389. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Australia

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/10–2756. Secret; Niact. Drafted and approved by Dulles. Repeated to Ottawa.

390. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Egypt

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/10–2756. Top Secret; Niact. Drafted by Henderson and Rountree, cleared by Howe, and approved by Rountree who signed for Dulles. Also sent Niact to Amman and Damascus and repeated Niact to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dhahran, Rome, Jerusalem, and Paris.

391. Special Watch Report of the Intelligence Advisory Committee

Source: CIA Files. Top Secret. The Watch Committee met in emergency session at noon on October 28. A copy of a two-paragraph memorandum entitled “Conclusions of the Watch Committee Meeting at 12:00 Noon Today”, dated October 28, is in Department of State, INR Files: Lot 58 D 776, Middle East Crisis 1956 (Arab-Israeli Crisis). The first paragraph, which bears the marginal notation “Prepared for the Secretary”, corresponds to the final paragraph of the Special Watch Report printed here. The second paragraph reads:

“Highly sensitive information indicates that the British have brought up their air strength on Cyprus in the last 48 hours to 63 Canberras (medium bombers), doubling previous strength. French transport aircraft to the number of 18 have arrived within the last 24 hours making a total of 21 and giving capability of airlifting 1500 men.”

392. Memorandum From the Director of the National Indications Center (Hitchcock) to the Intelligence Advisory Committee

Source: CIA Files. Top Secret; Noforn.

393. Editorial Note

394. Message From President Eisenhower to Prime Minister Ben Gurion

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/10–2856. Secret. Transmitted Niact to Tel Aviv in telegram 357, October 28, 3:32 p.m., with the instruction: “Deliver urgently following message from President to Prime Minister Ben Gurion”. The telegram, which is the source text, was drafted by Wilkins and Rountree, approved in draft by Eisenhower, and signed by Rountree for Dulles.

395. Statement Issued by the President

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956, pp. 275–276. Also printed in Department of State Bulletin, November 5, 1956, pp. 699–700; and United States Policy in the Middle East, September 1956–June 1957, pp. 134–135.

396. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, October 28, 1956, 4:30 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/10–2856. Secret. Drafted by Bennett.

397. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, October 28, 1956, 4:49 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/10–2856. Confidential. Drafted by Beam. The time of the meeting is from Dulles’ Appointment Book. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers) At 9:06 a.m., October 28, Dulles spoke with Hoover over the telephone from Dallas “re the Israeli situation”. Hoover met Dulles on his arrival at the Miltary Air Transport Service terminal in Washington at 4:15 p.m., and they discussed the Israeli situation en route to the Department of State. Dulles spoke briefly with Hoover and Beam before the meeting with Alphand and Coulson. (Dulles’ Appointment Book; ibid.)

398. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Washington, October 28, 1956, 5:38 p.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries. Prepared in the Office of the President. Another memorandum of this conversation by Bernau indicates that Dulles placed the call to the President. (Ibid., Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations)

399. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, October 28, 1956, 5:57 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 784A.54/10–2856. Secret. Drafted by Wilkins on October 29. The time of the meeting is from Dulles’ Appointment Book. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers)

400. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Washington, October 28, 1956, 7 p.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations. Drafted by Dulles.

401. Telegram From the Embassy in Israel to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/10–2856. Secret; Niact. Received at 10:13 p.m., October 28.

402. Editorial Note

403. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in France

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/10–2956. Top Secret; Niact. Drafted by Dulles, cleared by Rountree, and approved by Dulles. Repeated to London eyes only for the Ambassador from the Secretary.

Prior to the drafting of this telegram, at 10:22 a.m., Dulles telephoned Allen Dulles. Their conversation went as follows:

“The Sec. said he is weighing the desirability of telling Dillon that there are a lot of pieces which were fitted into a pattern which suggest a high degree of cooperation between the French and the Israelis. To the Sec’s mind the evidence is almost conclusive. Some of the evidence can’t be told. AWD mentioned the buildup on Cyprus. AWD said that could be mentioned and the Sec. said the Mysteres could be too. AWD asked if the Sec. heard the report that there is a plan to force an Israeli ship through the Canal and use that as an excuse for force. That from the Air Attaché at Tel Aviv. AWD will be over at 4. AWD worried that a spark in the ME could give the Soviets a shield to do things they can’t do now—he mentioned the clock might be turned back in Central Europe.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations)

404. Telegram From the Embassy in France to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 674.84A/10–2956. Secret; Niact. Received at 1:51 p.m. Repeated to London and Tel Aviv.

405. Telegram From the Embassy in the United Kingdom to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/10–2956. Top Secret; Limited Distribution. Received at 2:06 p.m.