201. Message From Secretary of State Dulles to Foreign Secretary Macmillan1
Dear Harold: I have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to expedite the Alpha matter and to telescope somewhat the [Page 367] preparatory plans. The situation has become so brittle that I fear that any day events may happen which will outdate the Alpha project. For example, while momentarily the situation in Egypt looks better, it could very readily become one where Soviet aid was enlisted by Egypt. In that event our own present program would go by the board and we might have to take a very different attitude, possibly by indicating an intention to back Israel more fully. I have come very definitely to the opinion that we must move rapidly if at all.
I have already told you that we are prepared to start in a small way to assist on the tank program for Iraq and I am confirming today our attitude of contemplated adherence to the Iraq–Turkey arrangements as I indicated to you in Paris.2
I expect to be in a position later today to cable you the text of the statement which I plan to make and which closely follows the present draft3 except that I plan to deal with the boundary subject only in terms of generalities, avoiding detail. This, I understand from Roger Makins, is your preference. I feel I must, however, retain “in all respects”4 since shifting to the generality here indicated would otherwise leave the statement apparently weighted in favor of the Arabs.
I realize that this change of pace is going to make it harder for you and for us in the way of preparing the ground. However, I doubt very much if it is prudent to have any great length of time between the decision to go ahead and the actual pronouncement itself.
A postponement for a week would not be practical as I am leaving on vacation on August 31 and I have Shigemitsu5 here August 29–31. I have not yet had any vacation and I think it imperative that I take the first fortnight of September before getting into the intensive preparations for our next round at Geneva.6
I would hope that we can coordinate our plans for the next few days without the necessity of Russell going to London as I need him [Page 368] very badly here to help cope with our own final preparations. Of course, he will be at your disposal after the plan is once launched.
Faithfully yours,
- Source: Department of State,S/S–NEA Files: Lot 61 D 417, Alpha Volume 6. Top Secret; Alpha. A notation on the source text states that Russell delivered the original to the British Embassy on August 19.↩
- An August 19 letter from Dulles to Makins stated that while it was not feasible for the United States to join the Baghdad Pact “until there was a relaxation of tension between the Arab states and Israel”, it would at that time “be disposed to seek formal adherence.” (Ibid.,NEA Files: Lot 59 D 518, Alpha—beginning July 1955: U.S. Adherence to Turko-Iraqi Pact; also. Tanks for Iraq)↩
- It is not clear whether the reference is to the July 15 draft (Enclosure 2 to Document 169) or to a subsequent draft; see footnotes 6 and 7, Document 190.↩
- See Document 180.↩
- Mamoru Shigemitsu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.↩
- Reference is to the Geneva Meeting of Foreign Ministers, October 27–November 16, 1955.↩
- Printed from a carbon copy that bears this typed signature.↩