Office of the Historian

841.796/1–446

Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Acheson)

[Washington,] January 4, 1946.

I telephoned Lord Halifax this afternoon and, referring to the discussion we had had yesterday about the proposed Civil Aviation Conference at Bermuda, stated that I had spoken with the Secretary of State, who had approved very strongly and had asked me to let the Ambassador know that we would be delighted to engage in the discussions and would have our people ready to go whenever we agreed on a good time. I said I had told the Secretary that Lord Halifax had previously suggested the 12th but that, on further looking into the matter, he had decided that that date would be a little premature. I said that our people thought the 15th might be a little more convenient. The Ambassador inquired whether he could tell London that we warmly concurred and had suggested any day on or after the 15th. I replied that we thought the sooner the Conference was held, the better.

Lord Halifax inquired whether I had any idea who might be sent to represent the United States. I said I did not know definitely but we would probably send Mr. George Baker, Director of TRC, Mr. Stokeley Morgan, the four members of the Civil Aeronautics Board, a man from Army and one from Navy. I said there would also be representatives from the two companies concerned—Pan American and American Overseas. The Ambassador asked whether he could pass this on to London and I replied that he could but that I hoped London would not say anything until both of our countries could make simultaneous announcements to the press on the matter. The Ambassador replied that he would make that clear in his telegram.6

Dean Acheson

  1. The delegates nominated by the Department were approved by President Truman on January 11. For announcement, released to the press on January 11 with list of principal members of the United States and United Kingdom Delegations, see Department of State Bulletin, January 20, 1946, p. 75. The 10-man United States Delegation was made up of officers from the Department of State and the Civil Aeronautics Board. State Department members included George P. Baker, Director of the Office of Transport and Communications Policy and Chairman of the Delegation; Garrison Norton, Deputy Director of the Office; John D. Hickerson, Deputy Director of the Office of European Affairs; and Stokeley W. Morgan, Chief of the Aviation Division. L. Welch Pogue, Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board, headed the CAB group.

    The convening of the conference for January 15 at Hamilton, Bermuda, had been announced to the press in a release dated January 9; see ibid., p. 75.

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