Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Regulation of Armaments; Atomic Energy, Volume XX

65. Letter From the Deputy Representative on the United Nations Disarmament Commission (Stassen) to the Secretary of State¹

New York, August 31, 1955.

Dear Foster: In accordance with our telephone conversation yesterday,² I am forwarding to you herewith a preliminary draft of the statement I would propose to make in the Subcommittee at the future appropriate session on the presentation of the technical exchange panel to study inspection and the placing on a reserve and inactive status our pre-Geneva United States substantive positions, pending the outcome of the inspection study.³

As I indicated to you on the telephone, I have never contemplated that this technical exchange panel study would be a subject of United Nations Assembly consideration or contention, but that it would be a method of proceeding with the Subcommittee work and would apply only if the Subcommittee were unanimous.

I am not certain that you have seen the reporting cable⁴ to the effect that the British Cabinet has given a preliminary review to the technical exchange panel study and think well of it.

It will among other things accomplish these results:

1. Provide a practical and necessary step in proceeding with the Subcommittee study of inspection.

2. Maintain United States initiative in a constructive manner in the Subcommittee.

3. Further spotlight the importance of inspection.

4. Provide an affirmative cover for the United States action in placing its outdated positions on the elimination of nuclear weapons and on rigid armed force ceilings in a reserve and inactive status.

5. Ascertain the willingness of the USSR to proceed in a practical way to study inspection methods.

6. Further open the Iron Curtain and obtain as a minimum some useful information.

7. Provide a constructive exercise in which the United Kingdom, France, and Canada can participate and ease their sense of non-participation in the President’s Geneva proposal.

We are now consulting on the draft of the United Nations resolution supporting the President’s Geneva proposal,⁵ and at an appropriate time subsequent to the tabling and discussion of this resolution in the Subcommittee, I would anticipate making the statement along the lines of the attached draft.

Sincerely yours,

Harold

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 600.0012/8–3155. Secret.
2. Dulles called Stassen in New York on August 30 at 6:15 p.m., and Stassen reported on the meeting of the U.N. Disarmament Commission Subcommittee that day. They also talked about Stassen’s suggestion for a technical exchange panel representing different countries involved in inspection. Dulles said he did not mind a general statement suggesting inspection panels but objected to detailed statements on it until the basic issues were understood and accepted. He also asked Stassen to send him his conception of these exchange panels. (Memorandum of telephone conversation, August 30; Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations)
3. Not printed. (Department of State, Disarmament Files: Lot 58 D 133, Inspection—Task Force—Military)
4. Not found in Department of State files.
5. For the U.S. proposal, entitled “Outline Plan for the Implementation of the 21 July 1955 Presidential Proposal at Geneva Regarding Disarmament” (U.N. Doc. DC/SC.1/31), see Documents on Disarmament, 1945–1959, vol. I, pp. 501–503.