Office of the Historian

51. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, March 17, 19551

Washington,March 17, 1955

SUBJECT

  • Summary of London Meetings on Alpha

PARTICIPANTS

  • U—The Under Secretary, Mr.Hoover
  • G—The Deputy Under Secretary, Mr.Murphy
  • Mr. Russell

I summarized the main points of my meeting with Eden (cf. Minutes of London meetings for March 9).2 I said that Eden had given the proposals his approval and that he was in favor of taking them up with Nasser at the earliest possible moment.

Mr.Murphy said that he had read the summary of agreed recommendations3 resulting from the London discussions which I had sent to him attached to my memo of March 16.4 The Under Secretary said that he had read the general summary but not the papers attached to it. The Under Secretary and Mr.Murphy expressed their approval of the recommendations.

The Under Secretary and Mr.Murphy had also read the draft telegram to Byroade5 attached to the memo of March 16 and gave their concurrence to sending it following receipt of word that the Foreign Office was prepared to send a similar telegram to Stevenson.

I outlined the alternate methods of initiating Alpha if Byroade recommended against approaching Nasser at the present time, and they agreed with them.

The Under Secretary said that he wished me to bear in mind the possibility of obtaining, from any of the countries receiving benefits under Alpha, rights for the U.S. to construct communication centers on their territory. The grant of such rights would cost these governments nothing and would be of some value to the U.S.

Both the Under Secretary and Mr.Murphy expressed concern that it would be necessary for the U.S. to make financial contributions of the amount summarized in the memorandum which I prepared for the Secretary, dated February 14, 1955, which they [Page 114] read.6 I pointed out that at the London meeting the figure which was suggested for the amount of the U.S. loan to Israel to make possible compensation to the refugees was $140 million, or $60 million lower than the figure mentioned in the February 14 memorandum.

The Under Secretary suggested that the question should be raised with the Secretary, after his return from Ottawa,7 as to broadening the base of approval within the U.S. Government on U.S. financial commitments in connection with the Alpha project, and also on the proposed treaty of security guarantee.

The question should also be raised with the Secretary whether to inform Ambassador Johnston. It was agreed that it would be recommended to the Secretary that Ambassador Johnston be told that the Secretary was interested in following up agreement on the Unified Jordan Valley Plan with other steps toward settlement of differences in the area, and also giving consideration as to the form that such steps might take. No details of the London agreements would be given to Ambassador Johnston.

  1. Source: Department of State,NEA Files: Lot 59 D 518; Alpha—memos, etc., beginning after return from London—Mar. 11 thru April 26. Top Secret; Alpha; Limited Distribution. Drafted by Russell.↩
  2. See Document 46.↩
  3. Document 48.↩
  4. Not printed. (Department of State,NEA Files: Lot 59 D 518, Alpha—memos, etc., beginning after return from London—Mar. 11 thru April 26)↩
  5. Infra.↩
  6. See footnote 2, Document 18.↩
  7. Secretary Dulles was on an official visit to Canada, March 17–19.↩