890B.00/7–849
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and African Affairs (McGhee)1
| Participants: | Mr. McGhee, Assistant Secretary of State |
| Dr. Charles Malik, Lebanese Minister | |
| NE—Mr. Mattison |
[Here follows discussion of various matters, particularly the refugee question.]
Dr. Malik then developed the main theme of his call, namely that there should be an immediate “two weeks” conference between the United States, Britain and France, on a very high level. Such a conference could settle matters in a way which would insure peace in the Near East for the next twenty-five years. It could be held in secrecy, and decisions taken which were vital to the whole area. With agreement reached, the United States could then embark on a program which would mean the salvation of the area. At this point he was careful to elaborate that he felt that economic development projects should be given a relatively low priority. Of first importance was the question of firm political guidance. Citing General Sir Edward Spears2 as an example of what a firm guiding hand could achieve, he said that the Arab states were in a stage of uncertainty where such treatment was necessary.
I interrupted to explain that there might be difficulty in American participation in such a program. We were not politically adept at this kind of action and, furthermore, we did not like the kind of responsibility which such advice necessarily entailed. As a second point, I mentioned the fact that the American public was not accustomed to seeing the country occupy such a role, and there would undoubtedly be public criticism on the grounds that we were interfering with the internal political affairs of other countries.
[Here follows further discussion of the type of program that Minister Malik advocated.]