Editorial Note
On the afternoon of January 30, during the regularly scheduled State-Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting, the subject of French concern over exclusion from the Malta talks was raised again. General Bradley stated: “One of the French officers here for the Pleven talks told me that he had heard of a secret Mediterranean conference on the Middle East between the U.S. and U.K. He was much disturbed about this, and I told him that probably the conference to which he referred was merely a regular meeting between Admiral Carney and the Middle East Commander.” Admiral Sherman asked whether it would “perhaps be fair to suggest that the U.K. may have deliberately given the French the impression that the U.S. and the U.K. were collaborating on Middle Eastern problems?” Bradley replied in the affirmative, adding that he knew that the British had told the French of previous such conversations with the United States, and H. Freeman Matthews added that it was his impression “that the British give these indications to the French of U.S.-U.K. collaboration.” Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs George McGhee stated that “The French Ambassador came in to see me two weeks ago to suggest that the U.S., U.K. and France should have talks on Middle East security problems. I did what I could to discourage him.” Rusk added that the French had also approached him with a similar suggestion concerning Far Eastern problems. Matthews ventured the opinion that “The French are afraid that we will set up a Combined Chiefs of Staff with the British and will leave them out.” General Collins stated his opinion that the United States should hold bilateral talks with both the British and French where [Page 329] and when appropriate, “but that we will not set up a global organization of the three powers to discuss all problems.” Admiral Sherman concurred, adding “we are not going to have a three cornered world outfit.” General Bradley agreed and Policy Planning Staff Director Paul Nitze added that if it made good sense to have an arrangement with the British in the Middle East, “I think we should do it and tell the French that we are doing it. We should not shy away from it simply because it worries the French.” General Bradley agreed: “Ambassador Bonnet comes over here all the time to complain about one thing or another. I think our reply should be,’so what?’” And Matthews brought the discussion to a close with the comment “The French believe that we are cooking things up every day with the British.” For the Department of State record of this meeting, see volume V, pages 27–42.