780.5/2–752
No. 61
Memorandum of Conversation, by the
Deputy Director of the Office of Greek, Turkish, and Iranian
Affairs (Dorsz)
secret
[
Washington,]
February 7, 1952.
1
Subject:
Participants:
- Mr. B. A. B. Burrows,
Counselor, British Embassy.
- Mr. D. A. Greenhill,
First Secretary, British Embassy.
- Mr. G. Lewis Jones,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, NEA.
- Mr. Edmund J. Dorsz,
Deputy Director, GTI.
Mr. Jones handed to Mr.
Burrows a copy of the
attached memorandum entitled Middle East
Command saying that we thought this was a good method of
imparting our views on the two memoranda which the British handed to
the Department on January 31.2 He emphasized our
thinking to the effect that the British should unilaterally inform
the Turks at the earliest possible moment of the British views on
this subject and stressed the desirability of the Four MEC sponsoring Powers sharing thoughts
on the question of holding a “preliminary” working-level meeting.
Any such meeting should be quietly held. There might be other
“preliminary meetings”. Developments in Egypt would have to govern
whether a meeting might be held shortly after the forthcoming Lisbon
North Atlantic Council meeting ends.
[Page 189]
Mr. Jones expressed the
thought that the British might advisedly ask the Turks for their
views and suggestions with regard to the best way of bringing the
Egyptians into such discussions as may be undertaken to launch the
MEC organization.
Mr. Jones remarked that we
were very fortunate in having Mr. McGhee at Ankara. He is very
familiar with the Middle East Command question having closely
handled every aspect of this matter from its inception until his
departure from the Department last month. Further, Mr. McGhee is
deeply interested in getting the Middle East Command underway at the
earliest feasible time and in obtaining fullest possible Turkish
participation in the endeavor. The British representatives
acquiesced.
The British representatives indicated that their own personal
reaction to most of the points in our memorandum was favorable. They
would communicate our thoughts on an urgent basis to the Foreign
Office and would let us know how the Foreign Office reacts. In the
meantime, they thought it might be advisable to defer informing the
French of our views unless the French should specifically ask us for
our observations on the British approach.
[Attachment]
3
Memorandum
secret
[Washington, February 6,
1952.]
Middle East Command
- 1.
- U.S. welcomes British initiative in connection with
the Middle East Command as set forth in the two British
Memoranda handed the Department on January 31. The U.S.
favors the UK suggestion for the inclusion of Greek and
Turkish forces in Admiral Carney’s command. It is in general
agreement with British ideas regarding the importance of
coordinated planning for the establishment of the Middle
East Command which initially might not be a fully
operational command.
- 2.
- The U.S. recognizes that the establishment of the
nucleus Middle East Command Organization (MECO) on Cyprus is a
second best solution to its establishment with the
concurrence of the Egyptian Government in the Suez base.
The thoughts embodied in the British Memoranda were
prepared before the Maher Government assumed office in
Egypt.
- 3.
- The U.S. is aware of the danger of being too hopeful
that Egypt will agree between now and Lisbon or within
the next month or two to a defense arrangement along the
lines of the Four Power Defense Proposals of last
October. Nevertheless, the U.S. hopes that advantage
will be taken of the present favorable prospects for
resumed negotiations with Egypt with a view to the
earliest possible solution on these lines.
- 4.
- Having in mind prospective negotiations with Egypt the
U.S. doubts whether it is possible at this time to take
a firm decision upon a forward program for a meeting in
March since any such program would have to take full
account of negotiations not yet begun. The U.S. would
like to know whether U.K. views regarding the proposal
in its memoranda have altered in any degree since
Maher Pasha
took office.
- 5.
- With regard to the British memoranda the U.S. wishes
to make the following points:
- a.
- We think that the U.K. should redraft their
memoranda into a form suitable for delivery to the
Turks by the U.K. at the earliest possible moment.
We do not think that there is any advantage in
this being a tripartite operation, as we
understand the French Government has suggested. On
the contrary, direct British action towards Turkey
will emphasize Turkey’s equality as a sponsor of
MEC.
- b.
- We think that an inherent difficulty in the
plan proposed by the U.K. is that under present
circumstances it would involve a meeting of the
U.K., U.S., France, Turkey, Australia, New
Zealand, and South Africa to plan for the
establishment of MED without the
presence of any Middle East state or provision for
any Arab state (except Egypt if it should wish to
do so) or Israel to be consulted thus to gain a
sense of participation. We feel, therefore,
that it is politically important that any
references to a meeting should describe it as
“preliminary”. The word “preliminary” would open
an avenue for future meetings, preferably in the
Middle East, at which the states in the area
choosing to participate could be consulted.
- c.
- We are inclined to think an announcement at
Lisbon would be unwise. Difficulties and
embarrassments might be avoided if there were no
prior announcement of such a meeting. We think
that the most desirable meeting to consider MECO would be one held
very quietly at a working level. After it was over
it could be announced that “a preliminary meeting
has taken place”. We think the less fanfare there
is about the meeting the better and that we should
[Page 191]
bear in
mind constantly the impact of knowledge of the
meeting upon negotiations with Egypt.
- 6.
- In summary the U.S. suggests that:
- a.
- The U.K. should proceed at once to inform the
Turks of its ideas just as it has informed the
U.S. and France.
- b.
- The U.K. inaugurate discussions with Egypt as
rapidly as circumstances permit.
- c.
- That without attempting to decide now the
time, place, or manner of announcement of a
working level meeting to consider the embryo
MECO, the U.K.,
U.S., France, Turkey, and the Commonwealth
countries should collect their thoughts with a
view to a prospective early meeting on this
subject. In this connection the U.K. views set
forth in its memorandum will be most helpful to
the U.S.
- d.
- Following the Lisbon meeting, and in the light
of the status of Anglo-Egyptian negotiations at
that time, the representatives of the U.S., U.K.,
France and Turkey (if Turkey is willing) should
consult together and decide:
- (1)
- Whether a planning meeting re MECO is now desirable,
and
- (2)
- If such a meeting is agreed upon, where,
when and at what level it should take place. In
the event of (2) the same representatives would
decide what, if any, publicity is called for and
the time of such publicity.
- 7.
- Essentially the U.S. fear is that if we move too far,
too fast without Egypt while there remains a reasonable
prospect of securing Egyptian cooperation, we may lessen
our chances of arriving at a settlement with Egypt.
Obviously, this idea cannot be carried too far, but we
believe that at least between now and the Lisbon meeting
we should retain the utmost flexibility.