266. Report Prepared in the Executive Secretariat of the Department of State1
SUMMARY OF DEVELOPMENTS IN SUEZ SITUATION
Procedural Suggestions to Lodge2
The following procedural suggestions for the initial phase of the Suez debate in the UN have been furnished to Ambassador Lodge:
- 1)
- Following the adoption of the agenda, the next meeting should be not less than one week later so that SCUA may be established and agreement obtained on a firm UK-French-US course of action in the Security Council (SC);
- 2)
- Invitations to interested parties should be limited initially to Egypt;
- 3)
- The Iranian representative, to whom France may have to yield its normal assumption of the Council Presidency in October, should be briefed on arguments to avoid having the case treated as a dispute, the chief of which is that there are so many potential parties the SC would be precluded from taking effective action;
- 4)
- We consider that the Egyptian complaint should be inscribed but as a separate item following that of the UK and France. We oppose making the UK-French and the Egyptian items into a single subject. Nevertheless, we would be prepared to have them listed as “A” and “B” under the general heading “The Question of Suez”.
[Here follows discussion of Egypt’s search for foreign credits (reported in telegrams 873 and 876 from Cairo and telegram 916 to Cairo, all September 25; all Department of State, Central Files, 611.74231/9–2256); Iran’s position in the U.N. debate (reported in telegram 483 from Tehran, September 26; ibid., 974.73017/9–2656); activities of the Users’ Association (reported in telegram 2230 to London, September 25; ibid., 974.7301/9–2556); and views of the British Commonwealth Relations Office (reported in telegram 1662 from London; ibid.).
(Summary closed 11:45 a.m., September 26, 1956)