355. Memorandum of Discussion at a Department of State–Joint Chiefs of Staff Meeting, Pentagon, Washington, October 19, 1956, 3:30 p.m.1
[Here follows a list of 25 persons present, including Admiral Radford, General Twining, General Taylor, Admiral Burke, and [Page 750] Lieutenant General Megee. The Department of State delegation included, among others, Murphy, MacArthur, and Phleger.]
1. The Suez Situation
At Mr. Murphy’s request Mr. Phleger reviewed recent developments concerned with the Suez problem. He gave particular attention to the consideration of Suez by the U.N. Security Council and discussed the resolution which had been adopted by the Council.2 Admiral Radford asked whether Egypt had taken part in the drafting of the final position, and Mr. Phleger explained that Egypt had participated in working out the six principles agreed on to govern a settlement. They had not, however, taken action with the others on the second part of the resolution favoring negotiations along the lines laid down in the earlier 18-nation proposals. Mr. Phleger explained that, in addition to their Security Council participation, the Egyptians had had intensive talks while in New York with oil and shipping authorities. It was his feeling that the Egyptians had had borne in on them the long range implications of an attitude of non-cooperation on their part with respect to operation of the Canal; in other words, they could now understand that, if they continued to insist on dominating the Canal and having everything their own way, alternatives to the present use of the Canal would undoubtedly be found by other nations which have too much at stake to submit to Egyptian dictation.
Admiral Radford declared that he was very interested from the military point of view in the problem caused for the British and the French by the expenditures which the two nations, especially the French, have gone to in building up their forces. He stressed the problem of keeping troops in a state of readiness over a long period. Mr. Phleger commented that the British now give the impression of being anxious to move ahead toward reasonable settlement of the Suez issue, whereas the French seem to be less anxious to compose the problem. General Taylor inquired as to the possible relationship between the Suez situation and Arab-Israeli tensions. Mr. Phleger commented briefly on Israeli fears over the Arab menace to their situation and said there are certain urgings on the part of the Israelis to take vigorous action vis-à-vis Jordan while Egypt is preoccupied with Suez. Mr. Phleger pointed out that it is often overlooked that under the 1954 Suez treaty between the United Kingdom and Egypt, the United Kingdom has the right to move back into its former bases in the Suez area in the event of aggression in the Middle East. Mr. Murphy called attention to the situation in Jordan and commented [Page 751] that he was confident the British have the Jordanian situation and their bases there very much in mind at the present time.
[Here follows discussion of unrelated subjects.]
- Source: Department of State, State–JCS Meetings: Lot 61 D 417. Top Secret. Drafted by W. Tapley Bennett. A note on the title page reads: “State Draft. Not cleared by any of the participants.”↩
- See Document 341.↩