774.56/1–3053: Telegram
No. 1088
The Acting
Secretary of State to the Embassy
in the United Kingdom1
priority
5083. Representative British Embassy handed Department today following message from Foreign Office:
“Her Majesty’s Embassy have been instructed to give the State Department the comments of Her Majesty’s Government on the list of military equipment whose delivery to Egypt is contemplated and which was communicated to the Foreign Office by the United States Embassy in London.2 The list has been examined by British experts and the following conclusions reached:
All items in List A, except jeeps and helmets, all items in List B except rocket containers, dozer assemblies, trailers and helmets, and all items in List C would greatly assist the Egyptians in operations against Her Majesty’s forces in the Canal Zone. In fact, the list looks as if it had been especially chosen by the Egyptians with such operations in view. Practically all the items could be supplied from British sources, with similar delivery times.
“Mr. Eden is grateful for the assurance given to Her Majesty’s Ambassador by Mr. Byroade that no communication will be made to the Egyptians until there has been further discussion on the timing of the delivery of such equipment. Mr. Eden remains convinced that no delivery should be made until a suitable stage has been reached in the defence negotiations and that the embargo on the supply of arms to Egypt should not be entirely lifted until these negotiations have been concluded. Mr. Eden sees the greatest possible objection to the arms in the list which was communicated to the Foreign Office being offered to the Egyptians at this juncture. He intends to speak on these lines to Mr. Dulles when he comes to London.”
It would of course be quite impossible to proceed at all with any military assistance to Naguib if we followed the above views of British.
It is well to recall that in Deptel 4805 to London, rptd Cairo 1456 and Deptel 4894, rptd Cairo 1486, we served notice to British that while we would meet their views where possible as to specific items on list, we did not agree that we would necessarily be bound to meet their views. As British screening suggestions have amounted to complete emasculation of program it will now be necessary for us to use our own discretion in screening task in which we had hoped British views would be more helpful.
In view of background this problem we plan to take no action here prior to forthcoming discussions between Secretary and Eden in London. Please convey to Secretary Department’s recommendation that he take the same position with Eden as that given Makins by Department representative on 28 January, reported in Deptel 5001 to London, repeated Cairo 1530.3
- Repeated priority to Cairo as telegram 1556 and priority to Paris for the Secretary of State as telegram 4150. Drafted and approved by Byroade.↩
- Presumably the reference is to telegram 4806 to London, Jan. 19, not printed. See footnote 2, Document 1083.↩
- In telegram 5093 to London, Jan. 31, not printed, the Department informed the Embassy that the Department thought it quite possible to arrive at a list of equipment amounting to $11 million which would go a long way toward meeting the British objections as to the type of equipment which was made available to the Egyptians; moreover, the Department, in conjunction with the Department of Defense, had prepared such a list. But the Embassy was instructed not to show it to the British at that time, as it did not have final Defense Department approval and did not take into account the fact that the Egyptians might desire to make acceptable alterations. (774.56/1–3153)↩