740.0011 PW (Peace) /9–2349: Airgram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom
A–1043. Reference Embassy’s telegram 3813 of September 23.1 In course of recent conversations on Far East between Secretary and Mr. Bevin, latter suggested that US Government draft a Japanese peace treaty for confidential discussion with the UK Government late this November or early December. Mr. Bevin further proposed that, if UK agrees with the US draft, he would then undertake to enlist the support of other Commonwealths to that draft at the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Conference in Ceylon in January 1950. His proposal was accepted.
Department assumes that “the meeting in the near future” mentioned in Embassy’s telegram 3813 refers to the Ceylon meeting scheduled for January, and trusts that Bevin is not planning to discuss treaty with other Commonwealths before US and UK have agreed on a draft. To do so might result in a solidifying of Commonwealth views on substantive treaty matters in advance of Commonwealth consideration of the US draft.
- Not printed.↩