Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Arab-Israeli Dispute; United Arab Republic; North Africa, Volume XIII

214. Letter From the Secretary of State to the President¹

Washington, July 25, 1958.

Dear Mr. President: I have your memorandum of July 23 with the two memoranda about the Middle East.² These contain interesting ideas, although nothing to which we have not already given much thought. The problem is posed by Mr. Robinson’s point (1) that “we must shake Nasser loose from his convictions that his only friends are the Soviets”.

Nasser counts as “friends” those who help him to achieve his ambitions. These ambitions include at least a truncation of Israel and the overthrow of present governments in Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Tunis, Libya, the Sudan, Saudi Arabia, etc., and their replacement by his stooges. The Soviet Union, being free of ties and commitments in the area, can and does help Nasser to achieve these extravagant goals, believing it will be the ultimate heir. We cannot honorably help him in these respects. Therefore, we cannot be his “friends” as are the Soviets.

Of course, Nasser would be glad to get help from us as well as from the Soviet Union, but that would, I fear, lead him to merely move on, and not to moderate his ambitions. He is not a moderate kind of person. Nor is he interested in consolidating what he has, but in going from one political success to another.

This is what makes the problem so difficult. We are basically wholly sympathetic with Arab nationalism if it means a constructive and productive unity of the Arab peoples. Unfortunately, Nasser’s brand of Arab nationalism does not seem to be leading to that. He has done little in Egypt to improve the welfare of the people. He has done nothing in Syria. He tends to require an unending series of political successes but not pause to consolidate constructively.

Faithfully yours,

John Foster Dulles³

1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Correspondence. Confidential; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles and cleared with Rountree and Berry.
2. None printed. The memorandum from Eisenhower is a 4-line note of transmission; the first memorandum, July 23, by O. Preston Robinson, editor of the Salt Lake City Desert News contained Robinson’s personal convictions on the Middle East; the second, from Elie A. Salem, Professor of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University, to Secretary of Agriculture Benson, discussed the Arab world.
3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.