REESTABLISHMENT OF AN EGYPTIAN PRESENCE IN GAZA; HAMMARSKJOLD’S EFFORTS AT MEDIATION; ANGLO-AMERICAN DISCUSSIONS AT BERMUDA; REOPENING OF THE SUEZ CANAL; U.S. EFFORTS TO ALTER THE EGYPTIAN DRAFT DECLARATION ON THE SUEZ CANAL; THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL MEETING AT BONN; SCUA CONSIDERATION OF THE CANAL QUESTION; SAUDI CONCERN OVER THE GULF OF AQABA; QUESTION OF A SUEZ INTELLIGENCE FAILURE; BRITISH DECISION TO RESUME TRANSIT OF THE SUEZ CANAL, MARCH 9–MAY 13
208. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–957. Confidential. Drafted by Bergus and approved by Rountree who initialed for Herter. Also sent to Cairo, USUN, and to Secretary Dulles in Canberra; pouched to London, Paris, Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, Jidda, and Amman.
210. Telegram From the Mission at the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1157. Confidential; Niact. Received at 2:32 p.m.
211. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission at the United Nations
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1157. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Gamon and approved by Wilcox who initialed for Herter.
213. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/3–1257. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Dulles. Received at 7:18 a.m.
214. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Egypt
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1257. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Rountree, cleared by Wilcox and Phleger, and approved by Herter. Repeated to USUN.
215. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Israel
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1357. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Roberts and approved by Rountree who initialed for Herter. Repeated to Cairo and USUN.
216. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/3–1357. Secret. Drafted by Dulles. Received at 10:46 p.m., March 12.
217. Telegram From the Embassy in Egypt to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1357. Secret; Niact. Received at 10:06 p.m. Also sent Niact to USUN. A copy was sent by Howe to Goodpaster for his information on March 13; Howe’s covering memorandum is ibid.
218. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, March 13, 1957, 6:15 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1357. Confidential. Drafted by Rountree. The Department of State transmitted a summary of this conversation to the Embassy in Tel Aviv in telegram 874, March 14. (Ibid., 674.84A/3–1457)
219. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (Rountree) to the Acting Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 884A.18/3–1357. Secret. Drafted by Bergus on March 12 and cleared by Henderson.
220. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Egypt
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1357. Top Secret; Niact. Drafted by Rountree, cleared in draft with Eisenhower and Herter, and approved by Rountree who signed for Herter. Repeated Niact to Tel Aviv and USUN.
221. Message From Prime Minister Mollet to President Eisenhower
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, International File. Secret. The source text indicates this is an “unofficial translation”. According to telegram 3630, which transmitted this message to Paris, Mollet’s message was delivered to Herter by Alphand on March 13. (Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/3–1457) A copy of the original message in French, however, is dated “14 Mars 1957”. (Ibid., Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, DeGaulle, Mollet, Gaillard exchange of corres. with Pres/Sec 2/53 thru 1/61)
222. Memorandum for the Record by the Acting Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversations: Lot 64 D 199. Confidential. The signed original of this memorandum is in the Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers. Lodge confirmed the contents of this telephone conversation in telegram 635 from USUN, March 14. (Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1457)
223. Message From President Eisenhower to Prime Minister Mollet
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/3–1457. Secret. Transmitted to Paris in Priority telegram 3629, March 14, 6:57 p.m., which is the source text. Telegram 3629 was drafted by Rountree, cleared by Elbrick and Tyler, and approved by Howe. A copy of the suggested message was transmitted to the White House on March 14 under cover of a note from Howe to Goodpaster; it bears Eisenhower’s signature and a handwritten notation by Goodpaster: “14 Mar 57 State notified OK to dispatch”. (Eisenhower library, Whitman File, International File)
Also on March 14, Dulles was informed by cable: “Separately we are repeating message to President from Mollet and President’s reply. I can only add that President as you can imagine did not enjoy Mollet’s letter.” (Tedul 22 to CINCPAC; Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1457) Mollet’s letter is printed as Document 221.
224. Telegram From the Embassy in Egypt to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/2–157. Top Secret; Niact. Received at 12:02 a.m. Repeated Niact to Tel Aviv and to USUN.
225. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission at the United Nations
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/3–1557. Confidential; Niact. Drafted by Dillon; cleared by Herter, Phleger, Rountree, and Elbrick; and approved by Wilcox who signed for Herter. Repeated Priority to Cairo. President Eisenhower also approved the message; see footnote 1, infra.
226. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission at the United Nations
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/3–1557. Confidential; Niact. Drafted by Dillon; cleared by Herter, Phleger, Rountree, and Elbrick; and approved by Wilcox who signed for Herter. Repeated Priority to Cairo.
After transmitting telegrams 708 (supra) and 709, Herter instructed that the texts of the two telegrams be repeated urgently, for information and possible comment, to President Eisenhower and that the President be informed that Hammarskjöld would not leave for Cairo until March 16. Howe forwarded the texts of the messages to the White House under cover of a memorandum to Goodpaster, which repeated Herter’s directive, and promised that the President’s comments would be conveyed promptly to Lodge. Howe’s memorandum to Goodpaster of March 15 and the attached texts of the two telegrams are in the Eisenhower Library, White House Central Files, Suez Canal Crisis. Also in the file is a message from Hagerty to Goodpaster, dated March 15, indicating that Eisenhower approved of the two telegrams and had no changes to make in a message to Ben Gurion, which he had approved earlier. The message to Ben Gurion is printed as Document 229.
227. Telegram From the Embassy in Egypt to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1557. Top Secret; Priority. Received at 3:56 p.m. Repeated Priority to Tel Aviv and USUN.
228. Telegram From the Mission at the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1557. Confidential; Priority.
229. Message From President Eisenhower to Prime Minister Ben Gurion
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1657. Secret. Transmitted to the Embassy in Tel Aviv for delivery in Niact telegram 883, March 16, which is the source text. Telegram 883 was drafted by Rountree and cleared by Herter and President Eisenhower.
230. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1757. Secret; Niact. Received at 12:15 p.m.
231. Telegram From the Embassy in Egypt to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/3–1757. Confidential; Niact. Received at 8:28 p.m.
232. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Egypt
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/3–1757. Confidential; Niact. Drafted by Metzger and Shaw and approved by Dillon.
233. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, March 18, 1957
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1857. Confidential. Drafted by Bergus. The Department of State transmitted a summary of this conversation to the Embassy in Tel Aviv in telegram 891, March 19. (Ibid., 674.84A/3–1957)
234. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Dulles in Washington and Secretary-General Hammarskjöld in New York, March 19, 1957, 9:48 a.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Confidential; Personal and Private. Transcribed by Bernau. A marginal notation on the source text indicated that it is a corrected copy. Another memorandum of conversation by Rountree, who could hear only Dulles’ side of the conversation, is in Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1957. The Department of State transmitted a summary of this telephone conversation to USUN in telegram 725, March 20. (Ibid., 674.84A/3–2057)
235. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission at the United Nations
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–1757. Confidential; Niact. Drafted by Sisco and Howe, approved by Dulles, and initialed by Howe for Dulles.
236. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Egypt
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/3–2057. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Rountree and approved by Dulles.