201. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Counselor of the Department of State (MacArthur), Washington, May 5, 1955, 5:16 p.m.1
TELEPHONE CALL TO MR. MACARTHUR
The Sec. said he was not very clear how the Cambodian business was left. M was not either. The boys had a letter for the Sec. to send to Wilson or get cleared—and M. thought the recommendation was the Sec. would take the line there with the French that the Sec. had made a proposal to them. They had had some objection or placed interpretations on it we did not feel we could accept but feel it should be looked at. And as soon as the agreement is signed we would send Gen. Dedan(?) [ Lodoen ] out and he would look around and give us his thoughts and we would then sit down with him. The Sec. said they are not willing to send him out, are they? M. thinks they are after the MAAG agreement is signed. Davis and others have been needling Wilson to take the position that the offer you made, based on the President’s approval, should not have been made and that you should start off on the position the French should get out and turn it over to us. It is absurd and does not make sense. We tell the French when the MAAG agreement is signed, we send him out to look around and let us know. The Sec. asked M. to put that down in a memo to take to the WH tomorrow. M. said he would do so.2