711.00 Statement July 16, 1937/124: Telegram
The Minister in Egypt (Fish) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 7—9:10 a.m.]
65. Your circular telegram of August 5 [4], 1 p.m. At my second call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs in regard to the statement of the Secretary of State of July 16th the Foreign Minister informed me orally this morning that Egypt approves heartily of the principles set forth in the statement and that while the Egyptian Government is willing and anxious to do whatever it can toward keeping alive and making effective these principles it realizes that small countries such as Egypt can do little towards promoting world peace, a matter which Egypt feels to be within the control of the large powers alone.
The Foreign Minister stated that he was particularly pleased that the United States, a country that could easily refuse to interest itself in the troubles of the rest of the world, was taking this initiative in an effort to maintain world peace. He said that he considered the Secretary’s statement a continuation of the policy enumerated in the Kellogg Pact and that Egypt because of its geographical position is particularly interested in all such efforts to prevent war.
The Foreign Minister said that his reply was to be considered as approval of the statement as a whole.