Office of the Historian

56. Aide-Mémoire From the Department of State to the Soviet Embassy1

Washington, August 17, 1955.

The Government of the United States refers to the memorandum of the Soviet Government dated August 13, 1955,2 and notes that the Soviet Government is giving study to the draft statute of an international atomic energy agency transmitted with the note of the Government of the United States dated July 29, 1955.3 The Government of the United States will be pleased to receive the views of the Soviet Government on this draft.

Pursuant to suggestions advanced during discussions at the Ninth General Assembly of the United Nations,4 the Government of the United States, which together with other governments principally involved5 has developed the draft statute, considers that a stage has been reached at which it is appropriate to solicit the views of other states. It is planned that, on or shortly after August 22, copies of the draft statute will be transmitted on a confidential basis to all states members of the United Nations or of its specialized agencies in order that they may express their views.6 The draft to be made available to [Page 176] such other governments will differ from the statute transmitted to the Soviet Government on July 29 in the following two respects:7

a.
Article VII(A)2 will be amended to provide that five, rather than four, states which are principal producers and contributors of raw materials will be selected for the Board of Governors in category 2; and
b.
Annex II will list the names of the states proposed for inclusion on the first Board of Governors in categories 1 and 2. A copy of the draft Annex II as it will be distributed is attached to this note.8

With regard to the question of participation in the meeting of experts to be convened in Geneva on August 22,9 the Government of the United States accepts the suggestion of the Soviet Government that experts from Czechoslovakia also participate. The Government of the United States refers to its proposal in a note dated August 12, 1955,10 that experts from France be invited, and requests an early statement of the views of the Soviet Government on this proposal and the other proposals relating to arrangements for the technical meeting raised in its note of August 12.

  1. Source: Department of State, Atomic Energy Files: Lot 57 D 688, IAEA—Exchange of Notes. Secret. Drafted by Farley. Information on the source text indicates that Stoessel gave two copies of this document to Soviet Chargé Striganov on August 17. This note is also printed in Department of State Bulletin, October 22, 1956, pp. 626–627.↩
  2. For text, see ibid., p. 626.↩
  3. Document 49.↩
  4. Regarding these discussions, which occurred during consideration of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 810 (IX), see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. II, Part 2, pp. 1551–1553 and 1578–1580.↩
  5. Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, the Union of South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.↩
  6. See footnotes 5 and 6, Document 53.↩
  7. See footnote 1, Document 49.↩
  8. For text, see Department of State Bulletin, October 24, 1955, p. 672.↩
  9. Regarding this meeting, see Documents 58 and 61.↩
  10. Not printed. (Department of State, Atomic Energy Files: Lot 57 D 688, IAEA—Exchange of Notes)↩