Office of the Historian

328. Message From President Eisenhower to Prime Minister Eden1

Washington, October 11, 1956.

Dear Anthony: Let me acknowledge the note from you2 which transmitted a copy of Bulganin’s letter to you. Truly, this is a rather forbidding letter, and it is scarcely couched in the terms which one would expect in a communication from one Head of Government to another. Also, Foster tells me that Shepilov made a quite nasty speech at the United Nations Council last Monday.

It is clear that the Soviets are playing hard to gain a dominant position in the Near East area, and it is likely they have developed quite a hold on Nasser. This problem will probably remain with us whatever may be the results of the talks in New York. I know that Foster is working closely with Selwyn Lloyd, and I deeply deplore the suggestions of the press both here and abroad that you and we are at cross purposes.

[Page 695]

With warm regard,

As ever

Ike E.

P.S. I got a chance, at this morning’s Press Conference,3 to say something on how much Britain & the British mean to us.

DE
  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series. Top Secret. A” Suggested Draft”, attached to the source text, is presumably the one handed by Dulles to Eisenhower during their conversation that morning (see supra); it bears a few stylistic changes by Eisenhower. The revised draft, which Eisenhower initialed, corresponds to the text sent to Eden, except for the P.S. which was presumably added by the President shortly before transmission. The message was transmitted for immediate delivery to Eden in telegram 2628 to London, October 11, 7:02 p.m. (Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/10–1156)↩
  2. Document 287.↩
  3. The transcript is printed in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956, pp. 880–894.↩