Near East, 1961–1962
31. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 884A.1901/4–1061. Secret. Drafted by Farley.
32. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.84A11/4–1361. Secret. Drafted by Hamilton on April 17 and approved in S on May 18. The time is taken from Secretary Rusk’s Appointment Book. (Johnson Library) The source text is labeled “Part I of III.” Jones forwarded two briefing memoranda to Rusk in preparation for this meeting. (Ibid., 033.84A11/4–1161)
33. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President Kennedy
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786A.11/4–1461. No classification marking. The source text bears no drafting information. Attached to an April 14 memorandum from Jones to Rusk that recommended that the memorandum be forwarded to the President.
34. Circular Telegram From the Department of State to Certain Near Eastern and North African Posts
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 325.84/4–1561. Official Use Only; Priority. Drafted by Meyer; cleared by Ludlow, Palmer, Eilts (NEA/NE), and Cargo (IO/UNP); and approved by Meyer who signed for Rusk. Sent to Khartoum, Amman, Cairo, Beirut, Baghdad, Jidda, Tripoli, Rabat, Tunis, Damascus, Jerusalem, and Dhahran and repeated to London, Paris, Ankara, Karachi, Tehran, Tel Aviv, and USUN.
36. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Cleveland) to Acting Secretary of State Bowles
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 325.84/4–1961. Confidential. Drafted by Palmer and cleared by Meyer.
37. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 788.00/4–2861. Confidential. Drafted by Wailes and approved in S on May 18. The meeting was held at the Iranian Embassy in Ankara. Documents relating to U.S. attendance at the CENTO Conference are in Department of State, Central File 378, and ibid., Conference Files: Lot 65 D 366, CF 1841–1852; and in the National Archives and Records Administration, RG 218, Lemnitzer Files, 333.1 (CENTO Meeting), and ibid., 1961 Files, 9070/5410 (21 July 60).
38. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Bowles to President Kennedy
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 325.84/4–2861. Secret. Drafted by Meyer. A note on the source text by Manfull reads: “Informed by Mr. Dungan (WH) by phone on 5/4/61 that President had approved.”
39. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Talbot) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.86B/5–161. Secret. Drafted by Meyer, Thacher, and Palmer on April 25 and concurred in by Haydn Williams (DOD/ISA).
40. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission to the United Nations
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 325.84/5–461. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Palmer and Crawford, cleared by Meyer and Knox, and approved by Cleveland who initialed for Rusk. Also sent to Ankara, London, and Paris and repeated to Amman, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, and Jerusalem.
42. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Bowles to President Kennedy
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.86B/5–661. No classification marking. Drafted by Meyer on May 5. On May 5, Talbot sent a memorandum to Bowles recommending that he approve this memorandum to the President. Talbot wrote in part: “For reasons set forth in the attached memorandum, we believe a letter from the President to each of the Arab leaders would be useful. It would be our hope that these letters, plus the Arab refugee approach which we have already recommended to the President, will help us gain what the President is reported to have described as ‘money in the bank’ with the Arabs.” (Ibid., 611.86B/5–561) A May 1 memorandum from Brewer to Strong confirms Meyer’s authorship of the original draft letter and provides comments on an earlier version. (Ibid., 325.84/5–161)
43. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, NEA/IAI Files: Lot 70 D 304, Israel Eyes Only 1960/61/62. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Hamilton on May 10.
45. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Arab Republic
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.86B/5–1061. Top Secret; Niact. Drafted by Meyer, cleared by Manfull (S/S) and by Dungan at the White House, and approved and signed by Acting Secretary Bowles. Also sent to Beirut, Amman, Baghdad, and Jidda and repeated to Tel Aviv and Taiz. Attached to the source text is an earlier draft that shows handwritten changes made “in accordance WH wishes.”
46. Telegram From the Embassy in Iran to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.88/5–1061. Secret; Priority.
47. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the United Arab Republic
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.86B/5–1161. Confidential; Priority; Verbatim Text. Drafted by Meyer and Palmer; cleared by Talbot, Cleveland, and Dungan at the White House; and approved by Mau (S/S), who initialed for Bowles.
48. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Bowles to President Kennedy
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 786B.11/5–1661. Secret. Drafted by Brewer between May 10 and 15 and cleared by Conger (U/PR), U. Alexis Johnson, Strong, Talbot, and Stevenson (CMA).
49. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 65 A 3464, Iran 61. Top Secret. Drafted by R.H.B. Wade of the Office of International Security Affairs. (Memorandum from W. Bundy to McNamara, May 18; ibid., OSD Files: FRC 64 A 2382, Iran 000.1—1961)
50. Memorandum From Robert W. Komer of the National Security Council Staff to President Kennedy
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Country Series, Iran, 5/16/61–5/22/61. Secret.
51. Record of Action No. 2427, Taken at the 484th Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: Department of State, S/S-NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95. Secret. Approved by the President on May 24. A list of participants at the NSC meeting, which was on the last page of the Records of Action taken at the meeting, and the other actions taken at the meeting (2426 and 2428) are not printed. The President presided at the meeting and Assistant Secretary Talbot and Ambassador Holmes attended for the Department of State.
52. Special National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Central Intelligence Agency Files. Secret. According to a note on the cover sheet: “The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Department of State, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Defense, and The Joint Staff.” All members of the U.S. Intelligence Board concurred in this estimate on May 23, except the Atomic Energy Commission representative to the USIB and the Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, who abstained because the subject was outside their jurisdiction.
53. Memorandum From the Department of State Executive Secretary (Battle) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 884A.1901/5–2661. Secret. Drafted by Hamilton and cleared by Furnas.
54. Memorandum From the Department of State Executive Secretary (Battle) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.11–KE/5–2661. Confidential. Drafted by Crawford on May 24.
55. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Special Counsel (Feldman) to President Kennedy
Source: Kennedy Library, President’s Office Files, Countries, Israel—Security 1961–1963. No classification marking.
56. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Kennedy
Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, McGeorge Bundy’s Memoranda to the President, 5/29/61–5/31/61. Top Secret.
57. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.8411/5–3061. Secret. Drafted by Talbot and approved by the White House on June 29. The meeting was held in the President’s suite at the Waldorf Astoria. The time is from the President’s Appointment Books. (Kennedy Library)
58. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Talbot) to the Chairman of the Policy Planning Council (McGhee)
Source: Department of State, PPS Files: Lot 67 D 548, Egypt. Secret. Drafted by Brewer on May 29. Attached to a May 31 memorandum from McGhee to Walt Rostow, indicating that this memorandum was written in response to Rostow’s query to McGhee on whether the United States might be able to deal more successfully with Nasser in light of the apparent improvement in U.S.-UAR relations. McGhee also noted that the memorandum printed here took the position that although there had been some recent improvement in U.S.-UAR relations, the improvement was more one of atmosphere than substance. McGhee concurred with NEA’s conclusion that “we are on the right track provided we do not force the pace.”
59. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 784A.13/6–261. Confidential. Drafted by Crawford on June 7.
60. Telegram From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 884.411/6–261. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution.