July 21, 1958
MIDDLE EAST CRISIS: Events over the past two days, which may not have exacerbated but have certainly maintained the tension in what has become a major international crisis, can be summed up as follows: It was revealed yesterday that President Gamal Abdel Nasser of the United Arab Republic made a secret trip to Moscow last Wednesday for an eight-hour meeting with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. According to official announcements, the talks ended in complete agreement. Upon his return to Damascus yesterday, Nasser harshly attacked the Western forces, saying that the flag of freedom would be raised over Beirut, Amman and Algiers. It is rumored that Russian troops are to be sent to Syria. The US has sent a demarche to Cairo to warn the UAR that any attack on Americans in the Middle East would have the most serious repercussions. Major Soviet and Bulgarian military exercises began yesterday from Thrace to Vladivostok, including large air force squadrons and all kinds of navy ships. GREEK STANCE: It has been observed that the situation in the Near East is extremely tense, following the landing of US forces in Lebanon. The policy expected to be taken by Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis is that Greece should remain impartial in the current conflict.
