Office of the Historian

164. National Security Study Memorandum 1031

Washington, September 26, 1970.

TO

  • The Secretary of State
  • The Secretary of Defense
  • The Director of Central Intelligence

SUBJECT

  • Future Options in the Middle East

The President has directed that a review of our options in the Middle East be conducted quickly before resumption of any significant diplomatic activity in connection with efforts to produce a diplomatic settlement.

This review should take into account violations of the military standstill agreement, recent developments in Jordan and Soviet actions.

The President has directed that a memorandum containing the results of this review be submitted to the Senior Review Group by October 8, 1970, through the NSC–IG–Near East.2

Henry A. Kissinger
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–175, National Security Study Memoranda. Secret; Nodis. A copy was sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On November 13, Kissinger issued NSSM 105, an addendum to NSSM 103, which asked that a paper be prepared on the status of the U.S. response to a list of Israeli requests for economic assistance. (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL–316, National Security Council, National Security Study Memoranda)↩
  2. An analytical summary of the memorandum is Document 170. The Senior Review Group and the Washington Special Actions Group met in a combined session to discuss the Middle East on October 9; see Document 168.↩