149. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State1
135. Kuznetsov, acting Foreign Minister, handed me at 6:15 p.m. 6-page declaration of the Soviet Government in connection developments in the Near and Middle East.2 He read me concluding paragraphs which are as follows:
“Soviet Government imperatively calls upon the Government of the USA to cease its armed intervention in the internal affairs of the Arab states and to immediately withdraw its forces from Lebanon.
The Soviet Government declares that the Soviet Union cannot remain passive toward events creating a serious threat in an area bordering on its frontiers and retains for itself the right to take the necessary measures dictated by the interests of preserving peace and security.”
Kuznetsov said declaration would be published tomorrow. Full translation in following telegram:
I merely stated that he was aware of the position of my government from the statement I had made to him yesterday and from the debate in the Security Council. I did, however, wish to point out with reference to the use in the declaration of the words “open USA aggression” that we had acted in response to an appeal of the legitimate Government of Lebanon. He replied that the position of his government was also known and that it considered that this appeal was merely a pretext for our intervention.
May be significant that although Gromyko returned from holiday to receive Stevenson this morning he did not remain to conduct this operation.
We know MFA press conference has been called for 1830 Moscow time today.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783A.00/7–1658. Confidential; Niact. Repeated to Paris, London, Cairo, and Ankara. Received at 3:31 p.m.↩
- The full text of the declaration, which was transmitted to the Department in telegram 136 from Moscow, July 16, charged the United States with “open aggression” in the Middle East creating a “serious threat to peace.” (Ibid.) An assessment of the Soviet declaration, prepared in INR on July 17 for the Secretary, noted that the wording of the statement had been exceeded in terms of gravity only by the warning issued by the Soviet Union in conjunction with the Suez crisis on November 5, 1956, and by the TASS statement of October 18, 1957, warning against an attack on Syria. Nonetheless, the INR analysis concluded that the purpose of the Soviet statement was to deter the West from moving against the new Iraq regime rather than to foreshadow a forceful reaction to the U.S. intervention in Lebanon. (Memorandum from Cumming to Dulles; ibid., 783A.00/7–1758; included in the microfiche supplement)↩