Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, National Security Affairs, Foreign Economic Policy, Volume I

IO Files: US/AEC/47

Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Charles H. Russell, Adviser, United States Mission at the United Nations

secret

[New York ] December 16, 1949.

Subject: Atomic Energy: Six Power Consultations, 13th Meeting

Participants:	General McNaughton, Mr. Smith, Mr. Pierce-Goulding; Canadian Delegation
	Dr. Wei; Chinese Delegation
	M. Chauvel, M. de Rose; French Delegation
	Sir A. Cadogan, Mr. Laskey; United Kingdom Delegation
	Mr. Osborn, Mr. Russell; United States Mission.

A meeting was held at the Canadian Delegation this morning to consider plans for the 13th meeting, which will be held on December 20 and at which General McNaughton will preside.¹

1. General McNaughton circulated a summary prepared at his request by the Secretariat of the proposals and suggestions for the international control of atomic energy made during the course of the fourth regular session of the General Assembly, as well as copies of letters which he had written to General Romulo and Sir Benegal Rau, and other papers relating to this subject.²

He proposed to table these proposals at the next meeting and to request the representatives to refer them to their governments for the necessary detailed study by experts, and for comments and instructions. This was a purely procedural matter. General McNaughton felt that only after such a careful study had been made would any useful purpose be served by discussion of these proposals in the meetings of the sponsoring powers.

2. Mr. Osborn said that he had seen Mr. Hickerson and Mr. Arneson in Washington yesterday. They were in agreement with him as to the desirability of the United States making a statement as to what certain aspects of the plan actually meant. It would touch on stages, without actually using the word “stages”, and possibly quotas. While it would be a United States paper, and the others present would not be asked necessarily to agree to it, it would be shown to the others in advance. The paper was in course of preparation; it would not be ready by Tuesday. Its purpose was to attempt to clarify previous misunderstandings on the part of Soviet representatives, particularly as to what the first steps would be when the plan entered into force.

3. Mr. Laskey thought that it would be unrealistic to resume the consultations at the point where they were left off and that this would be a reason why the U.S. paper would be helpful. He felt that questions should be asked at the next meeting which took into account the discussion in the fourth General Assembly.

General McNaughton agreed and said that he would have questions to ask based upon recent statements of Mr. Vishinsky. Mr. Osborn wanted to ask inter alia the basis for the Soviet statement that under the approved plan all industry in a country would be controlled, whereas this would apply more rather than less under the USSR, proposals.

4. General McNaughton said that the attitude of the majority towards any changes or improvements in the approved plan ought to be flexible and not hidebound. He realized that with the course of time some modifications would be necessary.

5. Mr. Laskey was asked to draft the communiqué which would state that the proposals made at the fourth General Assembly would be submitted to the respective governments and that a number of questions had been asked by the various representatives based on the discussions which had taken place in the fourth General Assembly. It was agreed that there would be no briefing of the press and that the meetings were closed rather than secret and were subject to delayed publicity, as the summary records would eventually be published. It was also agreed that simultaneous translation would be arranged for hereafter, subject to the right of any representative to request consecutive translation when he wished time for reflection before replying to previous statements.

6. General McNaughton said that he expected to see Mr. Malik that evening and would ask him whether January 19, 1950 would be satisfactory to him as the date for the 14th meeting. This would enable the Atomic Energy Staff at Lake Success, who have been working under great pressure, to arrange for their Christmas holidays.

1. At the 13th Meeting, the summary record of which is not printed, the six powers agreed to take note of the requests and recommendations contained in General Assembly resolution 299 (IV). It was also decided to add to the agenda various proposals submitted during the debate on atomic energy at the 4th Session of the General Assembly. (IO Files)
2. The documents under reference were circulated as annexes to the record of the 13th Meeting, not printed. (IO Files)