Department of State Atomic Energy Files
The Acting Secretary of State to the Administrator of the Economic Cooperation Administration (Hoffman)
Dear Paul: I am writing this letter as a result of recent conversations between members of the Strategic Materials Division of the Economic Cooperation Administration, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Department regarding ECA’s role in procurement of atomic energy raw materials. These staff conversations have indicated the desirability of an interchange of official communications between our two agencies to supplement the informal views presented at a meeting in Mr. C. Tyler Wood’s1 office on August 3, 1948.
It would be helpful first to review briefly related discussions held [Page 794] with certain members of the Congress which are pertinent to the matter.
From the initial stages of the formulation of the European aid program there was considerable interest on the part of some Congressional leaders regarding the possible inclusion of uranium as one of the materials which this Government would seek from the recipients of U.S. economic assistance. Representatives of the Department called on these leaders in November 19472 at their request to discuss the problem in some detail. It was pointed out to the Congressmen that it would be prejudicial to our objectives to link the United States aid program with our desires to secure supplies of atomic raw materials and that such action might result in charges that the United States Government intended to bargain relief from want against continuation of the United States atomic monopoly, thus giving powerful corroboration to Communistic propaganda in opposition to the ECA. It was explained that supplies of uranium required for our atomic energy program were provided for through long-standing arrangements with certain foreign governments and that it would be undesirable to jeopardize the continuation of these arrangements by risking attacks on the governments concerned through injection of the uranium issue into the aid program. In this connection, Belgium was cited as an example where an effort to gain advantages beyond those already arrived at through mutual good faith might provoke a political crisis and thus threaten the security of our arrangements.
The Department had occasion to expand on the above views to other members of the Congress some time later when provisions designed primarily for the control of the export of atomic energy materials and equipment by European countries were being considered for inclusion in the ECA Bill. In addition to citing other reasons, the Department termed such provisions undesirable since the countries most likely in position to supply the materials, other than raw materials, desired by Eastern Europe, would be Sweden and Switzerland, neither of which would derive much assistance under ECA. Moreover, with respect to atomic energy raw materials controlled by European nations, it was stated that the United States has satisfactory understandings with all those countries likely to be of substantial importance in this connection and that these should not be jeopardized by use of our ECA leverage.
Immediately following enactment of the Economic Cooperation Act, the Department in collaboration with the Atomic Energy Commission, took steps to secure establishment of controls over exports of [Page 795] atomic energy materials to the Soviet sphere by Western European countries similar to those practiced by the United States Government. The premises of the Department’s position that our objectives should be sought through diplomatic representations rather than through operation of the European aid program are outlined in my letter to you of June 28, 1948.3 Although this letter is directed primarily to the problem of control over the export of atomic energy materials, including ores, to Eastern Europe, the philosophy included therein is also applicable to the problem of acquiring raw materials for our domestic program: the security objectives of Western European countries and ourselves are of mutual concern and any problems arising in this connection can be resolved through diplomatic channels without resort to other criteria such as those involved in the foreign aid program.
There are several additional points I would like to mention for your information to supplement the above commentary. First, the arrangements under which the Atomic Energy Commission secures raw materials from other countries are concluded on the basis of thorough consultation between the AEC, the National Defense Establishment, and the Department of State. In addition, these three agencies represent the United States on the Combined Policy Committee, under which U.S., Canadian and British cooperation in certain specific areas of atomic energy, including the acquisition of raw materials, is handled. Through procedures of long-standing, this Committee meets in Washington and it has been a natural development that consultations on atomic energy matters involving other foreign governments are likewise held here.
As a matter of practice communications between Washington and U.S. representatives abroad dealing with matters in this field are handled through the facilities of the Department and the American diplomatic missions abroad. ECA representatives have agreed in principle that transmittal of such information or samples regarding atomic energy raw materials, including uranium, thorium and beryllium, which become available to your missions abroad should be handled in the above manner and that coordination of the views of ECA and other interested agencies should be made in Washington. I am gratified to note how expeditiously this arrangement functioned both here and in Rome in the handling of two uranium problems which recently came to the attention of the ECA mission in Italy.4
I understand that consideration is being given to sending instructions to ECA missions abroad regarding their responsibilities in the field of atomic energy raw materials. The Department of State is prepared [Page 796] to render all necessary assistance in this connection particularly in clarification of any questions which may arise regarding the substance of this letter.
Sincerely yours,
- Assistant to the Deputy Administrator of the Economic Cooperation Administration.↩
- This matter was discussed by Under Secretary of State Lovett, Secretary of Defense Forrestal, and Senators Hickenlooper and Vandenberg on November 16, 1947; for the record of that meeting, see Foreign Relations, 1947, vol. i, p. 864.↩
- Ante, p. 714.↩
- Reference is to United States interest in samples of low grade uranium ore from northern Italy.↩