191. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Wilcox) to the Secretary of State1
I have just received the following information from New York:2
“Mr. Cordier has just told us he has gotten a cable from General Burns who says the Israeli forces and civilian administration would be out of Gaza by 1600 hours March 7.
“The Israeli forces would be out of Sharm-el-Sheikh (excepting a small group to have charge of Israeli equipment to be shipped out) by March 8.
“General Burns requested that these dates not be divulged before the actual turn-over is to be completed in order to avoid riots, etc. Mr. Cordier doubts that it will be possible to avoid leaks and thinks that rioting will be avoided by moving in the UNEF before the Israelis leave. Mr. Cordier believes that there should be no more General [Page 362] Assembly meetings after today until the withdrawal is over. The Secretary General will go to Cairo after the withdrawal but doesn’t feel he can go before this. On the basis of the Bums telegram, Cordier believes we could hold a meeting of the General Assembly on March 9, and then we can recess and announce Hammarskjold’s plan for going to Cairo which would be sometime around Monday or Tuesday of next week.
“Mr. Cordier also says there may be some question concerning the U.N. administration in Gaza and finances which would have to be taken up before the General Assembly recesses.”
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86/3–457. Official Use Only. A marginal notation on the source text by Bernau reads: “Sec saw”.↩
- Lodge reported to the Department of State information received from Cordier in Delga 835 from USUN, March 4 (ibid., 674.84A/3–457), which was received in the Department of State at 9:01 p.m. on March 4. According to the telegram, Cordier reported this information to the Mission during the afternoon of March 4.↩