Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 287
Memorandum by the Special Adviser to the United States Delegation (MacArthur) to the Secretary of State
I asked Chauvel today what he thought the British position was. He said that the British are unwilling to join in united action in Southeast Asia, and what they are really hoping for is some kind of negotiated solution at Geneva. They would expect that any solution agreed to would be guaranteed by all the participating powers, which would involve guarantees not just by the UK and our side but guarantees [Page 584] by the Soviets and Chinese Communists. In other words, when the British talk about joining in a guarantee of any possible solution reached as a result of the Geneva Conference, they are probably thinking in terms of a general guarantee involving the Communist side, rather than a guarantee which would result from united action by the non–Communist states in Southeast Asia.