Office of the Historian

98. Letter From Prime Minister Eden to President Eisenhower1

London, March 4, 1956.

Dear Friend: I am asking Selwyn Lloyd to discuss with Foster developments in Middle East which are causing me much concern.2

There is no doubt that the Russians are resolved to liquidate Baghdad Pact. In this undertaking Nasser is supporting them and I suspect that his relations with the Soviet are much closer than he admits to us. Recent events in Jordan are part of this pattern.

Our policy should surely be to encourage our friends who will now come under heavy pressure. This means urgent and effective measures to shore up the Baghdad Pact and Iraq in particular.

We are considering the allotment to Iraq of some of the very considerable aid we have given to Jordan—over 12,000,000 pounds a year. If the United States could accede to the Baghdad Pact the effect would be tremendous. On a lesser scale it would greatly help Nuri if you could agree that we should let him have very soon the further Centurion tanks which we discussed last month.

I feel myself that we can no longer safely wait on Nasser. Indeed if the United States now joined the Baghdad Pact this would impress him more than all our attempts to cajole him have yet done.

Certainly we should accept, I think, that a policy of appeasement will bring us nothing in Egypt. Our best chance is to show that it pays to be our friends.

I send you these reflections because events are moving fast and I am anxious to keep in touch.

Yours ever,

Anthony3

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Presidential Papers, International File. Secret. Delivered to the White House under cover of a note from Ambassador Makins.

    On March 6, Ambassador Aldrich reported in telegram 3750 from London that during a conversation with Eden, the Prime Minister had handed Aldrich a copy of this letter and emphasized the urgency he attached to taking some dramatic step to bolster friendly governments in the area and the importance of U.S. adherence to the Baghdad Pact as a deterrent to Nasser. (Department of State, Central Files, 780.5/3–656) A copy of the telegram in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles-Herter Series is initialed by Eisenhower.

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  2. Secretary Dulles and Foreign Secretary Lloyd attended the second meeting of the SEATO Council at Karachi March 6–8. Reports on Dulles’ conversations with Lloyd concerning the Baghdad Pact are printed as Documents 99 and 100.↩
  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩