840.50/3146
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Roy Veatch of the Office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations
| Participants: | Noel Hall, Minister, British Embassy |
| Mr. Acheson | |
| Mr. Kermit Roosevelt7 | |
| Mr. Veatch |
- I.
- Mr. Hall informed Mr. Acheson that the British Government had accepted all of the proposed modifications of the draft agreement of May 15.
- II.
- Mr. Hall added, however, that at the same time the British Government wished to suggest an addition to Article IX or some other means of handling the situation which might arise under that Article. It seemed to the British Government to be possible that some few governments would attach reservations to their signature of the agreement, with respect to later ratification, which would delay the coming into force of the agreement in the case of those governments. [Page 990] In the opinion of the British Government, therefore, some arrangement should be made in advance to meet the possibility that some governments would not be in a position to participate in the first Council meeting.
Mr. Hall left with Mr. Acheson the language of paragraphs two and three of the British telegram on this subject so that he might have in detail the British Government’s suggestions with respect to alternative ways of meeting this situation. These paragraphs read as follows:
[Here follow proposals either that any government signing the agreement be accepted as a provisional member of UNRRA pending the coming into force of the agreement with respect to that government or that the conference convened to sign the agreement itself set up a provisional Director General and interim organization pending the convening of the Council after ratification of the agreement by the member states. There was also discussion of the means of expediting the establishment of the organization.]
- Assistant to Assistant Secretary of State Acheson.↩