Office of the Historian

296. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson), Department of State, Washington, November 20, 1957, 10 a.m.1

Washington, November 20, 1957, 10 a.m.

R[obertson] wondered re downgrading the Geneva talks from the Ambassadorial level2 and using Martin.3 R said it just occurred to him and Johnson would announce he was being transferred at next meeting and we had arranged for future talks to be carried on, etc. The Sec mentioned concerting with EUR. The Sec said Johnson could say if acceptable the talks would go on below the amb level. The Sec does not object to downgrading but it would be undesirable to break off. The Sec said it is all right to think about. R said he will tell Alex we are considering it.

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Prepared by Dulles’ personal assistant, Phyllis D. Bernau.↩
  2. In a telephone conversation on November 19, Dulles and Robertson discussed the possibility of maintaining the talks at the Ambassadorial level and moving them to Warsaw, where Ambassador Jacob D. Beam would be designated to meet with Chinese Ambassador Wang Ping-nan. (Memorandum of a telephone conversation, prepared by Phyllis D. Bernau, November 19; ibid.)↩
  3. Edwin W. Martin, First Secretary of Embassy in London.↩