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

396.1 MA/9–454: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Philippines (Spruance) to the Department of State¹

secret

Manila, September 4, 1954—11 a.m.

Secto 7. Working Group, Fourth and Fifth Sessions September 3.

All other articles except IV discussed. Redraft of entire treaty including non-controversial changes and indicating alternatives in certain cases is being prepared and will be cabled immediately following final working group meeting now scheduled 10:00 Saturday.

French proposed number of amendments but none met with general approval. Although Daridan obliged reserve his government’s position on all of them, we doubt that France will insist on them after arrival of Chauvel² and La Chambre.³ Likewise Philippines introduced all amendments in paper handed Department August 28,⁴ but with exception Article IV and reference to self-determination they received little support and will probably not cause serious difficulty.

Australians proposed inserting in Article V specific reference to setting “such subsidiary machinery as may be necessary to achieve military and other objectives of treaty” in order make treaty appear more effective. Other delegations supported this and we referred it to Department (Secto 5).⁵

Discussion of economic measures has left it clear that existing or future bilateral or multilateral programs need not be disturbed or brought within scope of this treaty. There has been no pressure so far for discussion of plans for additional economic measures. New language of Article III devised by us to reconcile number of points made by others and to retain desired flexibility met with general approval.

Article IV to be discussed September 4.

Spruance

1. Content of this telegram indicates that it was prepared by the U.S. Delegation to the Manila Conference.

   Telegram repeated for information to Bangkok, Karachi, New Delhi, Phnom Penh, Saigon, Tokyo, Vientiane, Canberra, Wellington, London, and Paris, and by pouch to Colombo, Djakarta, and Rangoon. Telegram repeated for information to CINCPAC via military channels; the Department was requested to pass it to the Department of Defense.

2. Jean Chauvel, former French Ambassador to Switzerland and a delegate to the Geneva Conference, was a member of the French Delegation at the Manila Conference.
3. Guy La Chambre, Minister for the Associated States, was head of the French Delegation at the Manila Conference.
4. See telegram 778, Aug. 28, p. 805.
5. Dated Sept. 3, p. 833.