Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume XII, Part 1

Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 337

Agreed Minute of the Governments of the United Kingdom and the United States¹

secret

[Washington,] June 27, 1954.

Southeast Asia

A joint UK–US study group will be established at once in Washington to prepare agreed recommendations on the following matters:

1. Assuming France-Associated States and Viet Minh reach agreements on Indochina, which the US and UK are willing to respect—

a. the precise terms on which the UK and US might be willing to be associated with such agreements; and

b. the basis on which the free Asian and other interested non-Communist states might be brought into association with the agreements.

2. Assuming an Indochina agreement, the terms of a collective security pact regarding Southeast and possibly South Asia, designed—

a. to deter and if necessary to combat Communist aggression by making it clear that it would be met by prompt and united action and would involve grave consequences;²

b. to provide machinery for effective cooperation in defense of the area against aggression and for assisting the lawful governments to resist Communist infiltration and subversion;

c. to commit the members to take, in accordance with their constitutional processes, such action as is deemed necessary, including the use of armed force, in the event of Communist aggression covered by the pact;

d. to protect Laos, Cambodia, and that part of Vietnam remaining free after any agreement, whether or not they are free to participate under the terms of the agreement.

3. Assuming no agreement on Indochina—

a. the form collective defense pact for the purposes outlined in paragraph 2, which would be suitable to the situation;

b. the action to be taken in respect of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

4. The procedure for bringing other interested nations promptly into these negotiations.

1. A number of documents in lot 60 D 627 (all in Conference files 337, 339, and 341) indicate that this Minute was first drafted on June 26 by a US–UK Working Group, received provisional approval of the principals on June 27 and was finally approved on June 28. One change (noted in footnote 2 below) was made on June 28, but the text was not redated. No record of substantive discussions regarding the drafting of the Minute has been found in Department of State files.
2. The words “grave consequences” were substituted on June 28 for “the risk of general war”. The editors have been unable to determine at whose instance this change was made.