526. Memorandum From Nathaniel Davis of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)1
SUBJECT
- The Situation in New York, November 16, 3:30 P.M.
Lord Caradon has just tabled his resolution (attached).2 He met with five Arabs this morning and got support from all of them (the “Steering Group” consisting of Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan) except the UAR. The UAR asked him to make two changes (marked on your copy) which he refused to do. The UAR is still considering its position.
The Israelis don’t like the text—but it is better than the Latin American one (which the Latin Americans have not yet submitted and may hold off on). The real question is whether the Israelis will state their objections but agree to cooperate with the representative, or whether they will announce that they will not cooperate.
If the Israelis go into full opposition we shall have a difficult choice in deciding what to do ourselves—vote in favor, abstain or veto. It is possible that this decision could come as early as tomorrow, but we are not likely to be on the spot today.
Goldberg is seeing Riad at Riad’s request right now. The Security Council meets at 4:00 p.m. (probably a half an hour late, so better say 4:30 p.m.) and Caradon is the only one presently listed to speak.
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Agency File, United Nations, Vol. 9. Secret. A copy was sent to Saunders. Rostow sent this memorandum to the President at 4:50 p.m. with a covering memorandum commenting that it indicated that “we are the closest we have come in New York to movement on the Middle East” and that it posed an issue “which you may have to decide tomorrow—or even, less likely, today.”↩
- Not attached. The text of the draft resolution as introduced that day (UN document S/8247) is in telegram 2296 from USUN, November 16. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 27 ARAB–ISR/UN) Caradon met with Goldberg at 10 a.m. on November 16 and indicated his intention to table the draft resolution. Goldberg told him the U.S. efforts to reach agreement with the UAR on the U.S. draft had apparently broken down, and Caradon could go ahead with U.S. support. (Telegram 2336 from USUN, November 17; ibid.)↩