Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Near East: Jordan-Yemen, Volume XIII

122. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, January 21, 1956¹

Washington , January 21, 1956

SUBJECT

• Lebanese Request for Arms

PARTICIPANTS

• Victor Khouri, Ambassador of Lebanon
• NEA—Assistant Secretary Allen
• NE—Mr. Boardman

Ambassador Khouri made an official request for US arms and handed Mr. Allen a list² in French which he described as very modest. He said that Lebanon had no aggressive intentions, but wanted her army of five thousand to be well equipped and wanted to keep her expenditures low. In his personal opinion, the request was “an important test of friendship”.

In reply to Mr. Allen’s question, the Ambassador said that he did not use the word “test” in any threatening way and proceeded to translate from a telegram from his Ministry of Foreign Affairs which spoke of Lebanon’s constant non-aggressive spirit, her tendency to line up with the West, and her hope for an American gesture which she could interpret as a mark of friendship. The telegram made two other points: (1) that Lebanon wanted substantially reduced, if not token prices, and (2) that Lebanon had always obtained arms from the West, despite offers from other countries.

Mr. Allen observed that the request undoubtedly represented an important decision by the Lebanese Government. He wondered if the Government had concluded that its past reliance on the good will of the West to support her independence was no longer enough. The Ambassador did not consider this a likely interpretation. “What can we do with an army that is no more than a police force?” he asked. “We simply want better equipment. There are no important political implications involved.”

Mr. Allen then noted that the US had not been a traditional source of military equipment for the Near East. It did not want to become one, and it did not wish to upset traditional supply patterns. Why then, he asked, should Lebanon turn to the US Government for arms? When the Ambassador replied that it was because of US friendship, Mr. Allen asked if the Lebanese had become less friendly with the British and French. The Ambassador said he had no instructions on these questions, nor on the technical matter of why his country should want to add new types of equipment requiring different maintenance and spare parts. He said that his request was so “miserably small” that these matters did not seem particularly relevant.

Mr. Allen said that we had a good many requests for arms before us. We had not sold arms to any Near Eastern country at reduced prices, though we had requests from Syria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia and several of these countries wanted reduced prices. We had given arms to only one Near Eastern country—Iraq. If there were adequate reasons for arms, there was considerable reason for us to prefer to give rather than sell them. Although he would have to refer the request to the Secretary, Mr. Allen said it might be best on the whole for Lebanon to continue to obtain its arms from the French and the British. He stated, however, that the Lebanese request would be given sympathetic and prompt consideration, though by “prompt” he did not mean to imply that there could be an early reply. He welcomed the request in that it was an expression of Lebanon’s friendly attitude towards the US, and he assured the Ambassador of US concern for Lebanese independence.

(No direct mention was made during the conversation of the apparently much longer and larger list of arms in English transmitted with Embassy Beirut’s Despatch No. 255³ received in the Department December 30, 1955 with a request for a Defense Department price and availability study.)

The Ambassador said he had several other questions on other subjects including the Shuckburgh talks,⁴ and it was agreed that he should come in again the following week.

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783A.56/1–2156. Confidential. Drafted by Boardman.
2. Not found attached but a copy is Ibid., NEA/NE Files: Lot 58 D 398, Lebanon, “Lebanese Requests to Purchase Military Equipment 1955–56.”
3. In despatch 255, December 19, the Embassy enclosed a list of equipment required by the Lebanese Army on which the Lebanese Government had requested price and availability data. (Ibid., Central Files, 783A.5–MSP/12–1955)
4. The Shuckburgh talks were a series of meetings held in Washington, January 13–19, between officials of the British Foreign Office, led by Evelyn Shuckburgh, and representatives of the Department of State.