Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume V

Editorial Note

The holding of periodic conferences of the chiefs of missions in Eastern European countries was originally suggested by President Truman to Secretary of State Acheson during a meeting on May 16, 1949. The President felt that such meetings, which he suggested be held in one of the Embassies in Eastern Europe, might produce interesting policy suggestions and would in any case have a useful effect on the Eastern European countries (Memorandum by the Secretary of State of Meeting with the President, May 16, 1949; Secretary’s Memoranda, Lot 53 D 444). Officers of the Department of State quickly endorsed the President’s suggestion, and Department planning of the first Eastern European chiefs of mission conference was begun. At his meeting with President Truman on September 19, Secretary Acheson discussed the plans for the first such conference tentatively scheduled for Paris in early October. The President was “delighted” with plan, which he approved, and he expressed an interest in being informed of the outcome of the conference. In late September Ambassador Bruce urged that the site of the proposed conference be shifted from Paris in view of the concurrent meeting of principal Ambassadors in Western Europe, October 21–22, 1949. It was feared that so large a gathering of American officials in Paris would cause embarrassment to the French Government and give rise to harmful Communist propaganda. With the agreement of British Foreign Secretary Bevin, the conference site was changed to London and the date of October 21 agreed upon. The agenda for the conference was developed in the course of an exchange of telegrams between the Department of State and the various Eastern European missions. Documentation on the planning and arrangements for the London Conference of Eastern European Chiefs of Mission is included in Department of State file 120.3 Conferences. The immediately following documents in this volume are concerned with the proceedings of the Conference and its principle conclusions and recommendations.