683.84A322/8–654: Telegram
No. 852
The Chargé in Israel (Russell) to the Department of State1
138. Deptel 60.2 My statement to Sharett followed exactly Deptel 41,3 except for cryptographic requirements.
In addition to discussion reported Embtel 109,4 Sharett said he felt US could have made simple request without detailing measures we would take in event of non-compliance. I replied we attached great importance to efforts being made at this time to make progress on some of Israel-Arab problems and felt it most important there be no actions on either side which would have effect of stunning them. I conjectured our disappointment at our lack of success when we made simple request IG not move Foreign Ministry to Jerusalem (Embtel 1399, March 4, 1953) and again, when few weeks before Kibya, we expressed our deep concern at Israel’s resumption of reprisal methods (Deptel 154, August 22, 1953) may have led Department to think IG would wish to understand full extent of our hopes for greater success in capitalizing on present opportunity for improving situation.
[Page 1603]Eban’s statement to Secretary may be way of changing Prime Minister’s negative response to our request for further temporary extension of demilitarized zone work stoppage, by saying IG prepared hold up construction temporarily but not permanently as it thought US had originally requested.5
- Repeated to London, Cairo, Jidda, Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad, and Jerusalem.↩
- Document 850.↩
- Document 843.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Russell subsequently reported that in a conversation on the evening of Aug. 6 with Herzog, the Acting Head of the United States Division of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the Chargé referred to Eban’s remarks to the Secretary (as reported in the Department’s telegram 60 of Aug. 4). Herzog said both he and Sharett understood the Department’s position perfectly and the misunderstanding must have been Eban’s. (Telegram 143 from Tel Aviv, Aug. 7, 2 p.m.; 683.84A322/8–754)↩