841.6359/12–647: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of State, in London1
urgent
Telmar 46. Eyes only for the Secretary and the Ambassador. Personal from Lovett. Please see my telegrams 5102 and 5103, December 4 to Douglas. Course of action we propose to pursue in atomic energy conversations with British and Canadians has been reviewed with Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy including Senators Vandenberg and Hickenlooper and met with entirely sympathetic response.2 The recommendations contained in Deptel 5103 will guide our discussions but probably will not be shown to British at this time or in that form.
I believe it would facilitate our task and demonstrate importance we attach to success of talks if Secretary could find time to see Bevin and confirm to him that we wish: (a) to remove misunderstandings on atomic energy matters which have grown up among the three countries since passage of Atomic Energy Act of 1946, (b) to come to some [Page 886] understanding about disposition of wartime agreements, (c) to secure a disposition of stockpiles and future production more in keeping with the common security, and (d) to explore possibilities of mutually advantageous interchange of information.
We conceive that in present world situation and especially in view of failure of United Nations Atomic Energy Commission thus far to reconcile differences of majority and Soviets, it is appropriate that partners who originally launched effort for international control should meet together to take account of situation arising out of this stalemate. If our talks are successful we might make public a joint communiqué to that effect.
As explained in my telegram to Douglas, talks must be conducted urgently to avoid injection of the issues into Congressional debate on European Recovery legislation. I would appreciate your explaining this to Bevin, adding that Department has for some time been discussing with other agencies a plan for discussion of problems outstanding between us and the British and Canadians, but because of concern of some members of Congress over uranium in connection with ERP we have had to advance our time table.
- Secretary Marshall was in London for the 5th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, November 25–December 15; for documentation on United States participation in that conference, see Vol. ii, pp. 676 ff.↩
- Reference is to a meeting on the morning of December 5, recorded in a memorandum by Secretary of Defense Forrestal not printed. Present in addition to Lovett, Forrestal, and the members of the Joint Congressional Committee were the members of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. Bush, Carroll L. Wilson, Kennan, and Gullion. (Department of State Atomic Energy Files)↩