Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Europe: Political and Economic Developments, Volume IV, Part 2

No. 639

300.161/9–1851

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of USSR Affairs (Davis)

confidential

[Washington,] September 18, 1951.

Subject: British Attitude Toward Soviet-inspired International Economic Conference to be Held in Moscow Before End of This Year

Participants:	Mr. Edward E. Tompkins, First Secretary of British Embassy
	EE—Mr. Davis

Mr. Tompkins telephoned to tell me the preliminary views of the Foreign Office in regard to the Soviet-inspired International Economic Conference scheduled to be held in Moscow in December.¹ I had previously requested Mr. Tompkins to inform us of the thoughts and attitude which the Foreign Office had in regard to this prospective conference.

Mr. Tompkins told me he had received a preliminary reply which would be followed up in the near future by a letter in greater detail which he would bring for me to read.² The preliminary stand taken by the Foreign Office is as follows.

1. No administrative measures would be taken to prevent British subjects from participating in the conference.

2. No statement would be issued by the Foreign Office or the Government in regard to the conference except in response to questions in the House of Commons, etc.

3. The Foreign Office would attempt to “educate” public opinion concerning the true nature of the conference by means of inspired articles and by personal briefing of Britishers who might wish to participate in the conference.

Mr. Tompkins added that the Foreign Office agreed with our estimate of the true nature and purpose behind the conference.

R[ichard] H. D[avis]

1. Regarding this conference, see the circular airgram, supra.
2. On September 27 Tompkins called on Davis again and read a letter from the Foreign Office to the British Embassy outlining the position of the Foreign Office to the projected Moscow Economic Conference along the lines described here. Tompkins also gave Davis a copy of a British Foreign Office circular communication to various British missions abroad outlining the attitude which was to be taken by British officials to the conference. The Foreign Office felt that the main object of the conference was to further the general aim of the Communist “peace” campaign, namely, to undermine the unity of purpose and to remove the incentive behind western rearmament. The Foreign Office believed that a secondary aim of the proposed conference was to build up the World Peace Council as a rival to the United Nations by establishing an organization comparable to the UN Economic and Social Council. (Memorandum of conversation by Davis, September 27, 398.00–MO/9–2751)