Office of the Historian

120. Letter From the Secretary of State to the President1

Washington, May 14, 1956.

Dear Mr. President: I enclose herewith a copy of a message from Selwyn Lloyd which I received over the weekend indicating that they do not find acceptable the suggestions which I made to them in Paris, and are apparently going to proceed on a more or less unilateral basis to make “exceptions” covering the differential between the Chincom and Cocom lists.2

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I think that there is room for an honest difference of opinion as to the strategic importance of the copper wire. There seems to be some difference of opinion in our own ranks on this business.

Faithfully yours,

J. Dulles

[Enclosure]

TEXT OF MESSAGE FROM FOREIGN SECRETARY

My colleagues and I have carefully considered the proposals made by you in Paris. We regret very much that they do not seem to be adequate to meet our point of view. As you know, we wanted to take action on the China List last October but have repeatedly deferred it out of regard for your representations. We now think that the best course is for us to rely upon an extended use of the exceptions procedure for permitting reasonable exports of items on the China “differential”. We shall have regard to the list put forward by you in Paris but we must also consider the position in the Colonies and at home.

With regard to an embargo on copper wire, I am afraid that we are agreed that that would be impossible for us in the light of the statement made at the end of the visit of the Soviet leaders. In any case there seems to be a substantial difference of opinion between us about the strategic consequences and the relative importance of our copper wire exports. I am preparing a considered statement on these aspects which I will send to you as soon as possible.3

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series. Confidential.↩
  2. The message was delivered to Dulles on May 12, under cover of a note by Coulson. Also enclosed was a proposed parliamentary question and answer on the subject of China trade controls, scheduled to be raised on May 14. By this means, the United Kingdom intended “to make a suitable announcement in Parliament on the future administration of control over the China Trade.” Another copy of the Lloyd’s message is in Department of State, Central Files, 493.009/5–1256.↩

  3. In telegram 6847 to London, May 12, the Department informed the Embassy of Lloyd’s letter to Dulles. The telegram reads in part as follows:

    “Pending receipt promised additional statement Department’s preliminary reaction is that British have not closed door to further US–UK consideration extent to which exception procedure may be invoked. This view reinforced by fact message made no reference to convening CG meeting or to UK intent make special statement in CHINCOM.” (Ibid., 460.509/5–1256)

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