December 18th, 1955
Washington Supports Conditional Dam Assistance Offer
Washington
John Foster Dulles's government considered American assistance as part of a package requiring Egyptian economic commitments and allied participation.
World History Database / Suez War / Those involved
John Foster Dulles
United States of America
Secretary of State
40 archival records
March 1st, 1956
US Aid Calculations Reflect Cold War Diplomacy
Washington
The United States assessed Egypt's relations with the Soviet bloc while considering whether to finalize support for the Aswan project.
May 1st, 1956
Washington Debates Conditions of Dam Support
Washington
American officials considered financial and political conditions tied to major assistance for the planned Egyptian project.
June 15th, 1956
American Egyptian Relations Complicate Dam Agreement
Washington
Washington's concerns about Egypt's international alignment weighed on decisions over the increasingly uncertain financing offer.
July 19th, 1956
United States Withdraws Aswan Financing Offer
Washington
John Foster Dulles announced that the United States would not proceed with its proposed financial contribution to the High Dam.
July 21st, 1956
Aid Withdrawal Deepens Diplomatic Rift with Cairo
Washington
The American financing decision increased tension with Egypt and helped set the political context for Nasser's next dramatic move.
July 27th, 1956
American Lawyers Examine Canal Concession Status
Washington
John Foster Dulles's department considered the legal distinction between Egyptian nationalization of a company and international rights of passage through the canal.
July 31st, 1956
American Diplomacy Seeks Negotiated Canal Guarantees
Washington
John Foster Dulles pursued a negotiated settlement designed to protect navigation without treating immediate armed intervention as the preferred solution.
August 1st, 1956
Dulles Discusses Suez Settlement With Eden
London
John Foster Dulles consulted Anthony Eden and British officials about a diplomatic response to nationalization rather than immediate military action.
August 1st, 1956
Force Opposed in Initial Western Talks
London
Dulles urges Britain and France to pursue negotiation rather than immediate military action.
August 1st, 1956
Washington Separates Canal Negotiations from Dam Aid
Washington
American diplomacy sought a settlement on navigation while the withdrawal of High Dam aid remained an unresolved grievance for Egypt.
August 3rd, 1956
United States Separates Passage Rights From Ownership
Washington
John Foster Dulles distinguished the future of unrestricted shipping from the question of who legally owned the nationalized operating company.
August 9th, 1956
International Canal Talks Gain American Support
Washington
John Foster Dulles supported assembling canal users in London to examine a framework for reliable international passage after nationalization.
August 16th, 1956
London Conference
London
Supports a maritime conference in London to seek international arrangements for operation of the Suez Canal.
August 16th, 1956
United States Urges Peaceful Canal Settlement
London
John Foster Dulles argued that the participants should seek internationally agreed arrangements for operating the canal after its nationalization.
August 18th, 1956
Dulles Develops International Canal Board Proposal
London
John Foster Dulles promoted a plan for a canal board involving Egypt and other states, intended to guarantee navigation under a new international arrangement.
August 20th, 1956
Negotiators Refine Majority Eighteen Power Plan
London
John Foster Dulles helped shape the majority proposal for an internationally responsible canal administration to be negotiated with Egypt.
August 22nd, 1956
Eighteen Nations Coalesce Around American Proposal
London
John Foster Dulles gained support from eighteen participating countries for an international canal arrangement, while other delegations withheld support.
August 23rd, 1956
Majority Proposal Submitted for Egyptian Discussion
London
John Foster Dulles's framework was adopted by eighteen governments as a basis for negotiations with Egypt, not as a binding decision of all participants.
August 23rd, 1956
United States Delegation Named to Cairo Committee
London
John Foster Dulles was the American member of the five-nation committee, with Loy Henderson designated to represent him during the Cairo talks.
September 9th, 1956
Canal Users Association Proposal Developed
Washington
Dulles develops the Suez Canal Users Association proposal as a non-military alternative to confrontation.
September 12th, 1956
Dulles Announces Canal Users Association Initiative
Washington
John Foster Dulles proposed an association through which shipping nations could cooperate over canal operations without immediately resorting to military force.
September 13th, 1956
Dulles Clarifies Shipping Traffic Coordination
Washington
John Foster Dulles described the association as a body that could help organize the movement of vessels belonging to participating countries.
September 13th, 1956
Dulles Explains Pilot Recruitment Plan
Washington
John Foster Dulles said the proposed association could organize qualified pilots for member shipping, an important practical issue after the withdrawal of foreign pilots.
September 13th, 1956
Proposed Association Explains Compensation Mechanism
Washington
John Foster Dulles envisioned a system in which canal dues helped meet association costs and provided compensation for services supplied by Egypt.
September 13th, 1956
United States Emphasizes Egyptian Cooperation
Washington
John Foster Dulles argued that the users association should seek practical cooperation with Egypt rather than assert sovereignty over Egyptian territory.
September 19th, 1956
American Delegation Presents Cooperative Users Strategy
London
John Foster Dulles urged a nonmilitary association approach as governments reconsidered their options following Egypt's rejection of the earlier proposals.
September 19th, 1956
Second London Conference Strategy
London
Dulles presses for the users association while trying to restrain British and French moves toward force.
September 20th, 1956
Dulles Advocates Users Association at London
London
John Foster Dulles supported a voluntary canal users association during the second London meeting as a possible alternative to coercion.
September 20th, 1956
User States Debate Funding of Canal Services
London
John Foster Dulles promoted arrangements under which participating shipping states could finance common services while making appropriate payments to Egypt.
September 20th, 1956
Voluntary Membership Central to Association Debate
London
John Foster Dulles advocated an organization of willing canal users rather than an authority imposed directly on Egyptian territory.
September 21st, 1956
Canal Users Proposal Remains Diplomatic Alternative
London
John Foster Dulles continued to promote organized user cooperation as an alternative to the military action favored by some British and French policymakers.
September 21st, 1956
Suez Canal Users Association
London
Promotes the Suez Canal Users Association as an alternative to immediate military action over the canal dispute.
September 22nd, 1956
Association Lacks Egyptian Operating Agreement
Washington
John Foster Dulles's proposed organization faced the fundamental difficulty that Egypt had not consented to transfer control of the canal to a users body.
October 1956
Political Support at Washington
Washington
Opposes the Anglo-French-Israeli use of force and supports a diplomatic settlement through the United Nations.
October 13th, 1956
American Policy Retains Negotiation Over Compulsion
Washington
John Foster Dulles's approach continued to favor negotiated cooperation rather than forcibly replacing Egyptian control with the proposed association.
October 28th, 1956
Israeli Intentions Assessed before Attack
Washington
Dulles receives reports indicating that Israeli military action against Egypt may be imminent.
October 30th, 1956
American Secretary Challenges Ultimatum Legality
Washington
John Foster Dulles pressed for United Nations handling of the fighting instead of unilateral Anglo French occupation of the canal zone.
November 1956
Invasion of Egypt
Washington
Opposes the Anglo-French invasion of Egypt and backs United Nations action to end the crisis.
November 4th, 1956
United Nations
United Nations
Backs the creation of an international emergency force as a way to separate the combatants.