Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Suez Crisis, July 26–December 31, 1956, Volume XVI

581. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, November 17, 1956¹

Washington, November 17, 1956

SUBJECT

• Call by French Ambassador on Mr. Murphy

PARTICIPANTS

• Mr. Robert D. Murphy—G
• Mr. William R. Tyler—WE
• Mr. Herve Alphand, French Ambassador
• Mr. Charles Lucet, French Minister
• Mr. Francois de Laboulaye, French Counselor

The French Ambassador called at his request and gave an account of Mr. Pineau’s unofficial visit to Washington on November 16th. He said that he had had talks with Mr. Allen Dulles and Admiral Radford.² (Mr. Pineau had told Admiral Radford that the Israeli forces had captured an extraordinarily large amount of Egyptian equipment of Soviet origin in the Sinai Peninsula, including 1500 vehicles of all kinds, this includes tanks). About 200 Egyptian planes had been destroyed. Mr. Pineau had told Admiral Radford that it was essential to prevent this “Soviet arsenal” from being reconstituted in Egypt and Syria, otherwise Israel would be condemned to undertaking preventative war.

[Here follows discussion of Syria, printed in volume XIII, page 605.]

Turning to Egypt, the Ambassador said that the question of the location, responsibilities, and duration of the UN force was a very serious matter. He said that there was a considerable difference between the UK and French interpretation of the UN resolution, and that of Egypt. He asked whether the United States supported the UK and French interpretation. Mr. Murphy said that we did by and large, but that the most important thing was that nothing should be done which should detract from the chances of the United Nations bringing about a peaceful and satisfactory resolution. The Ambassador pressed the subject of what the United States would do, and whether we would continue to deal with Nasser. Mr. Murphy asked the Ambassador who else he thought there was to deal with in Egypt and whether the French had any alternative in mind. The Ambassador stated that Nasser is an unreliable and dangerous fanatic and that pressure must be exerted on him in order to obtain an acceptable solution to the present crisis.

The Ambassador said that the oil situation in France was extremely serious, and that failure to take measures to supply Western Europe with oil it needed in the coming months would precipitate grave social, political and economic repercussions. He asked whether the US approved of the role which the OEEC was playing with regard to oil, and Mr. Murphy said that we did.

The Ambassador said that Mr. Pineau had approved of the French proposed amendments to the US resolution on Suez.³ The Ambassador said that he had talked with Mr. Phillips and he understood that the French proposals had been sent to New York. He understood that the preliminary reaction of the Department seemed to be that the proposed composition of the Committee might be taken by the Arabs as favoring the UK and France too much.

[Here follows discussion of the Soviet proposal for a summit conference on disarmament.]

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.51/11–1756. Confidential. Drafted by Tyler.
2. Radford’s handwritten notes of the conversation are in Radford Papers, Memos for the Record, C–1.
3. The Department of State transmitted the text of the three amendments, which it had received from the French Embassy in Washington, to the Mission in New York in telegram 315, November 16. One of the amendments provided that the Suez Committee, envisioned in the U.S. draft resolution, should be composed of one Egyptian representative, one French representative, one British representative, as well as one non-Egyptian person chosen by Egypt and a person who was neither French nor British, but had been chosen jointly by France and Great Britain. The Department advised the Mission that, before considering any changes in the draft resolution, it would want to consult with Hammarskjold upon his return from Cairo and to await responses to inquiries being made by U.S. officials as to the availability of Pearson, Lange, and Lall to serve on the committee. (Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/11–1656)