171. Editorial Note
At 9:05 a.m. on September 5, White House Press Secretary Hagerty telephoned Secretary Dulles to discuss suggested responses for President Eisenhower’s press conference scheduled for 10:30 that morning. The portion of their conversation on the Suez situation, as transcribed by Bernau, went as follows: “Hagerty suggested he [the President] just reiterate U.S. position of settling question by peaceful means. Hagerty asked if we were keeping President informed of Henderson’s reports. The Sec said yes but we had only received parts of Henderson’s most recent cable.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations)
The Henderson report to which Dulles referred was telegram 596 from Cairo, September 5 (Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/9–556), which is summarized in Document 173. The last section of telegram 596 was not received in the Department of State until 8:51 a.m. that morning.
During the press conference that began at 10:30 a.m. Eisenhower was asked whether the United States would support Great Britain and France if they insisted on nothing less than the Eighteen-Power Proposal. The President responded: “Well, I am not going to comment on the contents of that proposal while it is being discussed in Cairo. I will repeat what I have said, I think, each week here before this body; the United States is committed to a peaceful solution of this problem, and one that will insure to all nations the free use of the canal for the shipping of the world, whether in peace or in war, as contemplated by the 1888 convention.” (Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956, page 737)