Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, The Near East and Africa, Volume V

S/S–NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351: NSC 47 Series

The Secretary of State to the Secretary of Defense (Marshall)¹

top secret

Washington, April 26, 1951.

My Dear Mr. Secretary: You will recall that NSC 47/5, “United States Policy Toward the Arab States and Israel”, approved by the President March 17, 1951, contained the following paragraph in the Statement of Policy:

“4. Accordingly, the United States should:

a. Hold politico-military discussions with the United Kingdom to clarify the respective participation and responsibilities of each country in strengthening the several Arab States and Israel; and

b. Take steps, correlated with the United Kingdom as far as practicable, to strengthen the several Arab States and Israel to improve their political and economic stability and to increase their will and ability to resist penetration by the USSR.”

Paragraph 5 of the Statement of Policy set forth certain specific lines of action to be followed by this Government in correlation with the United Kingdom.

As you know, the Departments of State and Defense are proposing, pursuant to the policy set forth in NSC 47/5, that there be legislation enacted which will make possible a limited Military Aid Program for the Arab States and Israel during the coming fiscal year. It is understood that this program may become a matter of public knowledge about the 15th of May, at which time the Congressional hearings are now scheduled to commence. This Department is apprehensive of the political and military consequences to the position of the United States and the United Kingdom in the Middle East if the first news that the United States is contemplating a grant aid program reaches the area without the proper groundwork and coordination being completed in advance with the United Kingdom.

Since the purpose of the program envisaged in NSC 47/5 is to strengthen the countries of the Middle East in correlation with the efforts of the United Kingdom, it seems to us important that we work out with the United Kingdom between now and May 15, the broad outlines of the program which will best further United States interests and those the United States shares with the United Kingdom. The attached memorandum develops the reasoning upon which this view is based and also deals with the problem of informing the French Government at a later stage of our intentions.

I hope, therefore, that you will: (a) designate in the very near future the Defense side of a small State-Defense Working Group to discuss the implementation of those parts of NSC 47/5 which call for correlated United States-United Kingdom action and (b) agree to United States-United Kingdom politico-military talks to be held here on a Top Secret basis, commencing during the week of April 30.²

Sincerely yours,

Dean Acheson

1. Drafted by Kopper and G. Lewis Jones; cleared by NEA, EUR, WE, BNA, S/ISA. S/S, and G.
2. Enclosed with this letter was a copy of an undated memorandum prepared in the Department of State entitled “United States–United Kingdom Politico-Military Discussions Regarding the Arab States and Israel”. This memorandum and a covering one of April 20 from McGhee to Acheson were not declassified in time for publication. (McGhee Files: Lot 53 D 468: “General”)