Office of the Historian

73. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Jordan1

Washington, October 28, 1955—5:43 p.m.

183. Paris pouch Geneva for Russell. We regard Egyptian-Syrian pact2 as directed against both Iraq and Israel. British privately and publicly opposing pact on ground it is directed against Baghdad Pact. However if US also publicly opposes Syrian-Egyptian pact at this [Page 179] moment, we may consolidate Arab support for pact. We think it preferable for US publicly to continue give warm support to Northern Tier concept at this time and privately to suggest to Lebanon and Jordan undesirability concluding pact similar to Syrian-Egyptian pact.

Accordingly at their discretion missions may make points given below re pact in conversations with Governments. Amman and Beirut should make formal approaches to Governments only if in their judgment this necessary to prevent Lebanon and Jordan from concluding similar pacts.

1) We naturally do not question sovereign right of states to enter such pacts as they consider in their national interests 2) however we believe states involved will wish consider carefully implications of new pact particularly its effect on relations between Arab states 3) US continues support firmly Baghdad Pact and will concentrate on strengthening this grouping, since we believe Baghdad Pact contains necessary elements for area defense and 4) recent Soviet moves as in Czech-Egyptian agreement make it more important than ever that nature of Russian Communist threat and devious tactics used by Soviet bloc be fully examined.3

Hoover
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 780.5/10–2855. Secret. Drafted by Wilkins and Burdett and approved by Allen who signed for Hoover. Also sent to Tehran, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Jidda, Tel Aviv, Ankara, Karachi, Paris, and London.↩
  2. On October 20 in Damascus, representatives of Egypt and Syria signed a Mutual Defense Pact. Under the terms of the Pact, armed aggression against either signator was to be considered as directed against both, and each signator was to come to the aid of the other in case of attack, Text of the Egyptian-Syrian Mutual Defense Pact is printed in Frankland (ed.), Documents on International Affairs, 1955, pp. 328–331. On October 27, Saudi Arabia signed a Mutual Defense Pact with Egypt which contained language almost identical to the Egyptian-Syrian Pact. Documentation on the subject is in Department of State, Central Files 674.83 and 674.86A.↩
  3. In telegram 193 to Amman, October 31, sent also to Tehran, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Jidda, Tel Aviv, Ankara, Karachi, Paris, London, and Tripoli, the Department of State instructed: “US position given Deptel 183 to Amman re Egyptian-Syrian Pact applies equally to Egyptian-Saudi Arabian Pact. At their discretion addressees may use in conversations with governments points given in reftel with respect to Egyptian-Saudi Arabian Pact.” (Ibid., 780.5/10–3155)↩