No. 157
Editorial Note
As a result of Ambassador Luce’s conversation on December 24 with Prime Minister Pella (see telegram 1983 from Rome, supra), the Department of State determined that the Italian Government would not accept an unconditional five-power meeting at the ambassadorial level. Action was therefore taken to implement the third phase of the plan on Trieste, namely a joint United States–United Kingdom invitation to the Yugoslav Government to meet in Washington or London as the three occupying powers in Trieste to discuss secretly possible solutions to the Trieste question. On December 28 instructions were sent to the United States Embassies in Rome and Paris that, subject to British concurrence, they were to inform the Italian and French Governments of the planned invitation to the Yugoslav Government. The Italian Government was to be told, in order that the plan appear more palatable, that the invitation was within the framework of the suggestion Prime Minister Pella had made to Ambassador Luce on December 24. The instructions were contained in telegram 2156 to Rome and telegram 2314 to Paris, December 28. (750G.00/12–2553) These decisions and developments were summarized in a memorandum of December 31 from Assistant Secretary Merchant to Secretary Dulles. (750G.00/12–3153)