Department of State Atomic Energy Files
Memorandum by the Acting Secretary of State
(Acheson) to President Truman
top secret
[Washington,] May 6, 1946.
You will recall that the Secretary spoke with you about a meeting of the
Combined Policy Committee at which there was discussion regarding the
meaning of the memorandum of November 16 initialed by you and the Prime
Ministers of the United Kingdom and Canada. This involves interpretation of
the phrase “full and effective cooperation in the field of atomic energy”.
The attached letter from Mr. Stone, Counselor of the Canadian Embassy, is
directed to that point. Mr. Stone and the Canadian Ambassador have told me
that Mr. Attlee communicated with Mr. Mackenzie King urging him to take a
strong position on the interpretation of this document. Mr. King declined to
do so and this letter is, I believe, a method of escaping from the
predicament of undertaking any interpretation at all.
[Enclosure]
The Counselor of the Canadian Embassy (Stone) to the Under Secretary of State (Acheson)
Washington, April 29,
1946.
Dear Mr. Acheson: You will recall that at the
last meeting of the Combined Policy Committee it was decided to ask for
clarification of the interpretation of the Agreement of November 16th
between the President, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the
Prime Minister of Canada concerning “full and effective co-operation in
the field of atomic energy”.
In the Ambassador’s absence in Canada, I am instructed to say that Mr.
Mackenzie King’s understanding of the Agreement in this respect is
indicated by the fact that the Canadian authorities, both during the
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war and in the postwar
period, have provided the United States authorities with full
information on all Canadian activities in this field. In particular, the
United States authorities have had access to full information as to
developments at Chalk River. In fact, a United States official is
stationed there permanently and is in a position to secure a complete
picture of the work going forward in the plant.
Yours very sincerely,
