Office of the Historian

75. Message to Robert B. Anderson, at Washington1

No. 74
Cairo, February 4, 1956.
1.
Ali Sabri agreed … this morning on the text of a secret letter to the President which Nasr will sign2 and present to us for forwarding Monday morning.3 Meanwhile Ali Sabri has authorized us to wire text which follows: “My dear Mr. President: Thank you for the letter presented to me by your personal representative and the expressions of personal regard contained therein.4 May I reciprocate your kindness. Knowing and sharing the worldwide anxiety for the preservation of peace, I wish to address myself to you, whose many declarations on behalf of peace and justice are well known to my countrymen. Egypt has always declared and has sought every occasion to prove her desire for peace and her determination to develop her resources for the welfare of the Egyptian people. This means that Egypt harbors no hostile intentions toward any other state and will never be party to an aggressive war. Egypt is a part of the Middle East area; concerned with the stability of the area. Any [Page 139] disturbance in the Middle East necessarily has profound effects on Egyptian ability to pursue a policy of peaceful development. The establishment of Israel in Palestine was the gravest imaginable challenge to the peaceful preoccupation of the Egyptian and Arab people. But, despite the sense of injustice evoked by this development, in the interest of peace Egypt recognizes the desirability of seeking to eliminate the tensions between the Arab states and Israel. At the same time Egypt must affirm its continuing desire to see the fundamental rights and aspirations of the Arab people respected and can foresee possibilities in this respect which we would earnestly entertain and support.”
2.
Ali Sabri said that Nasr preferred not to send the statement of principles for a settlement as an attachment to his letter to the President. He would however authorize us to send the statement to Mr. Anderson and tell him that it had been read by Nasr and that Nasr authorizes Mr. Anderson to treat it as representing Nasr’s views on the points discussed. Text follows:

“Statement of general principles which would provide a satisfactory basis for the resolution of the several points at issue between the Arab states and Israel.

I.
Territorial.
A.
The establishment of Arab sovereignty over a satisfactorily substantial territory connecting Egypt and Jordan and forming a part of one or the other of those two states.
B.
The establishment of permanent boundaries by means of alterations of the Armistice Demarcation Lines for such purposes as:
1.
Restoring to Arab border villages adjoining farmlands and groves formerly tilled by the inhabitants of those villages,
2.
Improvement of communications,
3.
Improvement of access to water supplies, and
4.
The general rationalization of boundaries.
II.
Refugees.
A.
Arab refugees from Palestine to be provided a choice between repatriation and compensation for loss of real property.
B.
Phasing of the return to assume all rights and obligations of Israeli citizens.
C.
Refugees granted repatriation to assume all rights and obligations of Israeli citizens.
D.
Refugees electing resettlement and compensation to be moved from the refugee camps and resettled as rapidly as possible.
E.
Assistance to be provided by the International Community, probably under U.N. auspices, for the reestablishment of all refugees.
III.
Jerusalem. Formulation of solutions of the problems of territorial division and supervision of the Holy Places which are acceptable to the world community.
IV.
State of belligerency and economic restrictions deriving therefrom. [Page 140]
A.
The parties to recognize formally the termination of the state of belligerency.
B.
Following the termination of this state of belligerency:
1.
Lifting of the secondary boycott—that is, discontinuance of all measures taken by the Arab states to prevent trade with Israel by non Arab countries and non Arab firms, and
2.
Removal of all restrictions on shipping, other than normal maritime regulations.
V.
Unified development of the Jordan Valley. The states affected to agree to the proposals for the unified development of the Jordan Valley developed in discussions with Ambassador Eric Johnston.”
3.
Nasr asked that Mr. Anderson be told that he did not regard the question of development of Jordan Valley waters as an integral part of a settlement, but that he was willing to reaffirm his approval and support of the Johnston plan.
4.
On advice of Burdette and Troxel5 an attempt was made to change statement on Jerusalem so as to indicate approval of present territorial division. Ali Sabri stated, however, that Egypt would not support Jordan on this question against world opinion and that Nasr preferred the statement to remain unchanged.
5.
Cairo 1030Z Feb 4.
  1. Source: Department of State, NEA Files: Lot 59 D 518, Alpha—Anderson Talks w/BG & Nasser. Incoming Telegrams—Jan.–March 1956. Part I. Secret. The source text bears a notation that Dulles saw the message.↩
  2. A photocopy of the signed original of Nasser’s letter of February 6 is ibid., Jan. ’56—memos, etc.↩
  3. February 6.↩
  4. See Document 12.↩
  5. The Department of State on January 22 had cabled an offer to make Burdett and Troxel available to Anderson to provide expert advice on the various boundary and refugee problems. (Department of State, NEA Files: Lot 59 D 518, Alpha—Anderson Talks w/BG & Nasser. Jan. ’56—memos, etc.) Anderson immediately accepted the Department’s offer of their services. (Message 15 from Anderson at Cairo, January 22; Ibid.)↩