S/S–NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351 NSC 65 Series
Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Webb) to the Executive Secretary, National Security Council (Lay)1
Subject: Third Progress Report on NSC 65/3, “United States Policy Toward Arms Shipments to the Near East.”2
NSC 65/3 was approved as Governmental policy on May 19, 1950. It is requested that this Progress Report, as of May 8, 1951, be circulated to the members of the Council for their information.
1. Important Action and Developments Affecting NSC 65/3
Negotiations between the United Kingdom and Egypt are continuing concerning a revision of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 under which British forces are presently stationed in the Suez Canal zone. In view of the lack of success to date of these negotiations, the generally tight arms situation, and political conditions in the United Kingdom, the British Government has been unable to agree to meet Egyptian requests for shipments of arms of a relatively high military potential. The United Kingdom, the United States, and France continue to allow the export of limited amounts of arms of low military potential to the Near East.
A special problem has arisen, however, in connection with acute border tension which has developed within the past few months in the Demilitarized Zone between Israel and Syria.3 As a result, the United States has been carefully restricting exports of arms from this country to those two states. This modification of NSC 65/3 should be continued until the situation in the Demilitarized Zone has been cleared up.
[Page 129]An important action recently taken in accord with the policies set forth in NSC 65/3 was the approval by the President of NSC 47/5 on March 17, 1951 which established as government policy the need for instituting an impartial program of limited military assistance, both cash reimbursable and grant, to the states of the Near East to assist these countries to be able to play their part in the defense of the area. At the present time this Government is preparing a request to the Congress for the necessary enabling legislation authorizing an allocation up to ten percent of the funds of the Greek-Turkish program, or funds transferred to that title, to permit this government to carry out the policy set forth in NSC 47/5.
2. General Implementation of NSC 65/3
Close cooperation continues between the United States and the United Kingdom regarding the maintenance of peace and stability in the Near East and regarding the shipment of arms to the states in the area. Collaboration with the French Government regarding the shipment of arms to the Near East continues, but to a lesser degree than in previous periods. In connection with the Syria-Israel dispute, the United States has cooperated with the United Kingdom and France on this question within the framework established by the Tripartite Declaration of May 25, 1950, but without specifically invoking the Declaration itself.
3. Evaluation of the Policy
The implementation of the policy set forth in NSC 65/3 has been carried out under generally favorable conditions. Note must be taken, however, of the increasing number and severity of incidents between Israel and the neighboring Arab states which may necessitate recourse to action under the Tripartite Declaration of May 25, 1950. The Syria-Israel dispute, which is presently before the Security Council, at one point in early April seriously threatened peace in the Near East. The shooting of seven Israel armed policemen and the subsequent retaliatory bombing of Syrian territory by the Israel air force emphasizes the desirability of proceeding with caution in any United States arms program for the Near East.
The policy contained in NSC 65/3 continues to be valid. Critical developments in the international situation, however, have made it necessary for this government to reexamine the policies regarding the defense of the area and have resulted in the adoption of NSC 47/5 on March 17, 1951, which will enable this country to increase the defensive capabilities of the states of the area to the extent that they are prepared to cooperate in the defense of the area as opposed to using such arms against one another.
- Drafted by Robert L. Burns and John A. Waldo of NE, cleared by Ranney of BNA and Deputy Under Secretary Matthews.↩
- For text, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. v, p. 163.↩
- For documentation on the Syrian-Israeli border conflict, see pp. 559 ff.↩