175. Memorandum for the Record of a Meeting, Department of State, Washington, July 15, 19581

SUBJECT

  • Meeting in Secretary’s Office re Jordan

PARTICIPANTS

  • The Secretary
  • The Under Secretary
  • Mr. Murphy
  • Mr. Henderson
  • Mr. Reinhardt
  • Mr. Rountree
  • Mr. Rockwell
  • Mr. Greene
[Page 304]

There was some discussion of the urgent need for the United States forces in Lebanon to have a political adviser attached to the Commander. The Secretary asked Mr. Herter to follow up in selecting someone; he was not disposed to think Julius Holmes should be spared from his imminent duties as Assistant Secretary and agreed that while the officer chosen should have appropriately high rank, Ambassador McClintock’s position must be preserved.

Lengthy discussion of King Hussein’s request for assurance of U.S. and U.K. support, and of British importunities that we join in giving this assurance (the Prime Minister’s message to the President of July 14,2 and two additional Foreign Office messages3 which Lord Hood had brought Messrs. Reinhardt and Rountree earlier in the day) led to the conclusion that Jordanian and British motives were both too unclear to permit any conclusions by us. It was noted that not only these questions of motives but of the adequacy of British resources to mount and sustain the dispatch of military forces to Iraq without military or at least logistical as well as financial assistance from us was in serious question. The Secretary concluded that for the moment only an interim holding reply to Hussein could be sent (he signed the telegram),4 and that he would give Lord Hood an outline of the difficulties we have in reaching any conclusion about assistance to Jordan and in this context respond affirmatively to Selwyn Lloyd’s offer to come to Washington to discuss the Iraq and Jordan situations.

The Secretary felt that if the French inquire about Lloyd’s coming they could be told that it is only to discuss Iraq and Jordan and that, as France has little interest in these two countries, this should satisfy them.

JG
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 785.00/7–1558. Secret. Drafted by Greene.
  2. Document 172.
  3. An apparent reference to copies of British messages to and from Amman; none found.
  4. Infra .