501.BC Atomic/11–146: Telegram
Senator Austin to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:01 p.m.]
745. Acheson from Hancock. At the end of the scientific and policy group, on the staff level, in atomic meetings yesterday,38 it was clear that Dr. Alexandroff, the Russian, was quite embarrassed by the [Page 982] almost unanimous views in opposition to him, and when the meeting broke up, he came to Dr. Vance, of the Chemistry Department of Yale, who was presented by us as more or less of an expert witness, and, after exchanging greetings, he said that it would be much easier to make progress if there were a clear policy on the part of the Russians.
George Ignatieff, the Russian-born Canadian now with the Canadian delegation, joined the circle and asked what Dr. Alexandroff had in mind. The Doctor referred to the Molotov speech and the Stalin speech. (He meant, of course, the Stalin press interview where he had said that Russia wanted a strong international control.) So, when that came clear in conversation, George asked him what Mr. Stalin meant. Alexandroff replied: “He meant exactly what he said.” It was clear in the conversation, without trying to repeat words, that Alexandroff realized that his position, Molotov’s position, and Gromyko’s position, were contrary to what Stalin had said. Then he went on to say that Mr. Molotov was going to clear up the matter in a speech before the General Assembly—I assume at an early date. [Hancock.]
- The meetings under reference were the final sessions of the informal talks regarding safeguards conducted by Committee 2 between October 15 and October 30.↩