50. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Jordan1
698. Your 581.2 Department feels might be useful this juncture for you to have further conversation with Nabulsi in course of which you could make following points:
US policy towards Jordan has been made clear on many occasions in past. US has taken at face value Jordan statements to effect HKJ was determined preserve its sovereign independence and territorial integrity as member free world and to resist Communist efforts subvert and take over Jordan. This understanding has been one of factors underlying US decision to provide economic and technical [Page 75] assistance to Jordan with view assist Jordan to strengthen internal stability and increase well-being Jordanian people.
Unstable conditions in NE resulting from crisis over Egypt have provided excellent opportunity for Communist elements to attempt undermine security of NE states. Any steps which would increase instability in area would play into Communist hands and have harmful effect upon ability of govt concerned to resist Communist subversion. US believes that in these critical days Jordan should hold fast to those factors which provide dependable source of strength for future. One of these is relationship with UK. US took leadership in UN to find measures to deal with Egyptian crisis and UK and France have now announced their decision to withdraw from Egypt. This course of events should serve to promote restoration of more normal atmosphere.
Jordan faces many practical problems in assuring adequate external assistance for maintenance its security, refugee relief requirements, and economic development. USG sympathetic and wishes continue assist Jordan in coping with these problems but hopes obstacles will not be placed in way of its ability do so by developments which would tend isolate Jordan from its friends and cause deterioration in Jordan’s capability maintain and strengthen its own security and stability.3
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/12–256. Top Secret. Drafted by Rockwell and Bergus and approved by Rountree who signed for Hoover. Repeated to Baghdad, Beirut, London, Jidda, and Cairo.↩
- Document 48.↩
- In telegram 618 from Amman, December 14, Mallory reported that Nabulsi was “unavailable” and might be away for several days. The Ambassador informed the Department that he would see Nabulsi as soon as possible and offered his personal observations on the Department’s telegram. Mallory noted that the Department’s consideration of the maintenance of Jordan’s sovereign independence and territorial integrity was “most timely”; a more normal atmosphere was coming about after the Anglo-French decision to withdraw from Egypt; strengthening of the Western position in Jordan would have to come from good will toward the United States alone; there was considerable doubt in the British Embassy in Amman concerning the budget to be presented to Parliament in March 1957; and even since Suez, Jordan “both in press and private” had expressed a hope for “‘positive American action’”. (Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/12–1456)↩