883.7962/51: Telegram
The Chargé in Egypt (Jacobs) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 9—11:45 a.m.]
1551. With reference to post-war aviation development in the Middle East,1 Legation learns from usually reliable source of detailed proposal for construction and equipment by Royal Air Force of large modern airport at present Almaza Field near Cairo.
Project is said to comprise two parts (1) a civil airport to cost about half million pounds to be borne by the Egyptian Government, the RAF providing material and transport at lowest available prices and (2) a military airport to cost 80,000 pounds at expense of RAF to revert to Egypt after hostilities cease in all theatres. The proposed airdrome is to be large enough to take and service virtually unlimited number of largest planes. Project will take about 18 months and the RAF would use and control the airport for the period of hostilities.
Project is reputed to have already been approved by Technical Committee of National Defense Committee which has a 3-year plan for approximately same development against half that period by RAF.
With this project there is reported to have been presented to Council of Ministers another proposal for creating an Egyptian Ministry of Aviation to begin as a Sub-Secretariat for Air under but relatively independent of Ministry of National Defense. According to the report these proposals were discussed at a secret meeting of Council of Ministers on June 6th lasting until 2 a.m. June 7th.
I am trying to obtain confirmation and further details.
- For correspondence regarding civil and military aviation interests of the United States in Iran and in Saudi Arabia, see pp. 486 ff. and 661 ff., respectively. See also vol. ii , section entitled “Preliminary and exploratory discussions regarding international civil aviation; conference held at Chicago, November 1–December 7, 1944.”↩