126. Editorial Note
On February 2, speaking on behalf of King Nasser who was then in Washington, Saudi Minister Yusuf Yasin met with Assistant Secretary Rountree, and urged that the United States should unblock Egyptian accounts in the United States as a special favor to the King. (A memorandum of the February 2 conversation by Wilkins and a copy of a subsequent memorandum from Rountree to Dulles of February 4 concerning Yasin’s request are in Department of State, NEA/NE Files: Lot 60 D 48, Egypt. Blocked Assets & Accounts.)
Deputy Under Secretary Murphy delivered the Department of State’s response to this request during a conversation with Yasin on February 21. Murphy told Yasin that it was the honest opinion of the United States Government that events in the Middle East had not reached the stage where a further review of the Egyptian blocked accounts question was possible. Therefore, the United States was not prepared to say anything further on the subject at the moment. (Memorandum of conversation by Stoltzfus, not printed)