Office of the Historian

417. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (Wilson)1

Washington, December 4, 1957.

SUBJECT

  • Resolution of the Middle East Question (U)2
1.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are greatly concerned by the unsatisfactory politico-military situation in the Middle East, which they consider stems basically from the unresolved Arab-Israeli problem, and which poses a serious threat to the security of the United States and the Free World.
2.
In order to achieve stabilization in the Middle East under conditions favorable to the Free World, all three basic elements of the overall problem must be resolved:
a.
The present boundaries of Israel must be fixed and agreed upon.
b.
There must be a Western guarantee that Israel will not thereafter expand territorially.
c.
The refugee problem must be settled.
3.
In order to forestall further exploitation by the USSR of the existing situation in the Middle East, political action to achieve a settlement is essential and urgent. Any further spread of Communist domination and control in the Middle East will seriously jeopardize the security of the Free World. Such spread cannot be prevented by military action alone.
4.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are convinced that western orientation of the Arab nations in the Middle East can be achieved and retained only by decisive U.S. political and diplomatic action to solve the present Arab-Israeli dispute. The United States should take this action now. The threat to U.S. security inherent in failing to take the initiative in solving this problem is so great as to transcend the interests of any minority group within the United States.
5.
If you concur, the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommend that you forward the above views to the Secretary of State with the recommendation that the matter be taken up with the National Security Council as a matter of urgency.

For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

Maxwell D. Taylor
General, United States Army Chief of Staff
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/12–757. Top Secret. Deputy Secretary of Defense Donald A. Quarles forwarded this memorandum to the Department of State under cover of a note to Secretary Dulles, dated December 7, which reads: “I am forwarding herewith the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the subject: ‘Resolution of the Middle East Question’, in which I concur. I believe they are particularly pertinent at this time because of the review of our Near East policy (NSC 5428) now under way in the NSC.” (Ibid.) Documentation concerning the review of NSC 5428 is scheduled for publication in volume XII.↩
  2. The “U” indicates that the subject was unclassified.↩