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

55. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the British Ambassador (Makins), Department of State, Washington, January 17, 1957¹

Washington, January 17, 1957

SUBJECT

• Jordan

The Ambassador referred to a copy of a communication from the UK Government to the Jordan Government which had been passed to the State Department and said that he had been instructed to make an oral statement on the British position with respect to Jordan.² He had reduced this statement to writing and he handed the Secretary an aide-mémoire (copy attached).

The Ambassador said that he wished to make one additional point, namely, that this is not a question of pulling a British chestnut out of the fire because no British chestnut is involved. Rather, it is a matter which concerns all of the West, and the United Kingdom is concerned—as other Western countries must also be concerned—over the possibility that the Soviet Union might move into Jordan. In reply to the Secretary’s question, the Ambassador said that part of the support which the United Kingdom had been giving to Jordan was in the form of equipment to the Army, and part in other forms of aid.

The Secretary said that we, too, are concerned lest a hostile base be established in Jordan but he said that the United States, due to its policy with respect to Israel and the Arab countries, is inhibited from giving military aid as the British have been doing. We might, however, consider the possibility of supplying economic assistance for other purposes, leaving military aid to the British to supply as in the past. The Secretary said that we would be willing to talk to the British about this matter whenever they wished.

[Attachment]

AIDE-MÉMOIRE

Her Majesty’s Embassy has passed to the State Department a copy of a communication which was to be delivered to the Jordan Government by Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Amman on January 16. This communication informs the Jordan Government that Her Majesty’s Government are ready to meet the wish expressed in various public statements by the Jordan Government for a revision of the Anglo-Jordan Treaty of 1948.

2. Her Majesty’s Government’s decision to make this communication at this time was dictated by the possibility that the Jordanian Mission which is now touring other Arab capitals might succeed in mobilising Arab aid for Jordan, and by the need to put themselves in a position to meet the renewed expressions of Jordanian hostility which are likely to follow such a development. The wording is deliberately vague. Her Majesty’s Government cannot afford to continue the present arrangements indefinitely and do not intend to do so. But they do not want to be too specific at present about the method of ending them because they wish to discuss the situation with the United States Government and also because the Prime Minister of Iraq has advised them to proceed with caution.

3. Her Majesty’s Government’s present commitment to Jordan costs them about £13 million a year. At a time when, as part of the measures to strengthen sterling, they must review overseas expenditure, it is only businesslike to cut down drastically on Jordan in which there is no longer any specifically British interest to be sustained. On the other hand, it is not in the common interest of the Western Alliance that Jordan should be left to her own devices or at the sole mercy of Syria, Egypt or even Saudi Arabia. They therefore hope that the United States will be prepared to take over this commitment.

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 785.5/1–1757. Secret. Drafted by Elbrick.
2. The communication, January 16, noted, in part, that according to the Ministerial statement of policy issued by the Jordanian Government on November 27, 1956, it was Jordan’s intention to end the Anglo-Jordanian Treaty and to effect the removal of British troops and bases from its territory. It further took note of the Jordanian Prime Minister’s statement to the British Ambassador on November 29, 1956, that Jordan would be approaching Britain with a request for negotiations to terminate the treaty. The communication indicated the willingness of the British Government to enter into immediate discussions regarding the future of the treaty and solicited the views of the Jordanian Government concerning the place and date of the discussions. (The text of the British communication is attached to a copy of a memorandum dated January 17, from Rountree to Dulles; Ibid., NEA Files: Lot 59 D 582, Memos to the Secretary thru S/S 1957.)