Postwar Diplomacy, June 11–September 30, 1967
354. Circular Telegram From the Department of State to Certain Posts
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Confidential. Drafted by Eugene Rostow on July 11; cleared by Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs J. Wayne Fredericks, Davies, and Wriggins; and approved by Rusk. Sent to Amman, Jidda, Kuwait, Beirut, Rabat, Tunis, Tripoli, Tel Aviv, London, Paris, USUN, Tehran, Rawalpindi, Djakarta, New Delhi, Ankara, Tokyo, Belgrade, Moscow, Sofia, Rome, Madrid, Brussels, and Bonn.
355. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR/UN. Confidential; Limdis. Received at 10:14 p.m. on July 12.
356. Memorandum From W. Howard Wriggins of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) and the President’s Special Consultant (Bundy)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VIII. Secret.
357. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VIII. Confidential. A handwritten notation on the memorandum indicates it was received at 11 a.m.; a handwritten “L” indicates the President saw it.
358. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR/UN. Secret; Priority; Limdis. Received on July 13 at 10:34 p.m.
359. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Morocco
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR/UN. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Eugene Rostow and Brewer; cleared by Battle, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs William C. Trimble, and Kohler; and approved by Rusk.
360. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission to the United Nations
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Sandstorm/Whirlwind. Top Secret; Flash; Nodis; Sandstorm. The telegram indicates Battle as the drafter and that the text was revised at the White House; cleared by Walt Rostow; and approved by Rusk. Repeated Flash to Tel Aviv. “Sandstorm” is written by hand on the telegram. Telegram 6593 to Tel Aviv and USUN, July 14, stated that all cable traffic relating to telegram 6581 should be designated Nodis; Sandstorm, because the Department wished to give it maximum security. (Ibid.)
361. Memorandum Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VIII. Secret. Sent to the President with a covering memorandum of July 14 from Walt Rostow. A handwritten “L” on Rostow’s memorandum indicates the President saw it.
362. Memorandum From the President’s Special Consultant (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VIII. No classification marking. Sent through Walt Rostow.
363. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Press Secretary (Johnson) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, Tom Johnson’s Notes of Meetings, Box 1. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted July 14 at 6:10 p.m. Brief notes of the meeting by Wriggins are ibid., National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, #2, July 1–31, 1967. Concerning the topic of Resuming Diplomatic Relations with Selected Arab Countries, they read: “The President agreed that the Department should be flexible on this and proceed where there seemed to be opportunities or interest. The first instance would be the Sudan.”
364. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Sandstorm/Whirlwind. Top Secret; Flash; Nodis; Sandstorm. Repeated Flash to Tel Aviv. Received at 3:44 p.m.
365. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL JORDAN–US. Secret; Noforn. Drafted by Wiley and approved in S on July 20. The time of the meeting is from Rusk’s Appointment Book. (Johnson Library)
366. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Sandstorm/Whirlwind. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis; Sandstorm. Repeated to USUN. Received at 7:17 p.m.
367. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Top Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Davies. The time of the meeting is from Rusk’s Appointment Book. (Johnson Library) Eban met with Eugene Rostow over lunch. Rostow stated that the preceding weeks had demonstrated the need for consultation on a continuing basis on subjects in which both sides had a vital interest and in which the United States could be drawn into “difficult situations” as a result of Israeli actions. Pressed for an example, he cited Israel’s actions with respect to Jerusalem. Eban said that Israel had also learned lessons from the preceding weeks; the Israeli Government “now recognized that it had no real alternative to self-reliance militarily.” (Memorandum of conversation, July 15; National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR)
368. Memorandum of Meeting
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR/SANDSTORM. Secret; Nodis. No drafting information appears on the memorandum. The meeting is also recorded in a July 15 memorandum from Wriggins to Walt Rostow and Bundy, which lists the participants as Ambassador Burns, Katzenbach, Eugene Rostow, and Kohler. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VIII)
369. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VIII. Secret. Drafted on July 17. Sent to the President on July 17 with a brief covering note by Rostow. A handwritten “L” on Rostow’s note indicates the President saw it.
370. Memorandum of Meeting
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR/SANDSTORM. Secret; Nodis. No drafting information appears on the memorandum. The meeting is also recorded in a July 16 memorandum from Wriggins to Walt Rostow and Bundy, which describes it as a meeting of the “inner circle of the Control Group”—Katzenbach, Eugene Rostow, Battle, Kohler, and Wriggins, plus Walsh and Burns. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VIII)
371. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Turkey
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Battle on July 15, cleared by Davies and Berg, and approved by Katzenbach.
372. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Priority; Exdis. Repeated to Moscow, Tel Aviv, and the White House. Received at 8:58 p.m. and passed to the White House at 11:18 p.m.
373. Memorandum From the Chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (Clifford) to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Intelligence Cables. Top Secret; [codeword not declassified]. Rostow forwarded the memorandum to the President on July 18 at 5:40 p.m. with a covering note stating that it was Clifford’s “brief but definitive analysis” of the attack on the Liberty, and was “based on the study of literally thousands of pages of evidence.” A handwritten “L” on Rostow’s note indicates the President saw it.
374. Paper Prepared by the President’s Special Consultant (Bundy)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Special Committee Files, Settlement. Secret.
375. Notes of Meeting
Source: Johnson Library, Tom Johnson’s Notes of Meetings, Box 1. The document bears no classification marking but is marked Literally Eyes Only. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room at the White House.
376. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Vol. VIII. Confidential. Rostow sent the memorandum to the President with a covering memorandum of July 18. A handwritten “L” on the memorandum indicates the President saw it.
377. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR/UN. Secret; Priority; Exdis. Repeated to Moscow and the White House. Received on July 20 at 2:12 a.m. The telegram contains handwritten corrections based on a cabled correction. (Ibid.) Rostow forwarded a copy of telegram 290 to the President on July 20 with a covering note commenting that the essence of Goldberg’s report was that “the Soviets would like to find an agreed formula on the Middle East but they cannot bring around the extreme Arabs.” He added that Goldberg particularly wanted the President to read the cable. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, Walt Rostow)
378. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission at Geneva
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL UAR-US. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis; Whirlwind. Drafted by Bergus, cleared by Eugene Rostow and Battle, and approved by Katzenbach.
379. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 17 US–UAR. Confidential; Priority; Exdis. Received on July 20 at 10:28 p.m.
380. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR/UN. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Repeated Immediate to the White House and Moscow. Received on July 20 at 10:25 p.m. Passed to the White House at 11:10 p.m. Rostow sent a copy to the President on July 21 at 9:35 a.m. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis)
381. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR/SANDSTORM. Secret; Nodis; Sandstorm. Drafted by Wolle and approved by Battle.
382. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Middle East Crisis, Sandstorm/Whirlwind. Secret; Nodis; Sandstorm. Rostow sent the memorandum to the President at 6:20 p.m. with a covering memorandum of July 20 noting that the Rusk proposal was “designed to protect the U.S., while still permitting us to follow the negotiation closely; insert ideas; and throw our diplomatic weight at the right moment.” A handwritten “L” on the Rostow memorandum indicates the President saw it. A handwritten note of July 21 by Saunders on a copy of the Rostow memorandum states that the President had approved and asked that McNamara be briefed. It continues: “He was a little jumpy about the American lawyer but said OK.” (Ibid., Saunders Files, Jordan, 4/l/66–10/31/67)