Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 203

No. 443
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Counselor of the Department of State (MacArthur)1

top secret

Subject: Restricted Session of February 8, 1954.

At his request, Herbert Blankenhorn called on me this evening to ascertain what happened at today’s restricted meeting.2 I gave him a very brief report, saying that for three and a half hours we discussed Agenda Item 1 and that the Secretary had tabled a proposal which dealt essentially with the convening of a Korean conference from which, if the Chinese Communist attitude and actions were satisfactory with respect to Korea and Indochina, might come another conference dealing with Indochina.3

I did not show Blankenhorn the Secretary’s resolution, but simply sketched generally the idea behind it. I told him we then turned to the question of an invitation for Austria and agreed that an invitation should be sent by the Chairman of today’s meeting and that the discussions on Austria would begin on Thursday or Friday.

I said there was no discussion whatever of Germany or of a future restricted meeting about Germany. The only time Germany had been mentioned was when we had pressed to have the Austrian item brought up on Wednesday or Thursday and Molotov had countered by proposing Friday on the basis that he thought there should still be two or three days’ discussion on Germany.

Mr. Blankenhorn thanked me for the information and said he would pass it on to Chancellor Adenauer on a most confidential basis and it would be held very tightly.

  1. Copies of this memorandum were transmitted to Dulles, Conant, Merchant, and Morris.
  2. For a report on the restricted session, see the U.S. Delegation record, supra.
  3. For text of this resolution, see Dulte 44, Document 436.