774.5 MSP/7–3154: Telegram
No. 1350
The Ambassador in Egypt (Caffery) to the
Department of State1
140. Aid program of scope envisaged Deptel 1632 will be greeted here with dismay. Expectations built up during two years since GOE first requested United States military and economic assistance and given encouragement by President’s letter to Naguib, have soared with conclusion Suez agreement.
Regime furthermore will need tangible evidence of substantial proportions to justify to Egypt public the reorientation of foreign policy of which Prime Minister today spoke with me (my telegram 136).3 Although GOE will be inclined cooperate in keeping public emphasis on specific items and projects there will inevitably be press tendency to dwell on figures. Any airing of amounts mentioned Deptel 163, especially when translated into LE equivalents, could have adverse effect on our position here. Accordingly, I urge that Department make every effort, within limits final statutory authorization, to maximize allocations Egyptian program. (In this [Page 2291] connection, I await also information on Agricultural Trade Development Assistance Act 1954.)4
- Repeated to London as telegram 38.↩
- The Department in telegram 163 to Cairo, July 30, not printed, reported that a final determination of Mutual Security funds available for Egypt could not be provided until Congress had completed action on the funding for the impending fiscal year. However, the tentative allocation for fiscal year 1955 for military assistance for Egypt was approximately $20 million. For developmental assistance, apart from technical aid, the approximate figure was calculated to be $20 million as well. (774.5 MSP/7–2854)↩
- Not printed.↩
- The Agricultural Trade Development Assistance Act was signed into law on July 10, 1954, as Public Law 480. (68 Stat. 454)↩