Office of the Historian

173. Memorandum by the Secretary of State1

Washington, December 18, 1956.

We have in mind that Congress would be asked to give the President authority:

1.
To cooperate with and assist any nation or group of nations in the general area of the Middle East in the development of economic strength dedicated to the maintenance of national independence.
2.
To undertake programs of military assistance and cooperation with any nation or group of nations in the general area of the Middle East upon request of their governments, in support of the inherent right of self-defense recognized in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.
3.
To employ the armed forces of the United States in taking measures, consonant with the Charter of the United Nations and other treaty obligations of the United States, to protect the territorial integrity and political independence of such nation or group of nations against Communist armed aggression.

We believe that the Congress should also authorize to be appropriated for the foregoing purposes some such sum as $400,000,000 for the fiscal years 1957 and 1958, this to be supplemental to the present provisions of law.

John Foster Dulles2
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.80/12–1856. Top Secret. Sent to Secretary of Defense Wilson on December 18 under cover of a letter that reads: “I enclose herewith a memorandum indicating what I discussed yesterday. I am sending a copy of this to Admiral Radford. I hope that at this stage it will be kept top secret.” See supra.↩
  2. Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.↩