774.56/5–853: Telegram
No. 1156
The Secretary of
State to the Embassy in the United
Kingdom
priority
7292. Text follows personal message from British Prime Minister and Acting Foreign Secretary to Secretary delivered by British Embassy May 7.
Verbatim text. 1. I have just heard from Aldrich that you are proposing to give the Egyptian Embassy in Washington today a list of arms and equipment which you would eventually be prepared to supply to the Egyptians. I have been following this matter very closely myself and I had hoped that you would be able to postpone any offer to the Egyptians.
2. I know that the first of the equipment will not be supplied for ninety days but this is a moment when the negotiations have reached a temporary breakdown. We have confined ourselves to the case agreed between us and the United States both under the late and the present American Administrations. We hope indeed that the negotiations may be resumed and I am sure you would greatly regret it if your intervention with an offer of arms contributed to a complete breakdown and this was followed by bloodshed on an indefinite scale. I cannot understand what can be the urgency of your presenting the list to the Egyptians or sending them the weapons. I trust therefore that you will reconsider your proposal. Surely you could in any case refrain from coming to a decision until after you yourself have had an opportunity in the next few days of seeing things on the spot and judging the situation at firsthand.
3. Apart from the above we have definite information that quite a number of German Nazis, possibly even the notorious Remer, have actually been engaged by Naguib and are training the Egyptian [Page 2061] Army and irregulars in guerilla and sabotage operations. Do you wish to give them American arms as well at a moment when so much hangs in the balance and when we are faithfully working on a joint plan about the Suez Canal on the case agreed between us? End verbatim text.
Text Secretary’s reply delivered to British Embassy May 8 follows:
Verbatim text. I have received your personal message of May 7, 1953 regarding the arms and equipment which we indicated to the Egyptian Government they can buy in this country. In consideration of your strong feeling of concern, I have instructed the Department again to delay delivery of the list until after I have had the opportunity to assess the situation in Cairo. However, after discussion with the President, we feel that it may not be possible to continue these dilatory tactics without serious consequences in our relations with Egypt and charges of bad faith. Therefore, I am leaving the situation here in such shape that, if it seems desirable, I can say at Cairo that the decision to submit the list had already been taken prior to my departure. I want to be in this position so that such action, if it is to be taken, cannot be interpreted as approval or disapproval of any Egyptian viewpoints I may learn at Cairo.1 End verbatim text.
- The text of the Secretary of State’s reply handed to the British Embassy on May 8 was transmitted to the Embassy in Cairo in telegram 2168, May 8. (110.11 DU/5–853)↩