396.1 GE/3–254

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of Thai and Malayan Affairs ( Landon )

confidential

Subject:

  • Korean and Indochinese Conferences in April.

Participants:

  • His Excellency, Pote Sarasin, Ambassador of Thailand
  • Walter S. RobertsonFE
  • Kenneth P. LandonPSA

The Thai Ambassador called at his request and said that he had been instructed by his Government to inform the Department of State that it accepted the invitation to attend the Korean Conference in Geneva in April and that it desired to know what would be the U.S. approach to the conference in terms of policy objectives. The Ambassador was informed that the Department would pursue the well-known policy objective of achieving an independent, unified, peaceful Korea, which has always been the objective of the United Nations. The Thai Ambassador expressed some doubts as to the possible achievement of this objective and asked if the United States had in mind lesser levels of achievement with which it might be satisfied. He was informed that no lesser objectives were being considered. The Ambassador was further informed that the housekeeping arrangements as to costs and other details were being worked out.

The Ambassador then turned to the subject of Indochina and asked if the participants in the Korean Conference would automatically [Page 430] deliberate on Indochina. The Ambassador was informed that the Department was waiting for the views of the French but that our tentative thinking was that there might be two separate conferences with different nations represented and that the two conferences might be held simultaneously. The Ambassador was reminded that the original statement issued regarding Indochina indicated that “interested states” would participate and presumably by “interested states” was meant not only the principal powers named such as France, the U.K., the U.S., Communist China and USSR but also the Associated States.

The Thai Ambassador said that his Government was interested because of its shared geographic boundaries with Indochina and inquired whether the Thai Government might send a representative as an observer. He was assured that this request would be given consideration.