Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE WASHINGTON 12065, 1982 State By DEB Dept. E.O. Guidelines, NLT, Date March 9-10-55 6, J uly 31, 1952 SECRET SECURITY INF ORMA TION SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS EGYPT The British Foreign Office has given us the following account of British Ambassador Stevenson's first contacts with Prime Minister Ali Maher and with Naguib after his return from London to Cairo. Stevenson first saw Ali Maher alone and delivered Mr. Eden's message which said that the British Government has always felt that a purge of corrupt elements in the palace and the government was a precondition to good government in Egypt; meanwhile the immediate requirement is to avoid a constitutional upheaval and to insure law and order; a regency council should be con- solidated if possible with the inclusion of one member of the royal family, Meanwhile, the message continued, the British Government considers Ali Maher as the only constitutionally appointed political authority at present functioning in Egypt. Ali Maher replied that his legal advisers are divided on the question of the regency council, but one opinion had been put forward that the constitution was now altogether in suspense. Ali Maher said Nahas, the Wafdist leader, was pressing to reconvene parliament for consultation; Nahas wanted a regency council with Ali Maher as senior regent and with Barakat and Sirry as the other members. Ali Maher said that neither the Wafd nor the soldiers wanted any member of the royal family on the regency council. Stevenson gathered that Ali Maher is not likely to be precipitous in deciding on the regency council problem. When Stevenson subsequently saw Ali Maher and Naguib together, Anwar Sedat and Group Captain Kamil Salem accompanied the latter. Stevenson again repeated his government's views concerning Ali Maher's government. He added that his government trusted the army would give Ali Maher full support and stressed the necessity of avoiding a constitutional upheaval. He said he thought it desirable to associate the royal family with the regency council. Asked by Anwar Sedat if this represented the British Government's official view, Stevenson said that he was not speaking for his government on this point and that his offic ial representations were confined to the statement that: 1) his government has no intention of intervening in Egyptian internal affairs; 2) his government is concerned that law and order should be SECRET SECURITY INF ORMA TION