Office of the Historian

171. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President Kennedy0

Washington, January 20, 1962.

SUBJECT

  • Ambassador Bowles’ Visit to the United Arab Republic

My memorandum to you of January 10, 19621 suggested proposals aimed at strengthening our relations with the U.A.R. through: 1) meeting aid requests of the U.A.R. Government (principally negotiation of a multi-year commitment); 2) dispatching an American economic consultant for a brief survey mission; and 3) inviting Nasser to visit this country.

To these proposals should be added a visit to Cairo in mid-February by Mr. Chester Bowles, in conjunction with his visits to Iran and Ethiopia.

The primary purposes of Mr. Bowles’ visit, as set out in the enclosed draft of a telegram to Embassy Cairo,2 would be to demonstrate through the presence of one of your close advisers our sincere interest in closer relations with the U.A.R. as well as to enlarge Nasser’s horizon on global issues. Ambassador Bowles is, of course, particularly qualified to essay such a task. We think this is a particularly propitious moment for his undertaking such a mission.

In order that Nasser and the U.A.R. Government may understand fully the nature of Mr. Bowles’ visit, we have prepared a letter from you to President Nasser.3 To avoid addressing two letters to Nasser in a relatively short time, we have withdrawn the letter previously suggested to you dealing with U.A.R.-U.S. economic matters, leaving these to be taken up by Ambassador Badeau before Ambassador Bowles’ visit. However, if you approve a Nasser visit to the U.S., we propose that Ambassador Bowles be authorized to discuss it with him.

If you approve, I will transmit the message to Nasser and the telegraphic instruction to our Embassy in Cairo.

Dean Rusk
  1. Source: Kennedy Library, President’s Office Files, Countries, United Arab Republic—Security 1962. Confidential. The copy of the letter to Nasser in Department of State, Central Files, 123-Bowles, Chester, indicates that Thacher drafted the memorandum and bears a typed notation that the memorandum was approved by the White House on January 23.↩
  2. Document 159.↩
  3. See Document 175.↩
  4. See Document 176.↩