Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Arab-Israeli Dispute, 1955, Volume XIV

38. Editorial Note

On March 3, at the 239th meeting of the National Security Council,Allen Dulles, Director of Central Intelligence, discussed the Gaza incident during his briefing on significant world developments affecting United States security. According to the memorandum of discussion, it was his opinion that:

“This action had been apparently precipitated by the Israelis, though their reasons for doing so at this particular time were difficult to fathom. The resort to force, thought Mr.Dulles, might simply reflect the return of the strong man,Ben-Gurion, as Minister of Defense; but again, there was no clear and precise motivation which could be cited.” (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File,NSC Records)