182. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, White House, Washington, August 5, 1955, 12:30 p.m.1
SUBJECT
- Military Equipment to Egypt
I told the President that we planned to notify Nasser that we would sell certain military equipment to Egypt as desired by him. I said that this had perhaps been put up as a test of our friendly relations and with the suggestion that if Egypt cannot buy here, they might buy in the Soviet Union.
The President agreed with this and also with the other point I made, namely, that we would have to be in a position to sell to Israel also.
[Page 339]The President suggested that we should say this to Eban. I indicated that I thought this might be useful but it had better be deferred until we discover whether in fact the Egyptians would buy.2
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 774.56/8–555. Secret. Drafted by Dulles.↩
- The following day the Department instructed Byroade to respond to Nasser’s request of June 30 to purchase arms from the United States.Byroade was to tell Nasser that the United States agreed “in principle” to such a transaction; that the United States wished to provide an initial increment of equipment worth about $11 million; that the United States was willing to expedite the prompt arrival of the initial shipment; that the items sold to Egypt would be in accordance with Section 106 of the Mutual Security Act of 1954; and that the total estimated cost of the Egyptian request was $27,586,323. (Telegram 244 to Cairo, August 6;ibid., 774.56/8–655)↩