February 26, 1973
Late in 1972, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat decided to appoint veteran diplomat Hafez Ismail to a new Egyptian position, national security adviser. Sadat’s intention was to dispatch Ismail to have secret talks with Henry Kissinger, who had the same title in the Nixon administration. Sadat’s objective was to inform the United States that Egypt was prepared to end its conflict with Israel, offering normalized relations, if Israel withdrew from the territories captured in 1967.
Ismail and Kissinger meet in Armonk, New York, on February 25 and 26 and in Paris on May 10. Ismail focuses on Egyptian interests, not on Syrian, Jordanian or Palestinian interests. Kissinger acknowledges knowing little about the Middle East after spending most of his diplomatic time on the Vietnam War.
In the second February meeting, Ismail speaks about Syrian and Jordanian requirements, but he emphasizes what Egypt wants and needs in a negotiated settlement mediated by the United States. Ismail suggests that when negotiations are carried on with Israel, there could already be a disengagement of Israeli forces from Sinai. Put differently, before the October 1973 war, Egypt offers to negotiate using the very method adopted after the war: movement in steps or phases. What is remarkable about this secret conversation is how forthcoming Ismail is in seeking a settlement in which Israel exchanges territory for normalized relations.
