Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, The Near and Middle East, Volume IX, Part 2

774.5/3–2753: Telegram

No. 1134
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Egypt¹

top secret
priority

Washington, March 27, 1953—1:46 p.m.

1905. British Embassy stated today following instructions sent Stevenson Mar 26:

Verbatim text. Please arrange to see General Naguib after Mr. Caffery’s interview with him and inform him of the five points in our package proposals.²

2. You should say that Her Majesty’s Government would be prepared to open negotiations on the basis of these five points. We do not seek to fix beforehand the order in which the points are discussed. No final or binding agreement would be signed upon any single point until satisfactory understandings had been reached on all the points, which in the view of Her Majesty’s Government are inextricably bound together.³ End text.

Embassy added Stevenson expected consult with Caffery re timing and take into consideration Naguib’s reaction President’s letter.

Dulles

1. Repeated priority to London as telegram 6425.
2. See footnote 3, Document 1082.
3. Ambassador Caffery in telegram 2153, Mar. 28, not printed, reacted negatively to the phrasing of the last sentence of the Foreign Office instructions to Stevenson, declaring that he thought that the stating of the interrelationship of the five points substantially reduced the likelihood of the Egyptians accepting the British proposal for opening negotiations. (774.5/3–2853)