450. Telegram From the Embassy in Egypt to the Department of State1
64. Hussein has just given me plausible reasoning behind apparent contradiction we tried to assess in third from last paragraph [Page 825] Embtel 60.2 Told me he saw Fawzi before his departure this morning to seek explanation.
Fawzi said that what he had told Trevelyan and me had in fact been discussed in detail with Nasser. Nasser had not been aware that Fawzi at this particular time would launch project with us (it happened during call by Trevelyan on another subject). When he discovered it already done and of much interest in London and Washington and subject of quick reply, he became overly cautious. Fawzi says Nasser worries greatly about being personally exposed in Arab world by some leak in early stages. He therefore decided to personally pull back and hold himself more aloof, but to let Fawzi with authority go ahead. This would leave Nasser in position of being able to say “Yes, I was aware some informal discussions had taken place, but I said in the very beginning I thought it would not work.”
This may well explain both unusual initiative by Fawzi and Nasser’s own discouraging remarks last night. Essential fact seems to be that Fawzi says Nasser does want talks to proceed.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/7–I256. Top Secret; Priority. Received at 6:25 a.m., July 13. Repeated priority to London.↩
- Document 447.↩