151. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Egypt1
148. Convey orally urgently following to Nasser or highest ranking other appropriate UAR official you can reach:
US in landing troops in Lebanon at request GOL has acted to assist in preservation independence of Lebanon and in interest safety US nationals in that country. Presence US forces in Lebanon has no other purpose and US desires withdraw them as soon as circumstances permit.
Our forces thus are not on hostile mission. We seek, as we sought in 1956, to preserve the independence and integrity of a country which considers itself threatened from without. We cannot deny responding [Page 259] to such a plea from a small country which turns to us for aid—aid which seems the more necessary in view of the bloody liquidation of the legal government of neighboring Iraq.
We earnestly hope that our mission will be completed in circumstances which will have a minimum adverse effect upon our relations with UAR. We believe that government of UAR should understand that if US forces are attacked by forces of UAR or by elements known by US to be under UAR control or responding to its direction, there would be grave danger that the scope of the problem would expand and the state of our relations be seriously impaired.2
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783A.5411/7–1758. Secret; Niact. Drafted by Rountree and Dulles and approved by Dulles.↩
- Before this message was sent, a statement was issued by Nasser on July 17 condemning the U.S. intervention in Lebanon. Nasser characterized the U.S. landings in Lebanon as a threat to peace in the Middle East, a serious violation of the U.N. Charter, and a menace to all Arab states. (Telegram 149 from Cairo, July 17; ibid., 780.00/7–1758) Ambassador Hare took up the Egyptian protest on July 17 with Ali Sabri, Acting Foreign Minister, and Sabri said that the United States should expect a strong personal response when it intruded its forces into the area. (Telegram 161 from Cairo, July 17; ibid.) The text of telegram 148 was not received at the Embassy until late in the evening of July 17. Hare conveyed the message to the Foreign Ministry at 1 a.m., and was called in to discuss it with Sabri an hour later. Sabri objected to the message, and stated that Nasser would be certain to object most vigorously to the concept of holding the UAR responsible for the actions of forces perceived by the United States to be under the control of the UAR. This amounted, Sabri said, to a threat of war over activities which the UAR could not control. (Telegrams 169 and 176 from Cairo, both July 18; ibid., 783A.00/7–1858; included in the microfiche supplement)↩