402. Editorial Note
During the morning of October 29, Secretary Dulles participated in a series of discussions concerning the Israeli mobilization. At 8 a.m., Dulles telephoned President Eisenhower. During their conversation on the Middle East, Secretary “said nothing had happened overnight with regard to the Israeli mobilization. President asked if Dulles had read cable from Lawson concerning his conversation with Ben Gurion [supra]. President said it was [of] interest; despite what seemed to be rationalizations on the part of Ben Gurion, Lawson felt definitely Ben Gurion was not talking frankly to him. The President said at least things on both fronts—Hungary and Israel—seemed a little better this morning than last evening. Dulles replied that at least ‘we have gained 24 hours.’”
The two then discussed developments pertaining to aungary. President Eisenhower closed the conversation by saying that he was leaving immediately on a political trip to Miami, Jacksonville, and Richmond, but could be reached by the Secretary within a matter of minutes at any time during the day. (Memorandum prepared in the President’s office; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries)
[Page 814]At 9:15 a.m. during his briefing to the Secretary’s staff, Armstrong noted that Israel’s mobilization was approaching 100 percent. He also informed the meeting that, during a conversation with the United States Army Attaché, Colonel Query, the Foreign Liaison Officer of the Israeli Defense Forces, Major Dov Sinai, had alluded to the following developments: Israel was going to strike at Jordan and drive to the west bank of the Jordan River, Egypt would then enter the conflict, and Israel had come to a deal with Iraq according to which Iraq would occupy the rest of Jordan on the east bank. After Armstrong’s briefing, Secretary Dulles noted that in dealing with the serious situation created by Israel’s mobilization, the following areas of action were open to the United States: Israeli balances in the United States, U.S. aid to Israel, the United Nations, joint U.K.-French action in conjunction with the Tripartite Declaration, and President Eisenhower’s promise to aid subjects of aggression. The staff then discussed the forthcoming Security Council debate on the Israel-Jordanian situation. Within this context, Secretary Dulles referred to his recent talk with Ambassador Eban and emphasized the importance of getting Eban to make a statement on Israeli mobilization during the course of the U.N. debate on the Jordanian situation. In conjunction with Dulles’ latter statement, the Bureaus of International Organization Affairs and Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs were asked to recommend whether and how Eban should be required to make such a statement. (Tentative Notes of the Secretary’s Staff Meeting by Howe, October 29; Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 63 D 75)
After this meeting, Dulles told Lodge over the telephone that “tomorrow” the United States should call in Eban and demand a declaration of his government’s intentions in going into total mobilization. (Memorandum of telephone conversation by Bernau, 9:44 a.m., October 29; Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations)