867N.00/11–549: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Legation in Jordan
198. Senator, Vice President Hebrew University, accompanied by Amb Elath, again called on McGhee Nov 21 to discuss Scopus situation and urge US intervention with Abdullah to carry out armistice terms and permit free access to Scopus. Elath stated Israel Govt now prepared make certain concessions to Jordan to demonstrate desire reach agreement this point and that Israeli UN Rep wld so inform SYG.
McGhee reiterated our sympathetic attitude toward Senator’s objectives re resumption activities cultural and humanitarian institutions Scopus and suggested good use might be made of MAC for resolving Scopus question. MAC consists of Israeli and Jordan reps and was set up and is now functioning for questions of this kind. Furthermore submission to MAC would probably in long run be more effective than third country approach.
Pls inform FonOff re foregoing. Re Scopus, we hope Jordan Govt will be mindful of great interest in this country and elsewhere in functioning of humanitarian and cultural institutions and that it will continue approach problem in spirit of determination to resolve present impasse.2
- The first visit by David W. Senator bad taken place on September 26; Mr. Wilkins’ memorandum of conversation of that date not printed (867N.00/9–2649)↩
- This telegram was repeated to Jerusalem as No. 408 and to Tel Aviv. Simultaneously, the Department sent its first two paragraphs to Tel Aviv in telegram 705, in which it instructed Ambassador McDonald to “discuss matter with FonOff and referring Dept’s proposal (Deptel 375 June 17) suggest MAC wld appear most appropriate medium through which Scopus and other question[s] this nature cld be resolved.” No. 705 was repeated to Jerusalem and Amman. The Department, at the same time, directed Jerusalem, in telegram 406, to inform General Riley in confidence of the substance of Nos. 198 and 705. Telegrams 198, 705, and 406 bear identical file numbers.↩