448. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, February 5, 19571
SUBJECT
- Visit of Crown Prince Abdul Ilah of Iraq
IV. SITUATION IN JORDAN
[Here follows the same list of participants as Document 445.]
Dr. Jamali stated that Saudi Arabian money, Egyptian propaganda and Soviet influence have all joined to bring about a serious situation in Jordan. Iraq is anxious that Jordan be saved. One way to accomplish this would be to persuade King Saud, while a guest in the United States, to cease financing hostile propaganda efforts in Jordan and Lebanon.
Recalling that there had been a few days when Israel had agreed not to object to Iraqi troops being sent to the East Bank of the Jordan,2 the Secretary inquired, parenthetically, why Iraqi troops had not been sent into Jordan at that time. The Prince replied at once that Iraq had not sent troops to Jordan because of “conditions” imposed by the Jordanians. The latter had insisted that Iraqi troops move to the West [Page 1033] Bank of the Jordan where they would have been face to face with the Israelis. This might have resulted in war with Israel. Iraq had been accused of wishing to partition Jordan, and Egyptian propaganda would certainly have sought to depict any movement of Iraqi troops to the West Bank as part of such a design.
The Secretary took due note of the Iraqi views.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 787.11/2–557. Secret. Drafted by Eilts.↩
- On October 1, Israeli Prime Minister Ben Gurion indicated his approval of the move of Iraqi troops into Jordan, provided they remained east of the Jordan River. After attaching specific conditions to their acquiescence to the move, the Israeli Foreign Ministry on October 12 issued a statement opposing the move. For documentation on this subject, see vol. XIII, pp. 55 ff.↩