U.S. Envoy Mum on His Talks with Egyptian Premier in Cairo

George V. Allen, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, saw Egyptian Premier Game! Abdel Nasser this week-end, but later denied that he had threatened that the United States would cut off economic aid to the Arab state if it accepted weapons from the Communist countries, it was reported here in dispatches from Cairo.

Mr. Allen, who precipitously flew to Cairo after the Nasser regime announced that it had concluded an arrangement to obtain arms from Czechoslovakia, declined to say whether he had offered Nasser American munitions as an inducement for Egypt to scrap the deal with Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. He told newsmen that it was the sovereign right of any country to purchase arms where it pleases.

Reports were published in Cairo newspapers that Mr. Allen had come to Egypt to threaten that if Communist arms were accepted the United States would cease economic support. Mr. Allen said that he had not discussed that matter with Col. Nasser and that he knew nothing about such a development except that he had read about it in some newspapers.

After Mr. Allen saw Col. Nasser, the Egyptian strong man saw the British, French and Soviet Ambassadors in that order, Col. Nasser was supported in the Communist arms deal by the Arab League Council which sent him a message congratulating him on his “strong stand.”

Meanwhile, it was reported here that owing to these developments, American military commanders in Europe favor United States participation in the Bagdad alliance as a means of forestalling Soviet penetration of the Middle East region. Concerning Israel, these commanders are said to believe that the United States can make better arrangements in Israel’s behalf from within the alliance than in the present situation. The State Department is reported to be opposing such entrance until Iran joins the “northern tier” pact, too.