840.50/2542
Memorandum by the Adviser on Political Relations ( Dunn ) to the Assistant Chief of the Division of European Affairs ( Hickerson )
Mr. Hickerson: During the Secretary’s visit to Quebec16 he discussed with Mr. Eden17 the proposed conversations in Washington on monetary stabilization and related subjects and commercial policy in connection with Article VII of the Mutual Aid Agreement. The Secretary told Mr. Eden that he particularly did not want to have these conversations formalized, that he preferred to have the financial subjects treated as a continuation of conversations which were already in course with the United States Treasury and that the other subjects he wished kept in the form of exchanges of views for the purpose of drawing up an agenda of topics to be discussed rather than with the view to coming to any agreements on the matters themselves. The Secretary further stated that he did not think it was perhaps the best idea to give the impression that the United States and Great Britain were coming to previous agreements on these matters before other governments were brought in and acquainted with the progress of the discussions.
Mr. Eden said that he knew very little about the subject but that he would see that the matter of the representatives coming to Washington was handled in a way satisfactory to the Secretary.