033.4111 Eden, Anthony/21
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The British Ambassador called to see me this afternoon at his request. The Ambassador took up with me the text of the proposed statement to be made when Mr. Eden arrives in Washington. He said that he had cabled to Mr. Eden the text of the statement which the [Page 5] President desired issued16 and that Mr. Eden had raised various questions with regard to it and had asked that the following text be approved in place of the text desired by the President:
“Mr. Anthony Eden, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has arrived in Washington on the invitation of the United States Government. The purpose of his visit is to discuss the political aspects of the war situation and to exchange preliminary views with the United States Government on questions arising out of the war which will have to be considered by the United Nations. Mr. Eden will also wish to see at first hand something of the great war effort of the United States. Mr. Eden is accompanied by Sir Alexander Cadogan, Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and by other officials of the Foreign Office.”
I told the Ambassador that I did not believe the President would approve the text suggested by Mr. Eden, particularly because of the fact that the phrase “to discuss the political aspects of the war situation” would probably create either resentment or suspicion on the part of the Government of the Soviet Union and it would not be clearly understood by public opinion in the United States, but that I would submit Mr. Eden’s message to the President and let the Ambassador have the President’s decision in the matter.
I subsequently laid this before the President. The President asked me to let Lord Halifax know immediately that he did not approve the text suggested by Mr. Eden and that he desired the text of the release to be as follows:
“Mr. Anthony Eden, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has arrived in Washington on the invitation of the United States Government. The purpose of his visit is to undertake general exchange with the United States Government on all aspects of the war situation and to discuss the most effective method of preparing for meetings between the Governments of all the United Nations to consider questions arising out of the war. Mr. Eden will also wish to see at first hand something of the great war effort of the United States. Mr. Eden is accompanied by Sir Alexander Cadogan, Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and by other officials of the Foreign Office.”17
I then informed Lord Halifax on the telephone of the President’s decision in the matter and he stated that he would immediately communicate this to Mr. Eden.