396.1 WA/6–2753: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in France 1
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6228. For the Ambassador from the Secretary. In informing Pres necessity postponement Bermuda2 Churchill has suggested Salisbury [Page 1583] come to Wash near future, a suggestion which I welcome, as affording opportunity quietly comprehensive review UK–US problems. We obviously wish avoid giving French impression we are taking advantage Bermuda postponement to engage in bilateral talks with British to exclusion of French. Accordingly, please deliver following message from me to the Foreign Minister:
“As Pres Eisenhower indicated in letter of sympathy to Churchill,3 we regret that Churchill’s indisposition has led to a postponement of contemplated tripartite meeting. Churchill has suggested that Lord Salisbury who will assist him on foreign affairs come to Wash in about two weeks. Naturally, we accept this suggestion. There are some matters of purely bilateral concern which we can usefully discuss. We would not, of course, deal with matters of tripartite concern, of which perhaps the most important is the possibility of a four-power conference. We would expect that any decision on this matter would be reached only after the full exchange of views between the three Western powers.”
- This telegram, which was drafted by Secretary Dulles, was repeated to London.↩
- Regarding the postponement of the Bermuda Conference due to Prime Minister Churchill’s illness, see the editorial note, p. 1710.↩
- For the text of this letter, dated June 27, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953, pp. 459–460 or the Department of State Bulletin, July 13, 1953, p. 49.↩