Editorial Note
In the British national election on October 25 the Conservative Party obtained a majority of the seats in Parliament over all other parties combined, gathering 321 to Labour’s 294, Liberal’s 6 and 3 others. Churchill then undertook the formation of the new government taking for himself the Prime Ministership and the Ministry of Defense. Anthony Eden became Foreign Secretary as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Commons.
On October 27 Secretary Acheson transmitted to Eden through the Embassy in London his congratulations upon appointment as Foreign Secretary and expressed his desire to meet Eden in Paris, where they would both be attending the Sixth Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly, and “have informal discussions on a number of the important problems facing” the United States and the United Kingdom. (Telegram 2226 to London, 751.13/10–2751)
In Paris during the first week of November and later at Rome during the Eighth Session of the North Atlantic Council Secretary Acheson and Foreign Secretary Eden discussed informally the situation [Page 980] in the Far East, the Near East, including Iran and Egypt, and topics relating to the defense of Western Europe. Regarding their meetings and the tripartite meetings with Foreign Minister Schuman during November, see the editorial note, volume III, Part 1, page 1312.