Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume VIII, International Monetary and Trade Policy

354. Memorandum for the Record¹

Washington, May 13, 1967.

SUBJECT

• Kennedy Round Situation Report, May 13, 1967

I have had an emergency call for help from Bill Roth via the British. Apparently they are stonewalling a number of critical issues. Bill is worried that this might start a general unravelling with the risk that the entire house of cards will crumble.²

We have gone to London on every channel and hit them with all we have, short of personal Presidential intervention with Harold Wilson.

Dean Rusk called George Brown³ on the telephone. They missed each other, but got George’s private secretary before leaving for Hot Springs.⁴ Later Gene Rostow talked to Brown and explained the problem.⁵

• —David Bruce is going in to see the Prime Minister right now.
• —Both Gene and I have talked to Michael Stewart here (Pat Dean is unavailable).
• —I called Harold Wilson’s private secretary, Michael Palaser on the direct line. Michael is an old friend and I laid it hard on the line that this is political business of the highest sort, and should receive immediate attention from his boss. I said that the President has been personally involved in managing our Kennedy Round over the past few days, and considers the successful outcome of the negotiations a matter of greatest concern.

Francis M. Bator ⁶

1. Source: Johnson Library, Bator Papers, Kennedy Round, May–June 1967, Box 12. Confidential.
2. Roth transmitted this pessimistic report in telegram 3652 from Geneva, May 13. (Department of State, Central Files, FT 13–2 US)
3. British Foreign Secretary.
4. A memorandum of Secretary Rusk’s telephone conversation with Macklehose, Brown’s private secretary, May 13, 1:55 p.m., is in the Johnson Library, Bator Papers, Kennedy Round, May–June 1967, Box 12.
5. Reported in telegram 194050 to London, May 13. (Department of State, Central Files, FT 13–2 US) Brown replied in a message to Secretary Rusk on May 13: “Following your message to me I have been in touch with Powell in Geneva. If I may say so, there has I think been some misunderstanding over our position, and some of the points which are giving you concern do not seem to accord with the facts as reported to us. I can assure you that we are determined to do all in our power to help to bring matters to a conclusion which is fair all round, and we are certainly not going to let things down. Powell is in the closest touch with us, and will remain similarly close touch with Roth, Rey and Wyndham White.” (Ibid.)
6. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.