Office of the Historian

303. Memorandum of Conversation0

US/Del/MC/1
Ankara, January 26, 1958, 6:15 p.m.

US OBSERVER DELEGATION FOURTH SESSION, MINISTERIAL COUNCIL, BAGHDAD PACT

  • US Participants
    • The Secretary
    • Ambassador Warren
    • Mr. Rountr
  • Turkish Participants
    • Prime Minister Menderes
    • Foreign Minister Zorlu
    • Secretary General Esenbel

SUBJECT

  • The Secretary’s call on the Prime Minister

Mr. Menderes warmly greeted the Secretary and expressed great pleasure on the part of the Turkish Government that he was in Ankara. After responding appropriately, the Secretary emphasized the high regard in which Turkey was held by the United States. He said there were many questions which could be discussed, but one which was particularly on his mind as a result of messages which we had received, was developments concerning Syrian-Egyptian union.1 He asked Mr. Menderes what his present view of the situation was.

Mr. Menderes responded that this was a very disquieting factor. It reflected in yet another way the seriousness of the situation in Syria. He said the main pressure for union came from Syria, that the Soviet Union and Syrian Communists were behind that pressure. Nevertheless, the willingness of the Egyptian regime to go along with the idea demonstrated that Egypt was collaborating with the Communists. He said the plan was being pushed by Syria and Egypt “to fight the Baghdad Pact.”

Mr. Zorlu remarked that he had been asked by the press what his attitude toward union was, and he had responded that he would be happy to see all Arab countries cooperating together; that while Turkey had nothing to say with particular respect to the proposed union, it [Page 738] would be happy if the union meant that Syria was going to get out of the Soviet orbit.

The Secretary asked Mr. Rountree to review the Department’s present thinking on the pros and cons of the US making a public statement on this matter and, while not endorsing union, making it clear that the US would not oppose any such developments which were brought about by the free will of the peoples concerned.2 Mr. Menderes felt that a statement along these lines might be interpreted as an endorsement of the plan, which he was certain was the work of Communists. He agreed fully with the Secretary’s observations that perhaps at this time we should maintain flexibility in our position, awaiting further developments and particularly the public attitude of other Arab governments. The Secretary thought it possible that we might have to make a statement at some later time criticizing the plan.

At this point the Secretary and the Foreign Minister were required to depart for the Secretary’s courtesy call on the Turkish President.

  1. Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D199. Secret. Drafted by Rountree. The meeting was held in Menderes’ office.↩
  2. On November 18, 1957, parliamentary bodies in Egypt and Syria approved the merger of the two states into the United Arab Republic. The new state was formally proclaimed on February 1, 1958.↩
  3. Dulles commented on the merger of Egypt and Syria at his February 11 press conference; for text of his statement, see Department of State Bulletin, March 3, 1958, p. 332.↩