321. Memorandum of a Conversation, New York, October 10, 1956, 12:30 p.m.1
SUBJECT
- Suez
PARTICIPANTS
- Selwyn Lloyd, Great Britain
- Christian Pineau, France
- The Secretary
- The US, French and British Ambassadors to the UN
- French Ambassador to Washington
- Mr. Phleger
- Mr. Rountree
- (Several additional British and French officials were also present during the meeting preceding the luncheon)
At 12:30 p.m., the Secretary and the British and French Foreign Ministers met with members of their staffs for an informal discussion just prior to a luncheon at 1:15 given by the French Ambassador to the UN. The pre-luncheon talks were held in small groups and it is therefore not possible to record the full scope of this meeting. The most significant aspect seemed to be an exchange between the French and British Foreign Ministers with the Secretary, in which they took the line that while an agreement with the Egyptians seemed otherwise practicable, it was very difficult to see how they could meet their respective political situations at home. They seemed to be considering the practical aspects of selling to public opinion a negotiated settlement.
At the luncheon the discussion also was fairly general, and toward the end turned to an effort to evaluate the seriousness of the Egyptians in their negotiations and the extent to which Foreign Minister Fawzi had authority to speak for President Nasser. There otherwise were no significant developments.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/10–1056. Confidential. Drafted by Rountree.↩