NEA Files: Lot 55–D36
The First Secretary of Embassy in the United Kingdom (Jones) to the Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs (Henderson)
Michael No. 5
Dear Lot: I quote below a top secret memorandum which was originally drafted by Mr. P. J. Dixon, Private Secretary to Mr. Bevin. The underlined portion of the final paragraph of the quotation was inserted later by agreement, and the sentence marked out was dropped. When I delivered the corrected draft to Mr. Dixon on December 5 he said that he personally, as record-taker at the talk, accepted the [Page 625] quoted version as the definitive record. The Secretary has in his file the original memorandum.
You will find at the end of the memorandum the very restricted distribution which it will receive in the British Foreign Office:
. . . . . (Begin Memorandum) . . . . .1
top secret
Middle East
During a discussion on December 4th at the United States Ambassador’s residence between the Secretary of State and Mr. Marshall, at which Mr. Douglas and I were present, Mr. Marshall said that he wished to raise the question of the Washington Middle East conversations.
Mr. Marshall said that he had received endorsement from the President of the principles and recommendations put forward by the United States participants in the conversations.2
The Secretary of State said that the British Cabinet had already endorsed the principles and recommendations put forward by the British participants in the conversations.
In the course of discussion, Mr. Marshall and Mr. Bevin agreed that the position was as follows: there was no agreement nor even an understanding between the two Governments on the questions which had been discussed at Washington; it had merely happened that each of the Governments had been presented by their officials with recommendations which substantially coincided.3
The question whether any intimation on the subject of the Middle East should be made to the Russians was raised. Mr. Bevin said that he might take an opportunity of telling Mr. Molotov, as he had done before, that the Middle East was a vital area for us, but that he thought it preferable not to mention the discussions between the United States and the United Kingdom on the Middle East. Mr. Marshall agreed that the Soviet should not be informed. Mr. Marshall did not commit himself as to any communication which might be made to the Russians by the United States Government.
(Signed) P. J. Dixon
4th December, 1947.[”]
[Here follows distribution of the memorandum in the British Government.]
. . . . . (Memorandum Ends) . . . . .4
With best wishes,