279. Telegram From the Embassy in the United Kingdom to the Department of State1
1077. Time did not permit Embassy convey substance Deptel 1440 to Foreign Office2 prior to Israeli Ambassador’s call on Macmillan yesterday but in any event Foreign Office had obtained gist of Department’s views from British Embassy Washington. Conversation, of which full account being pouched to British Embassy Washington, did not reveal anything particularly new. Israel Ambassador first raised questions of Egyptian restrictions on shipping in Gulf of Aqaba and supply of arms to Iraq. Ambassador then touched on Secretary’s statement regarding Israel-Arab settlement alleging it was unfair to make security guarantee conditional upon settlement.Macmillan remarked HMG fully supports views of United States [Page 475] Government on this point. Ambassador mentioned refugee problem and said Israel Government encouraged by apparent recognition by Secretary that resettlement was key to problem. Here Macmillan reminded Ambassador that Secretary had referred to “resettlement, and to such an extent as may be feasible, repatriation”. On boundaries, Ambassador took line Israel unable to make any concessions, to which Macmillan observed that both sides would have to make concessions if settlement to be achieved.
Foreign Office has shown Embassy recent telegrams exchanged with Washington regarding Russell visit next week,3 to which Foreign Office greatly looking forward.
Today’sTimes contains editorial entitled “Arab Dilemma” which declares reaction to “Dulles plan for regional security” in Middle East not feasible and plan as a whole not likely to be accepted. Editorial adds many Arabs think time is now on their side and U.S.S.R. may support them. When Embassy official mentioned article to Foreign Office official, latter emphasized editorial did not reflect views of HMG and reiterated, as he had previously stated on occasion of similar editorial carried byTimes on August 29 which critical of Secretary’s statement, that Foreign Office distressed by line being taken byTimes but unable exert influence in this instance since editorials in question were written by an opinionated individual who formerly served in Middle Eastern section of Foreign Office and who disagrees sharply with British policy on this issue.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/9–1655. Top Secret; Priority; Alpha; Limited Distribution. Received at 8:29 p.m. Repeated to Cairo and Tel Aviv.↩
- Printed as Document 273.↩
- See footnote 3, Document 277.↩