The Communist arms arrangement with Egypt is a “one shot” deal and no Communist military instructors or technicians will accompany the arms, Egyptian Ambassador Ahmed Hussein told Secretary of State John Foster Dulles today.
(In London, reports placed the purchase price of the Communist arms being acquired by Egypt at $200 million. The material, it was reported would include bombers and submarines as well as tanks and fighter planes to be delivered over a five-year period.
(In Rome, it was reported that 300 technicians and instructors were expected in Egypt along with the war materiel bought from the Soviet bloc.)
Hussein reported that the Soviet Union has offered to finance a $600 million Aswan Dam project on a 30-year barter basis in exchange for cotton and rice. The Ambassador said he is trying to negotiate a loan through the International Bank and indicated this was discussed with Mr. Dulles. If the International Bank loan goes through, Egypt would need approximately $200 million from American sources.
Hussein told Mr. Dulles that the Czech arms deal was “purely commercial with no strings attached.” The ambassador said that Mr. Dulles had been aware for some time that no Communist personnel would be permitted to enter Egypt in connection ###### arms transaction. Asked about Soviet bloc “volunteers” of Moslem origin aiding Egyptian forces against Israel, he said he had no information on that. The Egyptian envoy told newsmen that Egypt has no intention of canceling the Czech deal.
STASSEN CALLS ARMS DELIVERIES “VERY SERIOUS” BLOW TO PEACE
Delivery of Communist munitions to Egypt could deal a “very serious” blow to peace prospects throughout the world, Harold E. Stassen, President Eisenhi{SPAN}###er’s{/SPAN} assistant on disarmament, told a national television audience yesterday. He said Communist arms shipments to Egypt may create a dangerous Middle Eastern arms race.
(A Cairo report received in London said that four United States Senators Kilgore McClellan, Saltonstall and Stennis–who had a 90-minute meeting with Col. Nasser today, dropped donations for Egypt’s armaments fund drive into a contribution box outside the Egyptian Premier’s office.)
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