Egypt has asked the United States, in a written memorandum, to help equip her army with American arms, usually well-informed quarters stated today in Cairo, Reuters reported. “The Egyptian government was understood to have asked for fighters, bombers, tanks and artillery, similar to those Israel is reported to be receiving from the United States,” the dispatch said.
The memorandum drew a comparison between the populations and strategic positions of Egypt and Israel and stressed that Egyptian military preparations did not represent any aggressive intention. They were necessary for “internal security and defense against aggression,” the report quoted the memorandum as stating.
American Ambassador Jefferson Caffery has told Foreign Minister Mohamed Saleh El Din Bey that Washington was ready to supply light weapons only, according to the report. The Ambassador was understood to have said Egypt could obtain her requirements of American light weapons from British depots in the Suez Canal, Reuters said.
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