Memorandum from Acting Secretary of State Joseph Grew to President Harry S. Truman, Current Foreign Developments

TOP SECRET DECLASSIFIED E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) Dept, of State letter, Aug. 10, 1972 BILITHH NARS Date 9-18-75 June 9, 1945 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT Subject: Current Foreim Developments British and French Views on Levant Settlement. No British reply to the French note suggesting a five- power conference on the Near East had been drafted yesterday, but the Foreign Office expressed to Embessy London its interest in President Truman's statement of June 7. His indication that this Government considers any conversations should be restricted to the British, French and Levant States' Governments is in agreement with British thinking. The British wish to be relieved of their responsibility in the Levant States as soon a.s possible but feel that the best course will be to "take things easy" until present feelings have a chance to subside. The French note received by the Department dated June 7 gives two principal reasons for suggesting a five-power meeting on the Levent as a whole. One is that the British attitude precludes en exclusively Franco-British meeting. The second is that the Syrian - -RATIONAL RECORDS SERVICE" E ARCHIVES AND and Lebanese difficulties are not confined to the Levant for States but are common to all the Near East, including Egypt. French Foreign Minister Bidault is skeptical as to the possible results of a five-power meeting to settle the Levant problem, he told Ambassador Caffery. Bidault would wish to take up the subject with the British first and keep the Levant States informed, but he does not yet have General de Gaulle's agreement to this.