525. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between President Eisenhower in Washington and Prime Minister Eden in London, November 6, 1956, 12:55 p.m.1
The President called the Prime Minister of Great Britain.
The President: This is a very clear connection.
Eden: I can just hear you.
The President: First of all, I can’t tell you how pleased we are that you found it possible to accept the cease-fire,2 having landed.
Eden: We have taken a certain risk, but I think it is justified.
The President: Anthony, this is the way I feel about it. I have not ruminated over this particular situation at length. I am talking off the top of my head. You have got what you said you were going to get in that you have landed. It seems to me that from what—with regard to the cease-fire, and without going into any negotiations, I would go ahead with the cease-fire, not putting any conditions into the acceptance of the resolution and after cease-fire talking about the clearing of the Canal and so on.
Eden: We are going to cease firing tonight.
[Page 1026]The President: Could you not tell Hammarskjold that as far as the cease-fire arrangement is concerned, that that goes without condition.
Eden: We cease firing tonight at midnight provided we are not attacked.
The President: I see.
Eden: What you may call the long cease-fire, the cessation of hostilities, that is more complicated.
The President: Yes it is more complicated. Talking about the technical troops of yours.
Eden: They will cooperate with us in having a cease-fire tonight.
The President: If I may make a suggestion, I would offer them to Hammarskjold—but I would not insist that he take them.
Eden: It is always a bit of working out with the allies and everybody else to get this thing—with some difficulty.
The President: The point I want you to have in your mind is that the cease-fire tonight has nothing to do with technical troops. You cease anyway.
Eden: Unless attacked.
The President: The more permanent affair—we would like to know about the other thing.
Eden: I have got to go [to] my Parliament.
The President: Oh, all right.
Eden: In five minutes. Would you authorize me to say that you think this is helpful outside—
The President: You can say that I called to say how delighted I was you found it possible to cease fire tonight so that negotiations could start.
Eden: I am just getting it down—
The President: how delighted I was that you found it possible to direct a cease-fire tonight which will allow negotiations to proceed from there on.
Eden: Proceed—
The President: Yes. Wait a minute. Well, I will tell you what I am trying to get at. I don’t want to give Egypt an opportunity to begin to quibble so that this thing can be drawn out for a week. After the cease-fire it seems like the little technical things of it would be settled very quickly, and when Hammarskjold comes along with his people you people ought to be able to withdraw very quickly. He is getting Canadian troops—lots of troops—together.
Eden: I hope you will be there. Are we all going to go out?
The President: What I want to do is this. I would like to see none of the great nations in it. I am afraid the Red boy is going to demand the lion’s share. I would rather make it no troops from the [Page 1027] big five. I would say, “Mr. Hammarskjold, we trust you. When we see you coming in with enough troops to take over, we go out.”
Eden: That is not too easy unless they have good force, you know.
The President: I will tell you. If they have enough—and they attack, they attack the United Nations and its whole prestige and force—then everyone is in the thing. Then you are [not] alone.
Eden: May I think that one over.
The President: Now that we know connections are so good, you can call me anytime you please.
Eden: If I survive here tonight I will call you tomorrow. How are things going with you.
The President: We have given our whole thought to Hungary and the Middle East. I don’t give a damn how the election goes. I guess it will be all right.3
Eden: How is Foster?
The President: Pretty good. He’s making a pretty quick recovery.
Eden: Wonderful.
The President: All right. Thank you and go ahead with your meeting.
Eden: Thanks so much.
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries. Prepared in the Office of the President. Another copy of the transcription is ibid., ACW Diary. Eden described this conversation in Full Circle, p. 628.↩
- On November 6, the Governments of France and Great Britain informed Hammarskjöld that, pending clarifications concerning the U.N. command, their forces would cease fire at midnight GMT (2 a.m. Cairo time, November 7) unless attacked. (U.N. docs. A/3307 and A/3306, respectively)↩
- Eisenhower was reelected President by an overwhelming margin.↩