800.796/919: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
1533. Your 2195, June 20, 3:00 p.m. The document referred to as forming a suitable basis for discussion at an international conference was prepared at the Dominions Conference in London last September and was produced by Lord Beaverbrook during his talks with Mr. Berle39 after the latter had rejected the Canadian draft convention as a basis for discussion. The document referred to in your telegram was accepted by us only as a basis for discussion. It is far from acceptable itself in its present form and does not set forth principles and practices on which there was agreement between the British and American spokesmen at the exploratory talks. Specific reservations were made on many points, notably the power of the international body.
To prevent any possible misunderstanding and confusion due to marked differences between this document and our statements of policy set forth at our talks with the Russians here, we think the above should be made abundantly clear to the Foreign Office.