Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, The Far East, Volume VIII

892.014/11–1746

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of Western European Affairs (Wallner)

[Washington,] November 18, 1946.

Participants:	The Acting Secretary, Mr. Acheson
	Mr. Bonnet, French Ambassador to the United States
	Mr. Guillaume Georges-Picot, French Ambassador to Venezuela
	Mr. Francis Lacoste, Minister-Counselor of French Embassy
	Mr. Landon, Acting Chief, SEA
	Mr. Wallner, Assistant Chief, WE

Mr. Bonnet called by appointment and handed Mr. Acheson the attached note¹⁶ from the French Government transmitting the various texts of the Franco-Siamese settlement¹⁷ and conveying the thanks of the French Government for this Government’s good offices in the negotiations.

The French Ambassador told Mr. Acheson that he wished to add his own personal thanks to those contained in his Government’s note, which, he said, were intended to include both Mr. Acheson personally and those members of the latter’s staff (he mentioned Messrs. Moffat, Landon and Wallner) who had participated most actively in the long drawn-out but, he hoped, successful settlement of this thorny question.

Mr. Acheson made appropriate acknowledgement of the Ambassador’s words.

The Acting Secretary then raised the question of the presentation of the agreements to the Security Council. Mr. Bonnet briefly resumed the provisions of the agreements on this point and said that the French and Siamese negotiators would start immediately drafting agreed texts for submission to Mr. Trygve Lie. He stated that they would discuss these texts with the Department as well as with the British Embassy and thought that action should be concerted by the British, French and United States representatives to the Security Council. He pointed out that Mr. Herschel Johnson would be President of the Council for the remainder of this month and expressed the hope that Mr. Johnson would use his position to help obtain Security Council approval of the agreements.

Mr. Acheson said that we were most anxious to be helpful in this regard and stood at the disposal of the French and Siamese Governments for any assistance that the Department or our representatives on the Security Council could offer.

16. Ambassador Bonnet’s note of November 17 not printed.
17. The Règlement and Protocol were signed at Washington at 5 p.m., November 17; for texts, see United Nations Treaty Series, vol. cccxliv, p. 59, or SC, 1st yr., 2nd series, Suppl. No. 9.