641.74/5–2653: Telegram
No. 1173
The Ambassador in the United
Kingdom (Aldrich) to the Department of
State1
6261. Embtel 6245 today was drafted prior receipt Amman’s 999 to Department containing Ambassador Caffery’s views on Department’s proposed plan of action on Egyptian problem. I entirely agree with his remarks re importance restoration of confidence between UK and Egypt, which is matter of fundamental importance here in view prevalence deep-seated doubts and suspicions of Egyptian intentions engendered by or inferred from public statements, liberation battalions, Canal Zone incidents, positions in negotiations et cetera. Whether rightly or wrongly, British not psychologically adjusted in these circumstances to act on trust alone, to make significant concessions without reciprocal gestures of good faith.
[Page 2082]There is one point in Ambassador Caffery’s telegram on which I would appreciate clarification. I am not clear what Egyptians mean by their offer to assure “instant availability of the base”, to which I have also noted Naguib and Fawzi agreed in their conversation with Secretary reported Cairo’s 2417, May 12. It has been my understanding that, in course discussions with British, Egyptians were not prepared recognize any right of re-access (see Embtel 5875 and Cairo’s 2379)2 and I have therefore assumed that they mean “instant availability” to Egyptian forces. If, however, they mean phrase to apply to British or Western forces, this appears to me to constitute significant new development which, if specified in Secretary’s draft terms of reference contained Deptel 7551,3 would have salutary effect here.
- Repeated to Cairo as telegram 333 and priority to Athens for the Secretary of State as telegram 162.↩
- Not printed.↩
- See footnote 5, Document 1170.↩