Office of the Historian

149. Message From Cairo1

No. 104
March 2, 1956

Note: This present Message No. 104 was drafted and transmitted prior to Message No. 1032 but was received in Washington after Message No. 103. The efforts to arrange a meeting described herein met with success as reported in Message No. 103.

[Page 274]

REFERENCES

  • A. Message No. 963
  • B. Message No. 974
  • C. Message No. 995
  • D. Message No. 1006
1.
On receipt Ref C, … repeated efforts persuade Nasr make appointment this weekend. Ali Sabri meeting with him now and we expect answer shortly. Reports indicate possibility change of Nasr plans go Aswan but station unable say whether this will alter situation.
2.
Ali Sabri statement on 28 February that Nasr anxious see Anderson soon (Paragraph 1 Ref C)7 was expression of favorable attitude toward operation and neither Nasr nor Ali Sabri consider that appointment was made or that they accepted any obligation… . hinted at likelihood of 3 March arrival Anderson … Even at that point (See Paragraph 3 Ref B) it would have been too late make appointment because Nasr already had appointment with at least 2 Heads of State. In view above … feels delivery message in Ref D not advisable and has asked meeting on basis urgency rapid progress Anderson mission.
4.
… will continue seek appointment before 10 March but wishes point out: [Page 275]
A.
Presence of Saud, Hussein and Kuwatly and press awareness of impending meeting will multiply security problems involved Anderson … contact Nasr.
B.
Nasr will have extreme difficulty varying or changing program laid on with 3 other Chiefs of State.
C.
We run risk antagonizing Nasr if we repeat effort made at time of announcement Constitution8 to persuade him set aside long planned and important arrangements.
  1. Source: Department of State, NEA Files: Lot 59 D 518, Alpha—Anderson Talks w/BG & Nasser. Incoming Telegrams—Jan.–March 1956. Part II. Secret.↩
  2. Not printed. (Ibid.)↩
  3. Not printed. (Ibid., Part I)↩
  4. Document 142.↩
  5. See footnote 5, ibid.↩
  6. Message 100 from Rome to Cairo, March 1, requested that the following message, if appropriate, be passed to Nasser:

    “1. I have just been advised … after arriving Rome enroute to Cairo that you plan to be away from Cairo beginning March third. This change of plans, as we understood them, concerns me not only from the viewpoint of personal planning which was based on our meeting Saturday [March 3] but as well because our planned meeting is known to my principals as well as others who expect my visit early next week. To alter the combined plans could well cause a lack of confidence in the sincerity attached to our operations. For these and other reasons I urgently hope it can be arranged for our meeting to be Saturday or Sunday at such time and place as best suits your own plans or, if more convenient to you I can arrive Friday for a visit, coming by commercial airlines or by my own transportation if clearance for landing can be arranged. I fully appreciate the great demands on your time and make this request in the spirit of assuring continued confidence of all concerned and of making progress in a matter to which I am sure we both attach the maximum importance.” (Department of State, NEA Files: Lot 59 D 518, Alpha—Anderson Talks w/BG & Nasser. Incoming Telegrams—Jan.–March 1956. Part II)

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  7. Reference should be to paragraph 3 of reference A. Paragraph 3 of Message 96 from Cairo, March 1, reads:

    “Ali Sabri says Nasr anxious see Anderson soon and recognizes importance of taking up area policy part of Anderson package.”

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  8. Nasser announced the new Egyptian Constitution on January 16.↩