54. Editorial Note
Between August 3 and 15, tripartite planning for the forthcoming Suez Canal Conference was conducted primarily in London. Walworth Barbour and other officials from the Embassy, guided by instructions from the Department of State, represented the United States in these discussions, until the return to London of Secretary Dulles on August 15. In Washington, various departments and agencies of the United States Government continued to discuss the ramifications of the Suez situation, while officials of the Department of State began to prepare position papers for the forthcoming Suez Canal Conference. At the same time, Secretary Dulles sought to explain and gain support for the American position, through diplomatic correspondence with foreign leaders, and through numerous conversations with the representatives of foreign governments directly or indirectly involved in the Suez situation.
In addition to the documents printed here, Department of State Central File 974.7301 constitutes the main collection of Suez-related material for this period. The file includes, among other items of interest, reports and instructions passing between the Department of State and the Embassy in London, documentation concerning meetings of the State Department’s Suez Economic Task Force, diplomatic correspondence, and memoranda of conversation with foreign diplomats. Department of State Central File 396.1–LO also contains Suez-related correspondence and memoranda of conversation. Conference Files: Lot 62 D 181 contains the United States position papers for the Suez Canal Conference, most of which were prepared during the period August 3–15. Reports concerning the Anglo-French military buildup in the eastern Mediterranean are primarily in Central File 974.7301, but additional material can be found in Central Files 396.1–LO, 741.5–MSP, 740.5, and 751.5.