Office of the Historian

122. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Washington, July 14, 1958, 8:29 a.m.1

Washington, July 14, 1958, 8:29 a.m.

TELEPHONE CALL TO THE PRESIDENT

The Pres heard re Iraq. The Sec said now we have a call from Lebanon to come to their aid2 —also the Br have. The Pres said it looks now as if you have a solid Arab world against us because Jordan can’t stick. …3 The Sec agreed and said the main problem is our relations with Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. We always felt we would lose the Arab world but did not want to under circumstances that would lose the confidence of these countries. The Sec has no ideas because it happened so fast but thinks we ought to have a meeting today. NSC is set but this is more important. He will try to accumulate info and join NSC whenever he can and then perhaps recess and have a limited meeting with Defense, CIA and JCS.4

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations. Transcribed in the Secretary’s office by Phyllis D. Bernau.↩
  2. Reference is to the message transmitted in telegram 358, supra. According to notes on the source text, Dulles placed the call to Eisenhower 6 minutes before telegram 358 was received in the Department, which suggests that he received an advance copy of the message.↩
  3. Ellipsis in source text.↩
  4. After talking with the President, Dulles called Cutler, Allen Dulles, and General Twining to inform them about the crisis created by the Iraqi coup and the Lebanese request for military support. All agreed to a 10:30 a.m. meeting at the White House to discuss the situation. (Memoranda of telephone conversations, July 14, 8:32–8:51 a.m.; Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations)↩