of success, a public statement might alienate the support of the Syrian or Colombian members, without whose vote a decision seemed impossible.” (Memorandum of conversation, September 8, by Mr. Satterthwaite, 841.2383/9–847).↩