86. Memorandum From the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant (Russell) to the Secretary of State1
SUBJECT
- Luncheon with Ambassador Eban and Reuven Shiloah, February 9, 1956
I had lunch with Ambassador Eban and Reuven Shiloah, at their request, this noon. In response to their inquiry as to how we felt the first rounds of the Anderson mission had gone, I told them that my impression was:
- 1.
- Discussions revealed desire on both sides to move towards settlement;
- 2.
- While our concept of Anderson’s mission had been that it would have dual purpose of (a) delineating the issues and clarifying preliminary positions of both sides, and (b) arranging for direct meetings at which final issues could be resolved, Anderson had found readiness of Nasser to discuss points under (a) but difficulty in getting his agreement to (b); and had encountered difficulties in Israel in connection with (a) and almost complete preoccupation with (b);
- 3.
- To a gratifying extent the ground work had been laid for a further round of talks which we thought might take place in very short time.
Eban made it clear he will take position with you tomorrow2 that there is no immediate prospect of concluding settlement even if talks should continue and that Israel therefore should receive the arms she has requested from U.S. I said that this was a matter on which I was not in a position to speak.
- Source: Department of State, NEA Files: Lot 59 D 518, Alpha—Anderson Talks w/BG & Nasser. Jan. ’56—memos, etc. Top Secret. A chit attached to the source text bears a notation that Secretary Dulles saw this memorandum.↩
- See Document 90.↩