292. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom1
3505. Please deliver following from Secretary to Lloyd.2
“Dear Selwyn:
Subject to the unlikely contingency of a last minute French shift of position we will be delivering our shipment Thursday afternoon Tunis time. We are instructing our air crews at Wheelus Base to be prepared to leave around noon tomorrow the 14th. I hope that at least some part of your shipment can arrive at about the same time.
I want to express on behalf of the President and myself to you and Harold the profound satisfaction we feel that our two Governments are together at this critical moment. I am confident that we are doing the right thing, but if we were divided the future would indeed be ominous. As it is, I am sure we can ride it through without ultimate damage to NATO.
In accordance with your good suggestion we are urging upon Bourguiba in the strongest terms that when he acknowledges the receipt of arms from the US and UK he state that in view of this fact his Government expects to look to the West as the normal source of arms supply. This of course would not apply to the exceptional gift shipment from Egypt now in transit.
Sincerely yours, Foster.”
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 772.56/11–1357. Secret; Niact.↩
- A series of telephone calls took place during the day as Dulles spoke to Macmillan and Lloyd in an effort to coordinate strategy. The memoranda of these telephone conversations, drafted by Phyllis D. Bernau, are in Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers.↩