454. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, December 13, 19551
SUBJECT
- Israel Arms Request; Israel Position re Territorial Concessions
PARTICIPANTS
- Abba Eban, Ambassador of Israel
- Yohanon Meroz, First Secretary, Israel Embassy
- NEA—George V. Allen
- NE—Donald C. Bergus
Mr.Eban called at Mr.Allen’s request. Mr.Allen said he had been asked to express to Foreign Minister Sharett, through Ambassador Eban, the Secretary’s regret that he had been unable to fulfill the hope which he had expressed last week that a reply concerning Israel’s arms request could be given to Mr.Sharett before the latter left the United States. Several factors had prevented such an answer, prominent among them being the recent incident in Syria. The U.S. was awaiting reports from the UN in the latter regard.
Mr.Eban said he would convey this to Mr.Sharett. He could understand the position of the U.S. in the situation which had been created. There still remained the fundamental problem of the imbalance which existed in the area. The problem of an Arab-Israel settlement still existed. He hoped the U.S. would not fail to carry out undertakings to bring effort to bear on these problems because of “sporadic outbreaks.”
Mr.Allen pointed out that the timing of the incident in Syria could not possibly have been worse, even from the viewpoint of [Page 857] Israel’s own national interests. Mr.Eban admitted “off the record” that he had not read the news reports of the incident with enthusiasm.
Mr.Eban turned to the recent informal discussions between Messrs.Russell and Shiloah concerning the elements of a peace settlement.2 In a lengthy discussion, he made the following points: 1) the double triangle proposal, while attractive on the map, meant in effect the loss of the Southern Negev to Israel. This Israel could not accept. 2) Israel would be coming to us with a counter-proposal whereby Egypt would be given transit rights across the Negev, not on “suffrance” but as a result of “international statutory procedures.” 3) He made much of the fact Mr.John Foster Dulles, as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the UN General Assembly in 1948, had, according to Eban, led the opposition to the Bernadotte proposals which would have confirmed Israel’s possession of Western Galilee in return for the grant of the Negev, from Beersheba southwards, to Jordan.
Mr.Allen replied that while we would be glad to look at any counter-suggestion which the Israelis brought forward, his own best judgment was that such a proposal as the Israelis envisaged making would be inadequate to meet the need for a settlement. He mentioned recent news reports about two Algerian pilgrims being shot as they attempted, unknowingly, to walk across Israel territory en route home from the pilgrimage to Mecca. Incidents such as these would dramatize to the Arabs the need for land communications between the Arab states. He emphasized to Mr.Eban that the U.S. was not putting forward suggestions regarding possible territorial adjustments in the Negev because we thought that such adjustments were in themselves good things. Our interest in the matter was in getting a settlement.
Mr.Eban asked, on behalf of his Foreign Minister, how serious was Arab willingness to work toward a peace settlement. Mr.Allen said that the amount of time and discussion on the subject we had spent with Arab leaders about equalled the time we had spent with Israelis. The Secretary’s best estimate was that there was a sufficiently serious desire on both sides to work toward a settlement to justify an all-out effort, and that until the Syrian incident, the Secretary had felt that the next two or three weeks offered the best opportunity to do so.
Mr.Allen suggested that both he and Mr.Eban tell the press, in case questions should be asked, that Mr.Eban’s visit had been “for periodic consultation.” Mr.Eban indicated assent.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/11–1455. Top Secret; Alpha. Drafted by Burgess on December 14. The Department transmitted a circular telegram to Tel Aviv, Amman, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Jidda, London, and Paris which summarized this conversation. (Circular telegram 386;ibid., 784A.56/11–1355)↩
- Documents 446 and 447.↩