Assistant Secretary of State George V. Allen who left by plane last night for Cairo to urge Egyptian Premier Nasser to cancel his reported arms deal with Czechoslovakia told reporters at the airport that Egypt is eligible to buy arms from the United States under the Mutual Defense Assistance act. However, he pointed out, the agreement which the United Sates had in principle with Egypt, sets up certain requirements, including a cash payment arrangement.
Asked if Egypt could receive arms if proper payment arrangements were made, he replied: “Yes. But that doesn’t mean she can buy what she wants. The arrangement doesn’t bind us to sell atomic bombs, for instance.” Mr. Allen said the question at present rests on the “means of payment.”
Editorials in leading newspapers in New York and Washington today severely criticized Egypt for concluding arms deals with Communist countries. Similar criticism was also voiced by nationally-syndicated column sits in their evaluation of the move by the Communist countries. It was emphasized that while Moscow has preached peace and disarmament for the last several months, it has now shown itself ready to arm Egypt for potential attacks on Israel.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
