Editorial Note

Secretary of State Acheson, British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, and French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman and their advisers held a series of meetings on world problems at London, May 11–13, 1950. American, British, and French Representatives met in London in late April and early May for a series of preliminary meetings in preparation for the meetings of the Foreign Ministers. At the first trilateral meeting of American, British, and French Representatives on April 28 (reported upon in telegram Secto 45, April 28, from London) there was a discussion of the need for caution in dealing with Eastern European exiles and the possible value of tripartite consultations regarding dissident developments in the Eastern European states. In the discussion, American Representatives were guided by the policy set forth in recommendation 5 of the undated paper prepared in the [Page 351] Office of Eastern European Affairs, page 14. At their first formal tripartite meeting on May 11 (reported upon in telegram Secto 230, May 11, from London), Secretary of State Acheson, Foreign: Secretary Bevin, and Foreign Minister Schuman gave general agreement to a tripartite position paper (MIN/TRI/P/4, May 9) which included a section (iii) setting forth an agreed attitude to be adopted toward the Soviet Union and the Eastern European satellites. Paragraph 16 of MIN/TRI/P/4 reads as follows:

“16. Although exiles and political refugees from satellite countries should be used with caution, opportunities exist for their judicious use. The United States, United Kingdom and France should consult with a new to coordinating their attitudes on this problem.”

For the full text of MIN/TRI/P/4, see volume III, page 1078. For complete documentation on the London meetings, see ibid., pages 828 ff.