641.74/11–2651: Telegram
The Ambassador in Egypt (Caffery) to the Department of State 1
priority
767. Deptel 801 Nov 23.2 “Necessity giving Brit troops rest” formula is not to be taken seriously.
I agree that immed shut-off effects will not be disastrous. Brit generals are having tough time and we shld be indulgent (Deptel 807 [Page 427] Nov 25).3 I suggest that we let them play their game for next 2 weeks altho it is bound to have adverse effect on my Serageddin convs and of course King will be particularly angry.
However, if this state of affairs is allowed to continue “as is” Egypt will eventually fall into lap of my Russian colleague like an overripe plum. Only thing that stands in way of this is our still considerable prestige. Therefore if Brit mil are still playing their game at end of fortnight I reluctantly suggest that there is only one way left for us to protect ourselves and that is the next time after the fortnight they turn off the tap Dept spokesman answer in reply to a planted press question that the US has no responsibility in case of the Brit mil shutting off fuel supplies from Egypt.4
- Repeated to London, Paris for MacArthur, Rome for Acheson.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Not printed.↩
- In telegram 847 to Cairo of November 30, Webb informed Caffery that as a result of Acheson’s intervention with Eden on the oil cutoff issue, as reported in telegram Secto 87 from Rome, infra, “it will not be necessary consider suggestion re press statement US non-responsibility re oil shutdown.” (641.74/11–2951)↩