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

641.74/12–2153: Telegram

No. 1259
The Ambassador in Egypt (Caffery) to the Department of State¹

secret

Cairo, December 21, 1953—2 p.m.

702. Stevenson told me this morning that when he saw Fawzi December 19 (Embtel 697)² the latter affirmed that Egyptian policy, like that announced by Eden, is to continue efforts to reach an agreement. They agreed also that two most important outstanding points are availability and uniforms about which they might at a later date talk on a strictly personal basis.

Stevenson asked Fawzi to explain his “dark hint” to Hankey just before Hankey’s departure to effect that “storm blowing up in Egypt”. Fawzi replied that he had nothing specific in mind. In Egypt, as in UK, there is public opinion problem. He thought that if no agreement achieved, Egypt might very well feel it necessary to realign its policy in direction of neutralism.

RCC negotiators met yesterday with Egyptian Ambassadors from UK and US and another meeting planned December 24. My general impression, which is shared by British Embassy, is that it may take some days for RCC to study outcome parliamentary debate and oral reports of Ahmed Hussein and Haki and that in consequence Egyptians may withhold major moves until after holidays.

Stevenson will dine informally with Egyptian negotiators in near future.³

Caffery

1. Repeated to London as telegram 243.
2. Ambassador Caffery reported in telegram 697, Dec. 19, not printed, that Stevenson had returned from consultations in London, and that he was seeing the Egyptian Foreign Minister later that day to try to ascertain what Egypt’s intentions were with regard to resuming the negotiations. (641.74/12–1953)
3. Ambassador Caffery reported in telegram 703, Dec. 22, not printed, that the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs had told him the previous evening that he was still hopeful of making an agreement with the British; Caffery gave encouragement and in particular urged Fawzi to find an adequate availability formula; and the Ambassador repeated his belief that the British were sincere when they spoke of their parliamentary difficulties. (641.74/12–2253)