396.1 GE/7–1854: Telegram

Working Level Meeting of Six Delegations, Geneva, July 18, Morning: The United States Delegation to the Department of State

secret

Secto 648. Repeated information Paris 90, Saigon 59. There was working level meeting of friendly delegations this morning in order to consider questions related to conference restricted session this afternoon. Phleger and Bonsal attended for USDel. The French chairman (Roux) said he understood Molotov‘s main purpose in calling meeting was to study proposed declaration. Text of declaration with agreed and unagreed portions resulting from meeting between UK, USSR and French working level representatives yesterday evening was taken up. These portions covered in Secto 647.1

Vietnamese representative Ngo Dinh Luyen (brother of Prime Minister) stated his delegation not in position to express views on declaration which referred to agreement on cessation of hostilities with terms of which Vietnamese Government unfamiliar since it had not participated in negotiation of agreement.

USDel reiterated US reservation on paragraph dealing with consultations and stated that full position of USDel with regard to declaration and to guarantees of results of conference would be made known by chief of USDel.

[Page 1425]

It was agreed that in paragraph of proposed declaration sentence would be added to effect “line of demarcation provided in agreement on cessation of hostilities must in no way be interpreted as constituting a political or territorial boundary”.

There was also some discussion of proposed unilateral declaration to be made by Laotian and Cambodian delegations. Laotian text is contained in Secto 634.2 Laotian del reserved comment. Cambodian del to whom similar draft had just been submitted stated that his government had previously envisaged unilateral declaration on three subjects:

(1)
Absence of reprisals against resistance movements;
(2)
Intention to hold elections in accordance with Cambodian constitution; and
(3)
Military intentions and limitations. He said that he would prefer to have statement on elections included in unilateral declaration rather than in conference declaration. He wished to avoid impression that holding of elections was something which had been imposed on Cambodia by Communists in course of reaching settlement.

Reverting to conference declaration Cambodian representative (Sam Sary) also stated that his government would have to make reservation regarding articles 6 and 9 in which respect for territorial integrity is mentioned since his government did not wish to disbar itself from negotiations with Vietnamese Government regarding boundary between Vietnam and Cambodia, boundary which Cambodia does not recognize since it was established by unilateral action of French President.

Smith
  1. Dated July 18, p. 1438.
  2. Dated July 17, p. 1419.