Atomic Energy files, lot 57 D 688, “Exchange of Notes With USSR”
Memorandum for the File, by the Consultant to the Secretary of State for Atomic Energy Affairs (Smith)
- Subject:
- Soviet note1—Meeting with Secretary, Murphy, Bowie, Merchant and Bohlen.
The Secretary read the excerpt from the November 32 note about the diversion problem and asked me how we proposed to reply to the Soviet offer. I told him that I had put it up to the AEC to prepare an agenda and that after a decent interval I thought we should forward it to the Soviets.
I pointed out that the Soviet note of November 29 showed no real interest in the President’s proposal but was merely a method of “keeping the ball in play.” I said that this seemed to be in our interest in that we could go ahead and form the Agency without Russian [Page 1578] sponsorship and then go into the question of whether the Russians would participate in the Agency as formed.
There was some discussion of the diversion question and Mr. Dulles recalled how he had been completely puzzled by Molotov’s reference to it during the Geneva conversations.3 The Secretary asked Bohlen to consider the matter further and get in touch with me.
I asked if a copy could be sent to Mr. Lodge with a covering letter from the Secretary stating that it was eyes only. The Secretary directed me to prepare such a letter.