404. Telegram From Secretary of State Kissinger to the Embassy in Jordan1
Secto 177/4601. Subject: Message for King. Eyes Only for Chargé. Please pass the following message from Secretary to King, directly or through PM as most convenient for them:
“Your Majesty:
“As I leave the Middle East, I want not only to thank you again for your great kindness during my visit but also to tell you of my talks in Israel.
“I want to inform you that Israel has agreed to the U.S.–USSR letter2 and to send a delegation to Geneva. The important issue now is whether Syria will attend. We are urging that Syria reply affirmatively.
“I particularly want you to know, Your Majesty, that progress was made in discussing the principles of disengagement, and I believe serious negotiations are possible on both the Egyptian and Syrian fronts. Of special interest to you is the fact that I found the Israeli leaders already thinking of possible ways to discuss with Jordan in January steps that might be taken on the West Bank designed to strengthen Your Majesty’s role there along the line of our breakfast conversation.3
“As I said to Your Majesty at breakfast Sunday, I do not have anything specific to suggest along these lines because I am not close enough to the situation on the West Bank. But I am increasingly per[Page 1157]suaded that some such step could substantially strengthen Your Majesty’s hand in ways that would serve the objectives we discussed.
“Again, Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful to you.”4
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1179, Harold H. Saunders Files, Middle East Negotiations Files, Middle East—1973 Peace Negotiations, December 13, 1973 thru Dec. 17, 1973 [1 of 3]. Secret; Immediate; Nodis; Cherokee. Repeated Immediate to the Department of State.↩
- Telegram Secto 190/7497 from Kissinger in Madrid, December 18, instructed Graham to give the King and Prime Minister the revised text of the joint letter to Waldheim and tell them that the revision was necessary because of Syria’s failure so far to agree to attend the conference. The new draft omitted the sentence “It is our understanding that Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Syria have agreed to participate from the outset in the conference which would begin in Geneva on December 21” from the beginning of the second paragraph. See Document 400. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files,Box 1180, Harold H. Saunders Files, Middle East Negotiations Files, Middle East—1973 Peace Negotiations, December 18, 1973 thru Dec. 22, 1973 [3 of 3]) In telegram 6704 from Amman, December 18, Graham reported that Jordan had no problem with the new text. (Ibid., Box 618, Country Files, Middle East, Jordan, X, November–December 1973)↩
- See Document 394.↩
- In telegram 6703 from Amman, December 18, Graham conveyed a reply from the King who stated that he had received Kissinger’s message with great satisfaction and was grateful for the information about his talks in Israel and for his continuing efforts to help Jordan arrive at a just and honorable peace. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 618, Country Files, Middle East, Jordan, X, November–December 1973)↩