Lot 60–D 224, Box 43: PIO 198
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Leo Pasvolsky, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State
Mr. Wright20 called at his request and left with me the attached document entitled, “Summary of Topics”, received yesterday from the Foreign Office. This paper was sent to the Embassy for transmission to us following the Embassy’s report on Mr. Wright’s conversation on February 8 with Mr. Dunn and myself. A copy will be communicated today to the Soviet Government.
Mr. Wright explained that the list is intended to serve two purposes:
- (1)
- As a list of topics on which detailed papers are being prepared in London; these papers will in due course be sent to us;
- (2)
- As suggestions for an agenda for the discussions
Mr. Wright inquired as to when they could expect to receive our list of topics. I said that it was our hope to make it available to them in the next few days.
Mr. Wright also inquired whether it was our intention that discussions would be arranged after the preliminary papers had been exchanged by the respective governments, or whether there would be further exchanges by cable prior to the inauguration of the discussions. [Page 624] I replied that the matter would have to be left in a flexible state, but that our present thought is that the discussions would take place as soon as the documents had been exchanged and an opportunity had been afforded for a sufficient study by the governments. Mr. Wright said that the latter procedure would be preferable from their point of view.
Mr. Wright inquired whether or not any comments have been received from the Soviet Government. I replied in the negative.
- Michael Wright, First Secretary of the British Embassy.↩