Office of the Historian

780.5/10–3152: Telegram

No. 104
The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Egypt1

secret
priority
Washington, October 31, 1952—7:22 p.m.

911. Dept has now been officially informed of Anglo-Turk talks reported London’s 2304 to Dept Oct 20 and their decision Iraq shld be approached first re MEDO. Dept’s tentative view re this proposal fol reasoning Baghdad’s 520 Oct 22 and 531 Oct 24 is that we shld concentrate on key to common defense planning; i.e., Egypt, since if we can obtain Egypt adherence to MEDO concept, other Arab states more apt follow suit. Replies from missions in Arab states to Depcirtels 449 and 450 indicate that other Arab states will not be willing join common defense planning prior settlement outstanding issues between UK and Egypt.

Having in mind comments Cairo’s 1007 Oct 21 to Dept Amin’s comments reported Cairo’s 886 Oct 8 to Dept2 and public statements Egypt policy, we concur approach to Naguib re MEDO wld be useless and wld stand more than fair chance summary rejection without settlement base issue, based on evacuation to agreed [Page 311] extent Brit troops. We also concur that base settlement and MEDO cld only be given meaning with material assistance to Egypt by US and UK.

UK and US are equally anxious estab MEDO without delay. If UK can be persuaded our considered judgment that Egypt is key to MEDO, it seems to us that UK is bound acknowledge that Egypt adherence can only be secured by prompt settlement base question.

We wld hope at same time Naguib reply to our msg (Deptel 678 to Cairo Sep 30)3 will be sufficiently forthcoming so that we can proceed now with material assistance thereby creating better atmosphere for approach to base question and MEDO simultaneously. Also clear that favorable reply wld help put fol proposals over with UK.

[Here follows a summary of the main points which the Department of State proposed to make in replying to the United Kingdom regarding the Anglo-Turkish proposal; see the aide-mémoire of November 5, infra.]

Bruce
  1. Repeated as telegram 3072 to London, 337 to Amman, 599 to Ankara, 495 to Baghdad, 843 to Beirut, 282 to Damascus, 269 to Jidda, 2545 to Paris, and 455 to Tel Aviv. Drafted by Hart, Stabler, and Ortiz and cleared by NEA, BNA, EUR, G, S/P, and S/S–CR.↩
  2. Not printed. (611.74/10–852)↩
  3. Not printed, but see footnote 5, Document 98.↩