Office of the Historian

265. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Egypt1

Washington, April 2, 1957—8:16 p.m.

3286. ReEmbtel 3103.2 Substance following message should be conveyed to GOE, if possible directly to Nasser. Suggest it be in written form unless your judgment presentation orally would have strong advantage, such as by increasing likelihood Egyptian favorable reaction: [Page 510]

“The United States Government has over recent months taken a very active part in the measures which have now resulted in the withdrawal of foreign forces from Egypt and in the Suez Canal being open for navigation within the sovereignty of Egypt. The United States had assumed in this connection that the Government of Egypt would be prepared to make the same kind of a settlement of the Suez Canal controversy as had been regarded as reasonable last October and as was forecast by the negotiations which occurred in conjunction with the Security Council meeting.

“The United States had assumed that the Government of Egypt would desire to bring its draft memorandum, handed to the American Ambassador on March 26, into clear conformity with the six principles which the Security Council unanimously agreed should govern any settlement of the Suez Canal question. We had earnestly hoped that the Government of Egypt would be receptive to the suggestions of the United States designed to accomplish this objective.

“The apparent unwillingness of the Government of Egypt to do so is a matter of keen disappointment to the United States and we believe that it will be a matter of keen disappointment to many nations which had hoped that there would now be initiated a long period of peaceful and constructive development of the Canal as an international waterway, free and impartial use of which would be assured.

“If, as we are reluctant to believe, this is not the desire of the Government of Egypt, it would be necessary for the Government of the United States to review the situation from the standpoint of the hopes which we have from time to time expressed in relation to the future role of the Suez Canal.”

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/4–257. Secret; Niact. Drafted by Rountree; cleared in substance by Dulles, Herter, Dillon, and Wilcox; and approved by Rountree who initialed for Dulles.↩
  2. Document 263.↩