Office of the Historian

Eisenhower Library, Dulles papers

Memorandum by the Secretary of State to the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Merchant) and the Counselor of the Department of State (MacArthur)1

Washington, September 8, 1953.

Subject:

  • ANZUS
[Page 340]

I have discussed with the President2 the forthcoming ANZUS Conference and said that the only concrete issue of political significance would be the possible pressure to include the U.K.

I recalled to the President Churchill’s previous talks to him and me in New York3 and the political background in the U.K. of this question. I pointed out that a purely private and confidential association would not meet this political problem, and that a formal association would raise serious problems, particularly with the French, with the aspect of ANZUS as a colonial organization.

I also stated that the Defense Department was not prepared to recommend the implicit assumption by the U.S. of responsibilities for the U.K. positions in the Far East, such as Hong Kong and Malaya.

I stated that it would be particularly embarrassing at this juncture to bring the U.K. in without the French because of the French position in Indochina. The President remarked that the U.K. could never understand why they should not have a special position with us to the exclusion of the French, and that made matters difficult. He stated that we should continue our past policy of postponing any change in the present set-up.4

  1. Drafted by the Secretary personally.↩
  2. In Denver. Dulles had returned to Washington on Sept. 7 or 8.↩
  3. See the memorandum by McWilliams dated Jan. 8, p. 258.↩
  4. In a memorandum of a conversation held in Washington, Sept. 8, Foster stated that the Secretary had outlined the President’s position to Ambassador Munro and Webb. “Mr. Webb said the New Zealand Government thoroughly agreed that nothing could be done to meet the United Kingdom position. He expressed in strong terms the hope that some way may be found to dispose of the problem permanently.” (Memorandum drafted Sept. 16; Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation, lot 64 D 199. This lot file includes conversations held by Dulles and his successor, Christian Herter, for the entire period of their tenures (1953–1961).)↩