338. Editorial Note
On October 12, at the close of the Security Council session, the British Delegation gave to the U.S. Delegation an English translation of a draft resolution, originally in French. The draft resolution provided that the Security Council would: agree that any settlement of the Suez question must fulfill specified requirements (i.e., the six principles described by Hammarskjöld earlier that day; see supra); consider that the Eighteen-Power Proposals corresponding to the principles set forth were the most appropriate for bringing about a settlement; agree that the Egyptian Government had not yet formulated any proposal for the application of the principles set forth; invite the Egyptian Government to make known its proposals; and decide that pending the conclusion of an agreement: 1) the Government of Egypt should afford free passage through the Canal; 2) the Users’ Association should be entitled to collect the dues payable by ships belonging to its members; and 3) the Users’ Association and the Egyptian Suez Canal Authority should cooperate to ensure the satisfactory operation of the Canal according to the principles set forth above.
The Mission at the United Nations transmitted the text of this draft resolution to the Department of State in telegram 341, October [Page 714] 12. (Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/10–1256) The telegram noted that the draft had not yet been seen by either Lloyd or Pineau. A memorandum of a brief conversation among Secretary Dulles, Foreign Secretary Lloyd, and other American and British officials at 10 a.m. on October 13 indicates that several changes in the text had already been made before British and French officials discussed the draft with United States officials on October 13. (Memorandum of conversation by Lodge, October 13; ibid., Conference Files: Lot 62 D 181, CF 800)