47. Telegram From the Embassy in Lebanon to the Department of State1
4123. General Chehab sent me cryptic message last night through ARMA indicating his attempts form government had failed. Middleton informs me Chehab was deeply enraged by attempt to offer Prime
[Page 72]Ministership to Qawugji (Embtel 4097)2 and disgusted by increasing stiffness of opposition who are now howling for Chamoun’s head immediately. Chehab also portrayed as irked at Chamoun’s press statement yesterday.
Situation seems to be rapidly disintegrating. I feel possible means of relieving tension and of at last removing albatross of Chamoun’s reelection from everyone’s neck would be for Chamoun forthwith to announce that he does not intend to amend the constitution or seek to succeed himself. He could then call for Cabinet of National Unity under Sami Solh to carry on and Chehab could issue order of the day insisting that Chamoun remain until September 23.
Middleton agrees with this course but has explicit orders from Selwyn Lloyd to continue support for Chamoun unless some reliable alternative can be found. It looks as if there is a divergence of view between British Government and possibly French and ourselves on all-out support of Chamoun to bitter end.
Middleton and I concur conditions for introduction of UK–US forces in Lebanon are distinctly not propitious. There are no foreign forces engaged which can be easily identified and our troops would find themselves fighting Lebanese once they landed here.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 783A.00/5–2258. Top Secret; Priority. Repeated to London and Paris.↩
- In telegram 4097 from Beirut, May 21, McClintock reported on what he described as a short-lived attempt by President Chamoun to offer the position of Prime Minister to “a fly-specked soldier of fortune named Fawzi Qawugji.” (Ibid., 783A.00/5–2158)↩