Editorial Note

Secretary of State Acheson and Counselor Bohlen met on February 3 with Senators Arthur Vandenberg and Tom Connally to consider together, article by article, the latest draft of the Atlantic Pact. The alterations suggested by the Senators, except as they dealt with Article 5, were mostly inconsequential and were referred to by Acheson in the Minutes of the Twelfth Meeting of the Washington Exploratory Talks, February 8, pages 73 ff. A memorandum of the conversation, with a list of Department recommendations regarding the Senator’s suggestions, and revised drafts of the Preamble and Articles 5, 7, and 10, are in Department of State file No. 840.20/2–349.

A second meeting of the same participants was held on February 5 [Page 65] to consider the above-mentioned revisions. The discussion was almost entirely concerned with the possible revision of Article 5. A memorandum of this conversation is in file 840.20/2–549.