500.CC/46: Telegram
The Chargé in the United Kingdom ( Bucknell ) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 19—1:53 p.m.]
4045. For the Secretary and Under Secretary. In a conversation with Mr. Eden last evening he said, among other things, that there had been some divergence of view in British circles with regard to the timing of the organization of post-war security organizations. The Prime Minister had inclined to the view that it might be better to [Page 637] proceed first with the formulation of regional organizations such as a council for Europe and perhaps a similar organization for the Pacific, et cetera, later proceeding to the organization some central international mechanism. Mr. Eden felt, on the contrary, that it would be much wiser to proceed with the formulation of the central organization first, whereupon, when this was firmly established, the regional organizations could be proceeded with. He said it was interesting to note that the Dominion Prime Ministers in their conversations during the past 2 weeks74 had agreed with Mr. Eden’s view on the matter.
- A conference was held May 1–16, 1944, between the Prime Ministers of Great Britain and the four Dominions of the British Commonwealth, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa; for a summary statement of developments, see M. Epstein (ed.), The Annual Register, A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroad for the Year 1944 (London, New York, Toronto, Longmans, Green and Co., 1945), p. 43.↩