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

867N.01/6–2549

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Deputy Under Secretary of State (Rusk)¹

top secret

[Washington,] June 25, 1949.

Participants:	Mr. Rusk, Deputy Under Secretary of State
	Mr. Uriel Heyd, Israeli Chargé d’Affairs a.i.
	Mr. Mattison, NE

I handed the attached aide-mémoire to Mr. Heyd after orally summarizing its contents and reading verbatim the last two paragraphs for emphasis.²

I also mentioned that it looked to us as if the Lausanne Conference was going to recess for a few weeks. This Government was most anxious that the recess period he used to the utmost advantage towards developing a new approach towards the issues which are still outstanding.

In this connection we felt that the Gaza strip proposal was perhaps the key which would unlock the whole problem. For this reason we were most anxious that the Egyptians and Israelis get together and see what could be worked out. I inquired whether Mr. Eban would continue to remain in New York, in the event that it should prove advantageous for conversations to be held between the Israelis and Egyptians there. Mr. Heyd replied that Mr. Eban planned to remain in the United States until the return of Ambassador Elath. However, if it were a matter of urgency the Ambassador would return immediately.

I stated that this would not be necessary, and explained that we had no preconceived idea as to when the conversations might take place. It was possible that the Israelis might wish to use contacts that they already had with the Egyptians. On the other hand if these were not satisfactory we were willing to help in arranging an exchange of views.

Mr. Heyd said that he would communicate with his government and inform us of its reaction.

Mr. Heyd said that there was one other matter that Mr. Sharett had asked him to take up. This was with regard to my interview with him on June 24, 1949,³ in which I had discussed reports of impending Israeli military activity. Mr. Sharett was surprised and somewhat hurt that we had given credence to such irresponsible stories. I explained that we had received reports from a number of sources including Tel Aviv which when put together made a somewhat alarming picture. As a member of the UN and the PCC we had felt it our duty to bring these to the Israeli Government’s attention. We had been most gratified to hear that the reports were not true. If the resulting exchange of views had cleared the air they had served a useful purpose.

1. Drafted by Mr. Mattison.
2. Note that telegram 398, supra, states that Mr. Rusk handed the Aide-Mémoire to the Israeli Chargé on June 24.
3. It is not clear whether Mr. Rusk conversed with the Israeli Chargé on both June 24 and June 25. The editors have been unable to find a relevant memorandum of conversation, dated June 24, in the Department of State files.