Office of the Historian

82. Telegram From the Embassy in Syria to the Department of State1

Damascus, February 8, 1956—noon.

735. Substance Deptel 5752 given to Prime Minister Ghazzi orally morning February 7. He was unusually attentive but showed no reaction. When he requested aide-mémoire for use in subsequent conversation with General Burns, I commented that my experience with one of his predecessors made me cautious in supplying aide-mémoires. Ghazzi assured me contents US Government reply would be treated confidentially in this case, and aide-mémoire delivered to him later same morning.3

Moose
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.85322/2–856. Confidential. Received at 8 a.m. Repeated to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, London, Paris, Amman, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, and Jidda. Passed to USUN at 11:30 a.m.↩
  2. Document 73.↩
  3. Moose, in telegram 741, February 9, informed the Department that Ghazzi apparently raised the Banat Yacub question during a conversation he had on February 7 with General Burns. According to the telegram Ghazzi claimed that:

    “(1) Israeli resumption work in DZ would lead to trouble;

    “(2) GOS had received US Government reply to its memorandum this question; and

    “(3) Problem appeared in effect rested solely on Burns shoulders. Burns replied that, if Israelis resumed work, he would order them to stop and would request SC action.” (Department of State, Central Files, 684A.85322/2–956)

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