529. Informal Summary of a Meeting Held in the Department of State, Washington, November 6, 1956, 5:45 p.m.1
Washington, November
6, 1956, 5:45 p.m.
PARTICIPANTS
- The Acting Secretary
- Mr. Hollister
- Mr. Murphy
- Mr. Henderson
- Mr. Prochnow
- Mr. Bowie
- Mr. MacArthur
- Mr. Hill
- Mr. Wilcox
- Mr. Elbrick
- Mr. Robertson
- Mr. Rountree
- Mr. Phleger
- Mr. Armstrong
- Mr. Greene
- Mr. Sohm
- 1.
- Mr. Hoover reported on the meeting at the White House at 12:30 (see separate memorandum),2 noting that the JCS evaluation was that the Soviets could not immediately mount a major military operation in the Middle East.
- 2.
- Mr. Phleger discussed the situation in the UN in the light of the Secretary-General’s press statement and his release of the British [Page 1031] letter on the cease-fire.3 Discussion brought out general agreement that a simple cease-fire will be of no use unless accompanied by provision for withdrawal of British and French and Israeli forces from Egypt, probably to be negotiated over a period of a few days. Mr. Wilcox was to make sure that Ambassador Lodge knows our position in connection with handling the Secretary General’s resolution and the Afro-Asian resolution expected to be discussed at the GA session scheduled for later in the evening.4
- 3.
- Mr. Wilcox was also to telephone Ambassador Lodge the Department’s views of the 7 p.m. version of the Afro-Asian resolution, indicating that as an initial position we should try to get some clarifying amendments; in the end, to avoid an open break with the sponsor, we could vote for it as it stands if they would not agree to amend it.
- 4.
- The Acting Secretary reviewed some of the Defense Department plans5 and noted that he had reminded Reuben Robertson that final decision on such questions as military leaves rested with the President. He also wished the Department to be in a position to evaluate quickly the results of the GA debate and be able to move, with Defense, as indicated by the results of the meeting. The Acting Secretary said he has asked Defense to have ready plans for providing the air lift and other support we have promised for a UN force and to have available an officer who could go to New York to be the single liaison channel between the SYG and the US military. Our military should deal only with the SYG and only after he has asked for assistance; our military should not deal with national delegations or governments.
- 5.
- The Acting Secretary noted that, in addition to a UN force, there may be a need for UN observers to oversee compliance with the resolutions which form the basis for stopping the hostilities.
- 6.
- Mr. Hill said that there would be a meeting at 9 a.m., November 76 to reach a final decision on a bipartisan Congressional meeting which is being tentatively scheduled for Friday.7
- 7.
- Mr. Prochnow noted that the British, and possibly the French, economic situations are such that they may need help very quickly; in this connection the Treasury Department is opposed to a reported German plan for accelerating repayment of their post-war debt accounts to the British and others.
- 8.
- Mr. Elbrick had ready a proposed reply for the President of Switzerland on the latter’s proposal for a Big Five meeting, but it was decided to let this matter wait a day or two before trying to reach a final position.
JG8
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 974.7301/11–656. Top Secret. Drafted by Greene.↩
- Not found in Department of State files or the Eisenhower Library. See footnote 1, Document 533.↩
- In his press statement of November 5, Hammarskjöld summarized the developments described in Document 514. At the same time, he released the text of the first Israeli letter of November 5 and the British letter of November 5. Excerpts of his statement and the text of the letters were printed in The New York Times, November 6.↩
- On November 5, the Mission at the United Nations transmitted to the Department of State the “final text” of a resolution which certain Afro-Asian nations planned to introduce in the General Assembly. (Delga 13 from USUN; Department of State, Central Files, 320.5774/11–556) On November 6, the Mission transmitted a revised version of the same resolution. (Delga 17; ibid., 320.5774/11–656) The General Assembly did not reconvene until November 7.↩
- See footnote 1, Document 533.↩
- No account of this meeting has been found in Department of State files.↩
- November 9.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears these typed initials.↩