Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Asia and the Pacific, Volume VI, Part 2

711.56346E/12–2151

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of India, Nepal, and Ceylon Affairs (Witman)

top secret

[Washington,] December 21, 1951.

Subject: Ceylon Proposal for US Military Installations in Ceylon

Participants:	Mr. R. H. Belcher, First Secretary, British Embassy
	SOA—Mr. Witman

On the Advice of Ambassador Satterthwaite and Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Witman mentioned to Mr. Belcher that a high official of the Government of Ceylon had sounded out informally representatives of the US Embassy at Colombo several months ago regarding the possibility of the US establishing and operating in Ceylon certain defense installations including one or two bomber squadrons with supporting fighter aircraft, a small fleet of coastal craft possibly including submarines, and island-wide radar coverage. It was pointed out to Mr. Belcher that this suggestion had been discussed in the Ceylon Cabinet, but was not presented to our Ambassador as a Cabinet proposal.

Mr. Witman outlined for Mr. Belcher the substance of the pertinent parts of the Defense Department’s letter of December 12, 1951,¹ indicating some interest in the proposal, and stressing the US view that the UK has primary military responsibility in Ceylon because of its defence agreement with that country. Mr. Belcher undertook informally to sound out his Government on the above matter.²

1. Ante, p. 2078.
2. Copies of the Defense Department letter of December 12 and of the above memorandum were sent for information to the Embassies in London and Colombo on January 3, 1952, with the understanding that no action was being requested at this time (746E.5/12–1251).