309. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Sisco)1
K: The first thing you should get to me is the answer to these questions which the President would like to get out tonight.
S: I have done a preliminary draft of the answer to these questions. There is a problem—I have done a companion piece re Question #2, Will the king agree to request our assistance and undertake to institute methods of communications between us? I feel simultaneously with drafting [Page 873] these answers we could get a flash to Amman right away on this question. Here is what I have drafted: “As you have been previously informed, the Israelis have under active consideration the question of air and ground action in Jordan. We have informed them, the Israelis, as previously reported to you that the ‘US agrees in principle to the Israeli operation by air … in Jordan subsequent to the review of this matter.’ The Israelis have not taken any decision and are awaiting a reply to the seven questions put to you. One question is as follows: Will the king agree to request our assistance and undertake to institute methods of communications between us? We know the exchange of messages between Allon and the King leaves the matter of liaison in abeyance for the moment. We note also revised [omission in the original] that Government of Jordan would recommend (?) ground action outside of Jordan, meaning Syria. We have not taken this refined statement as considered Jordanian judgment because we are not clear from your report as to whether you have put to the king what his view is with respect to a ground operation by the Israelis in Jordan. Since the Israelis have posed the question, we ask that you ascertain views of the king on this precisely.”
K: No! I just will not hold up answer to the Israelis any longer.
S: Tell me what you want me to say. You should make it clear to the king that Israelis have this matter under active consideration and that no decision has been made by them.
K: What was this in response to?
S: In a previous telegram we sent to them, asked the king what his attitude was with respect to a ground operation in Jordan since the Israelis felt the air strike was insufficient.2 My judgment is that Brown has not put the thing precisely and that this was a quick discussion between Rifai and Brown. He said Israelis were thinking of taking action in this area and they believed it necessary to conduct both air and ground action—he does not say in Jordan.
K: What area do you think he was talking about?
S: I hope he was talking about Jordan, but he may have been talking about Syria. He said ground operations are fine in the area as long as they are not here in Jordan. Tell me what you want?
K: We want an answer to those seven questions to go out in the next hour and a half.3
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Kissinger Telephone Conversations, Box 30, Chronological Files. No classification marking.↩
- See footnote 3, Document 300.↩
- Kissinger called Rabin at 9:15 p.m. to tell him that the answers to the Israeli questions would be delivered by 10:30 that night. (Transcript of telephone conversation, September 21; National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Kissinger Telephone Conversations, Box 30, Chronological Files)↩