598. Telegram From the Embassy in the United Kingdom to the Department of State1
2841. Eyes only to Acting Secretary from Ambassador for Secretary and President. I saw Butler and Macmillan together at the residence at 10 o’clock this morning. They were most grateful for the President’s assurances of sympathy conveyed in his telephone conversation with me last night. They said that the government’s policy concerning withdrawal of British troops from Egypt must be determined within the next two days and announcement thereof made in the House of Commons. Butler said that they have not yet received Hammarskjold’s report and that naturally the substance of that report would have an important bearing on the consideration by the Cabinet of details of this policy. He further said, however, that he thought there was no reason to suppose that the decision of the Cabinet would not be to withdraw the British troops from Egypt and depend on the United Nations to bring about a solution of the controversies between Israel and Egypt and insure the early opening of the Canal and its operation under proper auspices. Macmillan emphatically concurred with this statement. Butler and Macmillan left me at 10:30 to go to a Cabinet meeting and they said that they would advise me as soon as possible conclusions which had been reached with regard to policy.
It was quite apparent that both Butler and Macmillan are still very anxious that Macmillan and possibly Butler also should see the President as soon as the situation has reached a point where this would be in accord with President’s policy.
I did not of course discuss with them Dept’s thinking on possible Burgess visit to London as set forth in Deptel 3631.2 Their concern today was not with the financial problems facing them but with the political situation and the basic decision the Cabinet will have to make immediately in that connection. However, I did mention as indicative of the President’s appreciation of the seriousness of the financial problem the possibility that Burgess might be sent to London for private talk if such a visit should prove desirable. My own feeling is that if British Cabinet makes correct decision within next two days it would be very much better for Butler and [Page 1172] Macmillan or Macmillan alone to go to Washington immediately rather than have a junior minister come over here.