Office of the Historian

427. Memorandum From W. Howard Wriggins of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)1

Washington, February 17, 1967.

SUBJECT

  • Yemen Mediation

As you will have seen from the summary,2 Luke Battle asks for authority to offer good offices to Faisal and Nasser. He is persuaded that: (a) the Kuwaiti mediation has run out of steam; (b) the UAR’s tough action in Najran and a tough-talking speech by Faisal have put both in a position where they cannot by themselves make progress; (c) U Thant missed the boat last time and will not move with sufficient alacrity.

Therefore: Luke thinks he should take the opportunity given by Nasser’s stopping our overflights3 to discuss the full complex of Middle-Eastern [Page 804] questions and to offer a high-level good offices effort. Rodger Davies, Deputy Assistant Secretary, agrees and is shaping such a recommendation for Nick.

In my view unless some such step is taken, (a) polarization will sharpen, (b) our relations with the UAR will become increasingly more strained, and (c) the likelihood of our having to come to Faisal’s help or lose our reputation for reliability will greatly increase. We are in the middle already, and the role of responsible statesmanship requires a U.S. initiative, rather than pretending we are on the sidelines.

Do you agree? I need to know in order to play a useful hand as the State Department shapes its position today and tomorrow.

  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Name File, Wriggins Memos, 1967. Secret.↩
  2. Not attached.↩
  3. Telegram 4542 from Cairo, February 12, reported that the UAR Foreign Office had informed the Embassy that the UAR Government had decided to cancel its previous permission for U.S. aircraft to overfly the United Arab Republic carrying arms for Jordan. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967-69, DEF 17-1 US)↩