107. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State1
Dulte 3. Eyes only Acting Secretary from Secretary. I shall shortly be sending suggested message regarding Big Four meeting which should have urgent consideration by the President.2 I am satisfied that there is a tremendous demand in U.K. and France for something of this order. I, of course, see serious disadvantages in any meeting of [Page 171] the President with the heads of the Soviet Union, but in the form proposed which is merely to consider whether or not ways and means can be found to settle differences and not to reach any substantive decisions, probably the harm is held to a minimum. The U.K. feels that some move of this sort is quite indispensable from their standpoint, and Faure has said the same thing to me.
When you receive the draft, you will note that it is couched so as to avoid the implication of a world Directoire of the Four Powers, since the organs for solution which might be selected might include such organs as the U.N., the O.A.S., N.A.T.O. or special organs to be established which might not include all of the Big Four and which might include others than the Big Four.