Department of State Atomic Energy Files
Memorandum by Mr. Franklin A. Lindsay 54 to the United States Representative on the Atomic Energy Commission (Baruch)
Subject: Notes on Conversations With Australian, Canadian and Netherlands Delegations.
Mr. Ralph Harry, Evatts’ Deputy, returned to New York yesterday after two weeks in Washington. He, together with McNaughton and Ignatieff, made a round of the other delegations in order to determine the general attitude toward the future of negotiations. Harry stated that he found among delegations other than Russia and Poland a fairly widespread feeling that agreement would prove to be impossible. They believe that the main consideration has now become the determination of the proper issues and timing so that the break will be made on terms to our advantage rather than to the Russians’ advantage.
He indicated that there is general approval of the McNaughton plan of procedure for the next phase,55 and that a major break should be avoided until after the minor treaties have been completed at Paris. However, he felt strongly that there was no weakening in any of the delegations on the substance of the American Plan.
He stated that it was his own opinion that very shortly work should be initiated on an outline treaty which could be submitted by majority vote to the Security Council. This treaty should be in sufficient detail to permit the possibility of last-minute Russian acceptance in the Security Council.
Such an outline treaty might be submitted to the Security Council together with a request for approval. If approval was forthcoming (including the five permanent members), the Security Council might then refer the document back to the Commission to be used as the basis of preparing a final treaty for signature. If, on the other hand, we are not to get acceptance by the five permanent members, the outline treaty [Page 917] would be far more desirable from our standpoint as it would not be necessary to settle all the questions upon which disagreement between the “friendly” members might arise. If we were to attempt to settle such disagreements at this stage, we would give the Russians the opportunity to exploit our differences to their own advantage.
At luncheon today, Beelaerts van Blokland, of the Netherlands Delegation, said that apparently there is a general stop order out from Moscow on the signing of all pending United Nations documents. The Russian Member of the Headquarters Commission has refused to sign their report pending approval from Moscow. In the Security Council, Russian approval of the report to the General Assembly has been likewise held up. He thought that the delay in signing our scientific report was due to a general order and was not directed specifically against atomic energy negotiations. It was probably a result of Paris disagreements.
He indicated approval of the McNaughton proposal and stated further that a break should be avoided until after the Paris conference.
He and van Kleffens have been working on a draft treaty which he stated was a “dressed-up edition of the American Plan”. They had in mind that this might be submitted to the Commission to be used as a basis of discussion in preparation of recommendations to the Security Council. It seems to me that if we find that this document does not basically differ from the United States’ proposals, it would be extremely advantageous to have it used as a basis of discussion, rather than submitting an American draft. He also expressed an opinion that if useful work can be done, there should be no adjournment during the period in which the General Assembly will be meeting.