66. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Dillon to President
Eisenhower0
Washington,
May 22,
1959.
SUBJECT
- Hosting Baghdad Pact Council Session in Washington1
The Baghdad Pact Council of Deputies in Ankara, at Iran’s behest, has
requested the United States to consider again the possibility of [Page 222] inviting the Baghdad Pact
Ministerial Council to hold its next session in Washington. The session
would be of three-day duration. The most likely date would be early
October, possibly October 7–9. Twice previously we have declined to
invite the Baghdad Pact Council to meet here, but on both occasions
pointed out that our action did not rule out the possibility of a future
session here.
I have weighed the pros and cons of acceding to this request and I have
concluded that on balance the time has come when it is in our interests
to invite the Baghdad Pact Council to meet here. Secretary Herter has concurred from Geneva.
Although there is apt to be difficulty with various elements in
Congress, we are on technically sound ground and consider that the
meeting has to be held here if we are to further our policy of
strengthening the Pact and its objectives. Continued hesitation on our
part to hold a meeting here might create serious misgivings in the minds
of the members of the Pact, in particular Iran, and could even confront
us with a demand for full United States membership as the price for
maintaining the Pact.
We feel, however, that the question should be submitted to you before any
action is taken. I am enclosing a memorandum giving pertinent background
information.
It has been customary for the Chief of State of the host country to
welcome the Council in some manner. I recommend that, if you concur in
inviting the Council and if convenient to you, you agree to make such an
address to the opening session.2
If you concur we would plan to inform the appropriate Congressional
committees of our decision prior to the extension of the invitation.
[Page 223]
[Enclosure]4
BACKGROUND MEMORANDUM RE INVITING THE BAGHDAD PACT TO HOLD ITS
NEXT MINISTERIAL COUNCIL SESSION IN WASHINGTON NEXT OCTOBER
At its recent session in Karachi5 the Baghdad Pact
Ministerial Council tentatively accepted an Iranian invitation to
meet next in Tehran. Now, however, at Iran’s behest, the Council of
Deputies has requested that the United States consider the
possibility of inviting the Council to convene instead in
Washington. This reflects a long-standing conviction of the Pact
member states that a Washington meeting venue would strengthen
immeasurably the Baghdad Pact’s standing in the international
community at large and in the Middle East in particular.
Late last year, at the specific request of Foreign Ministers
Zorlu and Hekmat of Turkey and Iran,
respectively, we considered the desirability of inviting the Baghdad
Pact Council to hold its January meeting here. We concluded there
was then insufficient time to brief the incoming Congress. Since,
therefore, such an invitation might have produced some adverse
Congressional reaction and might have redounded to the Pact’s
disadvantage, we declined to do so at that time.
At the Karachi Council session in January the member states again
pressed strongly for the United States Observer to invite the
Council to meet next in Washington. After further consideration of
the question in the Department of State, it was decided not to do so
then since the bilateral agreements with Turkey, Iran and Pakistan
were under negotiation and Congressional reaction to these
agreements had yet to be ascertained. This resulted in the Iranian
invitation cited above. It was clear from the outset, nevertheless,
that this acceptance was tentative and that a new bid to invite the
Council to meet here could be expected.
Holding the next Council meeting here would demonstrate publicly that
the Pact association has, in our view, overcome the stresses
occasioned by the Iraqi non-participation, that it remains a
vigorous going concern, and that it continues to enjoy our strong
support. As a corollary, it would raise the morale of the Middle
East member states and encourage them actively to continue to
support the Pact. This is of particular importance now when the
first five-year span of the Treaty will draw to a close in early
1960 and when such evidence of United States support may be a
decisive factor in influencing the Middle East member states to
continue to participate in the Baghdad Pact association. Adversely,
[Page 224] such an invitation
could revive the lingering suspicion in some Congressional quarters
that we are seeking obliquely to accede to the Baghdad Pact outside
of the treaty process.
In considering this matter, several pertinent new factors deserve
mention. First, the bilaterals with Turkey, Iran and Pakistan have
now been successfully concluded and, in our view at least, lessen
the need for formal United States adherence to the Baghdad
Pact.6 Second, the Congress was briefed
extensively on the bilaterals during their negotiation and they
elicited no significant adverse Congressional reaction. Third, Iraq,
on March 24, 1959, formally withdrew from the Baghdad Pact. Finally,
the Pact is now expected shortly to change its name.
On balance, we believe that the clear boost that inviting the Baghdad
Pact Council to meet here would give to our basic objective of
continuing and strengthening existing collective security
arrangements in the Middle East outweighs the disadvantages. There
is now adequate time to brief the Congress in advance on Baghdad
Pact developments and to endeavor thereby to allay such
Congressional misgivings as may exist. The cost of such a session
would be kept to an absolute minimum and should be well within the
figure budgeted to send United States delegates to Baghdad Pact
sessions. While tentatively scheduled for September, it could
doubtless be held at any time this autumn that suits our
convenience.
On the basis of past practice, such a session would probably be
attended by the Prime Ministers of Turkey and Iran as well as the
Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and the United
Kingdom.
