203. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Jordan1
203. Embtel 171.2 In response to note requesting USG provide political, economic military assistance to enable AU government destroy insurrection in Iraq, you should orally inform Hussein and Rifai along following lines:3
US and UK have come assistance Jordan in response request from His Majesty that such assistance be given to assist in preserving Jordan independence and integrity. US and UK have collaborated in responding to this request, UK by dispatch of troops and US by providing necessary emergency support in form POL and other assistance.
US believes primary concern at moment of HKJ and friends of HKJ should be preservation independence and integrity of Jordan. New request for assistance to destroy insurrection in Iraq goes far beyond scope of purpose for which US and UK were requested and agreed to help Jordan.
US determination to support Jordanian independence has now once more been demonstrated to be firm. It will remain so. US, however, has not conceived its support Jordanian independence to include material assistance for Jordan military intervention in Iraq. It regrets that it unable to comply with His Majesty’s request that US assistance to Jordan should be expanded to include this new undertaking.
FYI. In delivering this message you should make every effort make clear to Hussein and Rifai that US unwillingness to assist in military campaign in Iraq in no way implies lessening of US determination to assist in preservation independence of Jordan. Your approach should be based on concept that essential factor is preservation [Page 345] of this independence which should not be jeopardized as it would be quite impractical through invasion of Iraq from Jordan.4 End FYI.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 787.00/7–1958. Secret; Niact. Repeated to Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Jidda, Ankara, Tehran, Karachi, Tel Aviv, London, Paris, Damascus, and USUN. Drafted by Rockwell, cleared in draft by Rountree, and approved and signed by Dulles.↩
- In telegram 171 from Amman, July 19, Wright reported that he received a note from the Arab Union Foreign Ministry in Jordan announcing the AU’s intention to “crush insurrection Baghdad, restore peace in accordance with AU constitution.” The note requested U.S. assistance to allow the AU Government to destroy the insurrection and restore the legitimate status in Iraq. (Ibid.)↩
- Dulles made a stylistic change here by replacing the phrase “as follows” with “along following lines.”↩
- Dulles changed the final part of the last sentence which initially read: “should not be jeopardized through invasion of Iraq.”↩