129. Memorandum From the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant (Macomber) to the Secretary of State1
Mr. Dean called me from New York this morning following a telephone conversation he had had with Mrs. Meir:
- 1.
- Mrs. Meir told him that Prince Wan2 had told her that five or six South American delegates had said that they would be willing to work for another postponement until Monday if the United States indicated approval of this course. Prince Wan had said that the South Americans realized that the United States might be reluctant to take [Page 234] the lead in this. They would be willing to do it instead provided the United States gave a “nod of approval”. Mr. Dean said he had no way of judging whether this was solid information or just wishful thinking on the part of Mrs. Meir.
- 2.
- Mr. Dean then suggested a message be
sent to Ben Gurion
along the following lines:
“While the United States cannot undertake to guarantee the action of the United Nations or of any member of the United Nations, and while the United States cannot undertake to state unequivocally the precise action which it might take upon any particular resolution at any particular time, nevertheless, it is the hope and expectation of the United States to be able to use its good offices to the end that an administration of the Gaza Strip could be brought about both by the UNEF and by some civil administration under the auspices of the United Nations consonant with the heavy duties evolving upon the United Nations because of the presence in the Gaza Strip of some 200 thousand refugees so that the resultant condition would be more conducive to peace than to a resumption of hostilities between the parties to the Armistice in the Egyptian-Israeli conflict”. Mr. Dean went on to say that similar language could be included with respect to the Gulf of Aqaba. That “while we cannot undertake to guarantee free passage, we reiterate what we said in the Aide-Mémoire and the Secretary’s previous communications. Further, it is the hope and expectation of the United States, acting in accord with other members of the United Nations, to use its good offices to bring about conditions which would permit free navigation in the Gulf of Aqaba to the ships of all nations.”
Mr. Dean thought that we should then add that “we hoped, Dear Mr. Prime Minister, that you will accept this statement of the hope and expectation of the Government of the United States in the spirit in which it is offered. And, that it is our fervent hope that his government will be able to accept these assurances and promptly to effect the withdrawal of the Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the Gulf of Aqaba”.
Mr. Dean thinks that Ben Gurion is “looking for something for him to climb down on and for something where he won’t slip”. However, Mr. Dean stressed that he did not have any assurance from Mrs. Meir that if such language were sent that withdrawal would be certain.