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

874.00 TA/1–852: Telegram

No. 949
The Ambassador in Egypt (Caffery) to the Department of State

confidential
niact

Cairo, January 8, 1952—5 p.m.

1017. Totec Re Embtel niact 1005 Jan 7.¹ Further to Embtel 1005, following is translation of aide-mémoire in French recd from FonOff:

“The amendments which the Amer Govt wishes to introduce into the preamble of the general Point Four agreement for Technical Cooperation between the Royal Govt of Egypt and the Govt of the US of America, signed at Cairo the 5th of May, 1951,² constitute in reality important amendments to said agreement which had previously been submitted to the Council of Ministers and approved by the Egyptian Parliament as Law No. 125 of the year 1951, published in issue No. 73 of the official journal on August 23, 1951.

“It is therefore not possible to again submit the matter to the Council of Ministers except after a detailed study, which cannot be completed within the time fixed, that is to say, Jan 8 of the current year.”

Signed in Cairo the 8th of Jan. 1952.

As mentioned in Embtel niact 1005, Article 8, para 1, of gen agreement provides that “it shall remain in force until 3 months after either govt shall have given notice in writing to the other of intention to terminate the agreement”. Please advise urgently if Emb shld present written notice to the Egyptian Govt of intention to suspend technical assistance effective 3 months from midnight tonight.

I think it desirable point out that Egypt Govt will answer any publicity given suspension of technical assistance by publishing their version that US action as contrary to provisions of agreement (re last para mytel 1005, Jan 7).

Caffery

1. Not printed; Ambassador Caffery reported that the Egyptian Cabinet had decided on Jan. 6 to present him with an aide-mémoire protesting the possibility that the United States would suspend technical assistance to Egypt because of Egypt’s apparent failure to comply with the provisions of the Mutual Defense Assistance Control Act, better known as the Battle Act. (874.00 TA/1–752)
2. TIAS No. 2479, printed in 3 UST (pt. 2) 2960.