Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, The Near and Middle East, Volume IX, Part 1

884A.2614/9–553: Telegram

No. 658
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Israel¹

secret

Washington, September 8, 1953—6:55 p.m.

195. Greatly concerned over implications Israel reinforcements Huleh area and refusal stop damming Jordan until discussions could take place with Syria (Jerusalem tel 33, Sept. 8).²

Essential Dept have details soonest resulting from your investigation reported Embtel 297 Sept. 5.³ FYI pending consideration your report here, Dept withholding any release to IG of initial aid allocation figure mentioned Deptel 156 Aug. 24.⁴ Availability of more accurate figure for exchange budget purposes no longer as urgent in light Bernstein’s use Saturday of more moderate 12 month figure of $55 million, and amount of aid could be affected if IG insists on action detrimental to plans for solution regional problems.

Dulles

1. Repeated to Damascus and Jerusalem.
2. On Sept. 2, Israeli authorities began the construction of a canal to divert the waters of the Jordan River at Banat Yaacov in the central sector of the demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel. Telegram 33 from Jerusalem, Sept. 8, reported on the Israeli activity. (683.84A322/9–853)
3. Not printed.
4. In telegram 156 to Tel Aviv, Aug. 24, the Department stated that the 9-month figure for U.S. aid to Israel currently under discussion in Washington was $38 to $41.5 million. Additional amounts might be available, but largely on the basis of U.S. interests and for regional projects. (884A.10/8–2453)