396.1 GE/4–754
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (Young)
confidential
Washington, April 7,
1954.
Subject:
- Views of the United Kingdom Foreign Office on Soviet Aide-Mémoire of April 5, 1954.1
Participants:
- Mr. M. G. L. Joy, First Secretary, British Embassy
- Mr. Kenneth T. Young, Jr., Director, Office of Northeast Asian Affairs
Mr. Joy called Mr. Young to inform him of the following Foreign Office views on the Soviet aide-mémoire of April 5, 1954:
- 1.
- It is hoped that the State Department will not think it is necessary to argue further about the position of the Chinese. The Soviet note is not inaccurate, even if misleading. Therefore, the Foreign Office suggests that we ignore paragraph 2 in our reply.
- 2.
- It is suggested that we simply note agreement on 5 languages for the Korean phase and settle languages for Indochina at the Conference itself.
- 3.
- Soviet Aide-Mémoire is vague and inconclusive on enlistment of qualified interpreters, which must be decided before Conference meets.
- 4.
- Soviet Aide-Mémoire does not reply to the suggestion to send an administrative officer to Geneva to discuss details. A prior condition is to send a Soviet officer.
Mr. Young told Mr. Joy that the Department of State could not accept point one above, but that it would agree in principle on the other points.