89. Memorandum From Francis H.
Russell to the Counselor of the Department of State
(MacArthur)1
SUBJ
- Views of British Foreign Office on Northern Triangle
You will recall that at the meeting in his office the other
afternoon,2 the Secretary disapproved
the suggestion of two northern
[Page 177]
triangles in the Negev as a basis for meeting Nasser’s desire for contact with
Jordan. The British Embassy has just handed me the attached statement of
the Foreign Office’s views on the northern triangle proposal.
If the Secretary and Macmillan do
have a chance to discuss Alpha in Paris, I believe it will be useful for
them to exchange views on this point.
[Attachment]
Following is substance of a telegram from Mr.Macmillan to Sir Roger Makins dated May 4,
1955.
The Foreign Office explain that the northern triangle proposal is not
designed to improve Egypt’s military situation (though the larger
triangles would presumably be easier to defend) nor to provide
better transit rights for civilian traffic. From the Egyptian point
of view its main advantages over the southern triangle proposal
would be:
- (a)
- it is based on the 1947 partition line on which the Arabs
take their stand. This makes a good sales point;
- (b)
- it involves a fairly large cession of territory by Israel.
This, together with (a) above would make it easier for
Nasser to
defend to his own people and the other Arab States;
- (c)
- it joins the Gaza strip as well as Egypt to the rest of
the eastern Arab world and might thus help to ease the
pressure of the refugees there by giving them eventually the
opportunity to disperse eastwards;
- (d)
- it is served by a road across Sinai which already
exists.
- 2.
- The plan avoids taking from Israel any of the irrigable land
or known mineral deposits in the Negev and leaves them in full
control of the port of Elath and its hinterland. If this
solution were adopted the concessions demanded of Israel in the
area south of Hebron and in the demilitarized zone of Ein Gev
could be reduced.
- 3.
- Mr. Macmillan will be
happy to discuss the northern triangle proposal on the lines
above with Mr.Dulles next week if time can
be found. He is glad to see that Mr.Dulles
has not ruled out the possibility of using it with Colonel
Nasser at a later
stage. Mr.Macmillan
agrees that it would be very difficult to sell to the Israelis;
but it may be found that something like it is Nasser’s minimum price for
settlement.
- 4.
- Meanwhile Mr.Macmillan
is instructing Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Cairo not to put the
proposal to Colonel Nasser for the present.
