501.BB/10–546
Memorandum by the Director of the Office of Special Political Affairs (Hiss)
Subject: U.S. Position in the General Assembly on Soviet Proposal Relating to Information on the Disposition of Forces of United Nations Members
After the Secretary had signed telegram 253 of October 29 to New York on the above subject, Mr. Ross and Senator Austin both talked to me on the telephone from New York about the Molotov speech.29 In connection with Molotov’s references to the Soviet proposal relating to troop dispositions, Mr. Ross and the Senator felt it was essential that the Senator say today in the General Assembly (or tomorrow if he is not reached before then) that the United States will accept the Soviet proposal if it is expanded to cover troops in ex-enemy states. I told Mr. Ross and the Senator that the Secretary had earlier in the evening signed a telegram on this subject prior to any information about the Molotov speech. This telegram, I said, restricted its authorization to a statement along the lines suggested by Mr. Ross and the Senator in committee if the Soviet proposal were raised in committee before further communication from the Secretary. I said that I would take up with the Secretary the question of whether, in view of Mr. Molotov’s speech, the Secretary would extend the authorization along the lines desired by Mr. Ross and the Senator.
I subsequently called the Secretary at his apartment and in the course of passing on to him other views of the Senator about the Molotov speech I mentioned the foregoing point. The Secretary said that the Senator should feel free to use the information contained in the telegram in his speech in the General Assembly. I then promptly communicated this information to Mr. Ross and the Senator in New York.30
I also called Mr. Maclean of the British Embassy at his house and asked him to inform the Ambassador promptly this morning of the fact that after the Secretary had seen the Ambassador last evening he had sent instructions to the Delegation along the lines he had discussed with the Ambassador and had mentioned in his personal message to Bevin of October 28 [26].31 I added that subsequently, in view of statements on the subject in Mr. Molotov’s speech, the Secretary had authorized the Delegation to make a statement in the General Assembly today or tomorrow of our willingness to support the Soviet [Page 979] proposal if broadened to include troops in ex-enemy states. I asked Mr. Maclean to inform the Ambassador promptly this morning of these new developments and pointed out that they were in our opinion entirely consistent with the warning the Secretary had sent to Mr. Bevin in his personal message.