774.5/4–853: Telegram
No. 1139
The Ambassador in Egypt (Caffery) to the
Department of State1
2211. 1. British Embassy informed us today of London’s reply to Fawzi’s proposal transmitted by Creswell April 4 (Embtel 2196).2 London has replied that five points are interdependent and must be so maintained. However, points can be taken up in any order thought desirable. UK insists, however, on no signature on any one point without satisfactory agreement regard other points. British Embassy regards this as “slight loosening of the strings” of package proposal. Creswell meeting secretly with Fawzi this afternoon.
2. British Government instructed Creswell to make clear the importance it attaches to both sides using a “neutral form of words. in publicity regarding talks. Thus UK would like to agree on some neutral phrase for use by both governments. (Note British Embassy says no phrase suggested but they believe London means something like “if arrangements” or “future of Suez base”.) Creswell is to tell Fawzi that if Egyptians state publicly after talks begin that they are discussing evacuation only (underline only) British Government will be impelled to deny this.
3. If Fawzi will agree British are ready to start talks at once.
- Repeated to London as telegram 726.↩
- Ambassador Caffery reported in telegram 2196 from Cairo, Apr. 4, not printed, that Foreign Minister Fawzi had suggested that Anglo-Egyptian talks begin without previous commitments or undertakings having been made by either side as to the signing on the first four points. Fawzi believed that if progress could be made on these portions of the five-point British package, especially with regard to the maintenance of the Suez base, most of the defense questions would be solved, and that whatever questions were left in suspense could easily be negotiated. (774.5/4–453)↩