Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume VI

501.BB Palestine/11–1149

Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Robert N. Margrave of the Munitions Division

confidential

[Washington,] November 14, 1949.

Participants:	Mr. George Ignatieff, Counselor, Canadian Embassy
	Mr. G. E. Cox, Third Secretary, Canadian Embassy
	BNA—Wm. L. Wight
	MD—John C. Elliott
	MD—R.N. Margrave

[Here follow the two introductory paragraphs dealing with United States policy concerning exports of arms to the Near East.]

Mr. Ignatieff stated that the Canadian Government had been approached by Israeli representatives with a request for quotations on various military items (for example, 500 .50 caliber Browning machine guns, 2,500,000 rounds of .50 caliber machine gun ammunition, 18,000 rounds 37 mm. AT proximity fuze ammunition, 50 105 mm. field guns, 150 artillery weapons higher than 57 mm., etc.). He queried whether the United States Government would consider exports of this order to be of considerable military significance with respect to the Near East. Mr. Elliott pointed out that although many unofficial rumors and “feelers” concerning Near Eastern desire for U.S. arms had come to the attention of the Munitions Division, to date exports from the U.S. to the Near East have involved no significant military items (largely sporting arms and civil aircraft parts). He added that this Government would regard proposed exports to the Near East of the nature and of the order described by Mr. Ignatieff as being of considerable military significance and, therefore, would be obliged to view such shipments with great concern.

Mr. Elliott informed Mr. Ignatieff that the Department is attempting to gather together reliable information as to the relative strengths of the various Near Eastern military establishments so that, along with information derived from consultation with the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, France, and Italy, this Government would have an adequate basis for considering significant military shipments to the Near East. He pointed out that the proposed consultations with these Governments (of which only that with the United Kingdom had been initiated) would result not only in a pooling of information with respect to Near Eastern arms exports on a post facto basis but also envisaged possible prior consultation with respect to proposed exports of considerable military significance. Mr. Ignatieff expressed the view that his Government would be pleased to consult further with this Government concerning this whole problem and hoped that Mr. Elliott would keep him informed of the progress of U.S.–U.K. discussions looking to the possibility of parallel and cooperative action concerning the central problem.¹

1. On November 17, Mr. Elliott, who was Chief of the Munitions Division, conferred with a New York attorney, who had been asked by the Israeli Supply Mission in New York “to sound out informally the Department regarding the export to Israel of AT–6 aircraft for civil pilot training programs.” Mr. Elliott suggested that “AT–6’s were not the type of aircraft appropriate for a civil pilot training program” because of their high military potential and indicated that the Mission endeavor to obtain smaller aircraft (501.BB Palestine/11–1749).