600.0012/12–2953: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union1
Priority
408. Eyes only for Ambassador from Secretary. Please call on Foreign Minister Molotov and orally tell him substance of following, unless you consider this action unwise:
“Secretary Dulles would welcome early exchange of views regarding time, place and manner of conducting talks in relation to President Eisenhower’s proposal of December 8 and the response embodied in the statement which was delivered to Bohlen on December 21. Dulles had thought you and he might discuss these procedural matters early in January while both were at the Berlin meeting. Since Berlin meeting now postponed, Dulles will be glad explore these matters earlier at Washington through the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs or the Soviet Ambassador, if Molotov desires. Otherwise, he will plan to discuss them with you at Berlin.”
For your own information, we have in mind probable participation also of UK and possibly France and Canada. We are open-minded as between UN and diplomatic channels. We have suggested initial discussion, in which Secretary can personally participate, either Washington or Berlin, because there is great deal of background about this sensitive subject which we cannot convey to you adequately. However, obviously, if Molotov proffers to you any ideas of his own regarding time, place and manner, we would be glad to receive them in this way.
If your British and French colleagues know of and are curious about meeting, you should advise merely that you called at Secretary’s instructions to ask Molotov in due course to indicate his views about procedure.2
- According to a handwritten notation on a draft of this telegram filed in the John Foster Dulles papers at the Eisenhower Library, these instructions were cleared by the President in Augusta via telephone on Dec. 29. (Eisenhower Library, Dulles papers, “Atomic Weapons”)↩
- In telegram 783 from Moscow, Dec. 30, Bohlen wrote that since it was impossible to send adequate background information by cable, it might be better if the Secretary handled the entire matter himself in Washington through the Soviet Ambassador. An alternative, suggested Bohlen, would be to provide him with sufficient information to deal with the initial problem of procedure. (600.0012/12–3053) Dulles responded in telegram 413 to Moscow, also Dec. 30, instructing Bohlen to proceed in accordance with telegram 408. (600.0012/12–3053) In telegram 793, Dec. 31, Bohlen reported that he had delivered the oral statement contained in telegram 408 to Molotov. Molotov had refused to give an immediate reply, but Bohlen imagined that his preference would be to await a personal meeting with Dulles at Berlin to discuss the subject.(600.0012/12–3153)↩