Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

NLT (Naval Aide) 243 OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE WASHINGTON DECLASSIFIED State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 September 13, 1951 By, DEB NLT, Date 9-5-85 TOP SECRET SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS EGYPT We instructed Ambassador Wadsworth in Ankara several days ago to ascertain the nature of the Turkish reaction to Bri- tain's proposal that Turkey should hold discussions with the UK, US, and France at the end of September to decide on an approach to Egypt concerning its participation in the Middle East defense organization. Ambassador Wadsworth reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Koprulu, with whom he raised the matter, pointed out first of all that Turkey itself had proposed substantially the same thing some eleven months ago. Meanwhile, Turkey had been assiduously building up its relations with the Arab world, and had made eminently satisfactory progress until recently, when this policy had suffered a severe set-back as a result of the untimely Se- curity Council consideration of the Suez question. Koprulu said he had re- paired much of the damage thus occasioned, by press statements and personal approaches to Arab delegations at the recent Istanbul inter-parliamentary conference, but nevertheless Egyptian Foreign Minister Salaheddin's planned visit to Turkey at the end of the summer would have to be postponed. Koprulu warned that we should proceed slowly and carefully in any approach to Egypt on Middle Eastern defense and a Middle East Command. If our objective were simply to strengthen the British position in the Middle East we should get nowhere with Egypt or other Arab states. Koprulu said Turkey would be glad to discuss the best approach to Egypt, but he emphasized that this should be done on the basis of the broad question of defense and not in any narrow technical sense, such as the Middle East Command alone. Koprulu also emphasized that these conversations must remain "private" until such time as Turkey is formally within the NATO. He also pointed out that, although he understood Britain's sense of urgency in view of the possible Egyptian denunciation of the 1936 treaty, he felt that any hurried approach to the Egyptians would merely make them sense our plight and raise their price for cooperation. Koprulu also requested formally, in the name of the Turkish Government, that no mention should be made at Ottawa of a Middle East Command. BURMA Ambassador Henderson in New Delhi saw Bajpai of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs yesterday, at Bajpai's request, to discuss the Chinese Nationalist troops on Burmese soil. Bajpai said Nehru had received a letter from the Burmese Prime Minister saying that despite assurances from the Chinese Nationalists last May through the American Ambas- sador in Rangoon the Chinese Nationalists have been increasing their activities TOP SECRET