163. Letter From the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (Strauss) to the Secretary of State1
Dear Foster: There was a telephone conversation between Jerry Wadsworth and myself yesterday afternoon after the meeting at the White House. Jerry inquired as to my views with respect to the Zarubin proposal that we should make an arrangement concerning the selection of the Executive Secretary and his deputy for the Preparatory Commission of the International Atomic Energy Agency.2 Jerry confirmed that the suggestion had nothing to do with the selection of the Director General which was a misapprehension that I had originally entertained. I told him that I thought an arrangement which would give the U.S. and the USSR these two places on the Secretariat would greatly dim the prospect of getting our own nominee selected for the post of Director General. Jerry said he concurred with that view.
Under the circumstances, I most strongly recommend to you that we try to get a friendly and acceptable individual—not an American— named to the Executive Secretariat and that we reserve all the influence we can muster to put behind an American for the top billet. I hope that you will consider instructing your representatives at the U.N. to exert themselves to the utmost to gain that objective. I feel that our strength is underestimated by our own people, in view of all that [Page 438] we have done and that we are going to announce later this week. There must be some appreciation, if not for past favors, then for future ones.
There is reason to believe that Stub Cole would accept such an appointment as a patriotic duty. No one else I can think of would give us so much assurance of Congressional support which will be extremely important during the first few years of the life of the Agency. Cole has a long background of familiarity with the subject. I have known him for 14 years and his qualities of judgment and loyalty commend him to me for this post if he can be had.
It would seem to me best not to move into the area of second and third choices while there remains any prospect of putting the best man into this billet.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Atomic Energy Files: Lot 57 D 688, IAEA—Director General.↩
- Annex I of the Statute of the IAEA, provided for the creation of a Preparatory Commission, which would “remain in existence until this Statute comes into force and thereafter until the General Conference has convened and a Board of Governors has been selected in accordance with Article VI” of the Statute. For text of Annex I, see Department of State Bulletin, November 19, 1956, pp. 827-828.↩