UN Security Council Resolution 242, October 3–November 22, 1967
513. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, President’s Appointment File. Secret; Exdis. The Department of State record copy of this memorandum is dated November 8 and indicates it was drafted by Battle on November 7. An attached note states that Rusk took the memorandum to the President on November 8. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 7 JORDAN) He presumably took it with him when he attended the President’s lunch meeting at 1 p.m. that day. The Middle East situation at the United Nations and plans for the meeting with Hussein were on the agenda. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Meetings with the President)
514. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, President’s Appointment File. Secret; Exdis.
515. Memorandum for the Files
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Jordan, Vol. IV. Secret. Drafted on November 11. An attached note of November 22 from Saunders to Walt Rostow’s secretary, Lois Nivens, instructed her to put a copy in her files, since it was the only record of the President’s meeting with King Hussein that would be available in the White House. The meeting took place in the Oval Office. The time and place of the meeting are from the President’s Daily Diary. (Ibid.)
517. 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 Priority to London. Received at 2121Z.
518. Memorandum From John Foster and Harold H. Saunders of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Name File, Saunders Memos. Secret. A handwritten note on the memorandum reads: “For 2:00 p.m. meeting.” Rostow sent a copy to Eugene Rostow with a covering memorandum of the same date.
519. Telegram From the Embassy in Lebanon to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Priority; Nodis. Received on November 11 at 4:17 a.m. Rostow sent a copy of this telegram, along with telegrams 3901 and 3908 from Beirut (see footnotes 2 and 5 below), to the President on November 11 with a memorandum noting that Anderson reported that Nasser wanted to see him again. The memorandum stated: “We shall have a recommendation for you shortly—conscious of your grave reservations in this matter.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Lebanon)
520. Telegram From Acting Secretary of State Katzenbach to Secretary of State Rusk in Williamsburg
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files, 1967–69, TRV ANDERSON, ROBERT B. Secret. A handwritten notation on the telegram indicates it was received at 2245Z. According to Rusk’s Appointment Book, the Secretary was in Williamsburg, Virginia, to attend the Gridiron Dinner at the Convention Center. A notation on the telegram indicates Rusk read it.
521. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Lebanon
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Popper, cleared by Battle, and approved by Acting Secretary Katzenbach.
522. 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 Priority to Amman, and to London and Tel Aviv. Dated November 12 in error; received on November 13 at 0317Z.
523. Information Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Lebanon. Secret; Sensitive. A handwritten note “PS, 11/13/67” on the memorandum indicates the President saw it.
524. Memorandum From Nathaniel Davis of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Agency File, United Nations, Vol. 7. Secret. A copy was sent to Saunders.
525. Telegram From the Embassy in Lebanon to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Received at 7:33 a.m.
526. Memorandum From Nathaniel Davis of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Agency File, United Nations, Vol. 9. Secret. A copy was sent to Saunders. Rostow sent this memorandum to the President at 4:50 p.m. with a covering memorandum commenting that it indicated that “we are the closest we have come in New York to movement on the Middle East” and that it posed an issue “which you may have to decide tomorrow—or even, less likely, today.”
527. 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; Nodis. Received at 12:03 a.m.
528. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR/UN. Confidential; Priority; Exdis. Also sent to Tel Aviv. Received at 0629Z.
529. 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. Repeated to London, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and Addis Ababa. Received at 0608Z.
530. Information Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Battle) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR. Secret; Exclusive Distribution. Drafted by Atherton and Lambrakis on November 16 and cleared by Davies. Copies were sent to Popper, Katzenbach, and Eugene Rostow. A notation on the memorandum indicates Rusk read it.
531. Telegram From the Department of State to the U.S. Interests Section of the Spanish Embassy in the United Arab Republic
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR/UN. Secret; Flash; Nodis. Drafted by Walsh; cleared by Goldberg, Battle, Sisco, and Katzenbach; and approved by Rusk. Also sent Flash to USUN.
532. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files, 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR/UN. Secret; Flash; Nodis. Drafted by Walsh; cleared by Goldberg, Sisco, Battle, and Katzenbach; and approved by Rusk. Also sent Flash to Paris and repeated to Amman and USUN.
533. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Embassy in Argentina
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR/UN. Secret; Flash; Exdis. Also sent to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia and repeated Flash to the Department of State. Received at 1908Z.
534. Letter From Premier Kosygin to President Johnson
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR/UN. No classification marking but filed as an attachment to a Secret telegram, telegram 71851 to Moscow, November 20, which transmitted the text. The letter is marked “Unofficial translation.” Telegram 71851 notes that Dobrynin had given the letter to Rusk that afternoon and that in his preliminary comments, Rusk pointed out that it presented certain problems of content and timing. A copy of the signed original and a translation prepared in the Department of State is filed with a covering memorandum from Read to Rostow, March 13, 1968. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Head of State Correspondence File, USSR, Kosygin Correspondence, Vol. I)
535. Letter From President Johnson to Premier Kosygin
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Head of State Correspondence File, USSR, Kosygin Correspondence, Vol. I. No classification marking. The text was transmitted in telegram 71850 to Moscow, November 20. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27–14 ARAB–ISR/UN)
536. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission to the United Nations
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR/UN. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted and approved by Popper and cleared by Battle and Kohler. Repeated to Moscow.
537. 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; Nodis. Received at 12:38 p.m.
538. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Saunders Files, Israel, 11/1/67–2/29/68. Secret. Filed with a covering memorandum of November 24 from Saunders to Walt Rostow that summarized a portion of a conversation among Herzog, Davies, Atherton, Evron, and Saunders during lunch. Davies and Saunders pressed Herzog about Israeli attitudes toward a settlement, saying they saw two Israeli policies: one prepared to accept a compromise to get a settlement, and one that appeared designed to scuttle all chances of a settlement by hardening Israel’s terms while paving the way for Israeli settlement of the captured territories. Herzog replied that the Israeli Government was deeply divided, and no one would know where the balance lay until the Cabinet had to accept or reject a specific proposal. He said his own guess was that in that moment of truth, desire for a peace settlement would be “overriding” and that those willing to gamble on a reasonable settlement would win over those who would rather bet on the physical security that they felt the current borders provided. Copies of the memorandum of conversation were sent to McGeorge Bundy, Nathaniel Davis, and Roy Atherton.
539. Letter From Premier Kosygin to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Head of State Correspondence File, USSR, Kosygin Correspondence, Vol. I. No classification marking. The letter is a translation. Dobrynin gave the letter to Kohler at 2:15 p.m. on November 21 and told Kohler that if the U.S. side could reply that day, the Soviet Government could get instructions to Kuznetsov in New York before the next day’s session of the Security Council. Kohler referred to the Arab acceptance of the British resolution and “wondered why the Soviets were trying to be more Arab than the Arabs themselves.” Dobrynin said he was sure that if the Arabs really did accept the British resolution the Soviets would not vote against it. Rostow sent the letter and Kohler’s memorandum of his conversation with Dobrynin to the President on November 21 at 3:55 p.m. (Both ibid.)
540. Letter From President Johnson to Premier Kosygin
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Head of State Correspondence File, USSR, Kosygin Correspondence, Vol. I. No classification marking. Walt Rostow sent a draft letter to the President at 5:10 p.m. with a covering memorandum that referred to it as Rusk’s draft reply, noted that the basic draft was Goldberg’s, and added that Goldberg was “fully aboard.” The draft is virtually identical to the letter as sent except that it did not include the second to the last paragraph, which was apparently added by the President. A paper with the text of that paragraph, with a note indicating that it was to be inserted before the last paragraph of the letter and a handwritten note stating that it was sent electronically to Ben Read at 5:40 p.m., is ibid. Kohler gave the reply to Dobrynin at 7 p.m. His memorandum of the conversation with an attached copy of the letter, identical to the one sent, is in Department of State, Kohler Files: Lot 71 D 460, Kohler/Dobrynin Memcons.
542. United Nations Security Council Resolution 242
Source: UN document S/RES/242. The resolution was adopted unanimously by the Security Council.