811.002/1–2446
Minutes of the Meeting of the Secretaries of State, War, and Navy, Washington, November 6, 1946, 10 a.m.
[Here follows discussion of various subjects.]
disarmament
Mr. Acheson stated that following Mr. Molotov’s proposal before the General Assembly on disarmament the State Department has been considering how to avoid having the General Assembly discussions develop into useless arguments on details and comparisons between various types of armament such as air forces versus land troops and land troops versus naval vessels. He said that feeling in the Department of State is that we should endeavor to keep the discussion on important fundamentals. He went on to say that both as regards a regime for atomic energy control and a system for the reduction of other types of armament he feels that an international inspection system is of crucial importance. He said that he felt that the United States representative should handle this whole subject in such a way as to focus attention on the importance of an international inspection system. The Soviet Government had adamantly declined to agree to any international inspection system. Mr. Acheson said that he felt that we should endeavor to keep attention on this rather than be drawn into a useless discussion of details. Mr. Forrestal and Mr. Petersen57 expressed agreement.
- Howard C. Petersen, Assistant Secretary of War.↩