Impact of the Geneva Heads of Government Meeting, July 18–23, 1955, and the Geneva Foreign Ministers Meeting, October 27–November 16, 1955; Consideration by the U.S. Government of a Rapprochement with Romania1
1. For complete documentation on the Heads of Government Meeting and the Foreign Ministers Meeting, see vol. V, pp. 119 ff. and pp. 537 ff.
21. Letter From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Anderson) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Anderson)
Source: Eisenhower Library, Project Clean Up. Top Secret.
23. Despatch From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.48/7–2555. Secret; Limit Distribution.
24. Memorandum of a Conversation, White House, Washington, July 29, 1955
Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199. Confidential. Drafted by Johnson who had returned to Washington from Prague primarily to receive instructions for his forthcoming negotiations with the Chinese Communists at Geneva. For documentation on these discussions, which began on August 1, 1955, see volume III.
25. Telegram From the Legation in Hungary to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 764.00/8–255. Secret.
26. Report by the Operations Coordinating Board to the National Security Council
Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 61 D 385, Volunteer Freedom Corps—Documents. Top Secret. A covering memorandum from Livingston Satter-thwaite to Lay, August 4, indicates that this report was concurred in by the OCB on August 3 and transmitted to the NSC for its consideration. The NSC discussed the report on September 8; see Document 30.
27. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rockefeller) to the Director of Central Intelligence (Dulles)
Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 61 D 385, East-West Exchanges. Secret.
28. Memorandum From the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant (Hanes) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy)
Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199. Secret. Sent also to MacArthur, Bowie, and McCardle.
29. Report by the Operations Coordinating Board to the National Security Council
Source: Department of State, S/P–NSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, Planning Board Member Files, Miscellaneous, 1954–1955. Top Secret. According to a cover sheet by Gleason, September 2, this report was prepared by Allen Dulles and Streibert and submitted to the OCB on August 31. The OCB considered, approved, and transmitted it to the NSC for the information of the Council members. In a memorandum to Secretary Dulles, August 20, MacArthur explained that this paper was revised in light of the Secretary’s “post-Geneva policy statement,” an apparent reference to a paper entitled “United States Post-Geneva Policy,” August 15, printed in vol. V, p. 551. MacArthur also noted that CIA and USIA were “champing at the bit to get this guidance out.” MacArthur asked Dulles to read the paper and stated that he and Murphy had read it and believed that the “tone and tenor are all right.” Dulles concurred in the memorandum. (Department of State, Central Files, 511.00/8–2055)
According to a note from MacArthur to Merchant, August 22, attached to the MacArthur’s August 20 memorandum to Dulles, the Secretary’s approval was subject to Merchant’s concurrence. Merchant noted his concurrence on the August 22 note.
30. Memorandum of Discussion at the 258th Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, September 8, 1955
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on September 15.
31. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Hungarian Minister (Szarka) and the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Barbour), Department of State, Washington, September 26, 1955
Source: Department of State, EUR Files: Lot 59 D 233, Hungary. Confidential. Drafted by Robert M. McKisson.
32. Memorandum From George T. Lister of the Office of Eastern European Affairs to the Director of the Office (Beam)
Source: Department of State, Polish Desk Files: Lot 58 D 386, Policies. Confidential. Beam wrote the following note on the source text: “Mr. Lister, Thanks. I assume we will not fail to remind the Sovs of the satellites again at Geneva. J.B.”
33. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Planning Coordination Group (Rockefeller) to the Chairman of the Operations Coordinating Board (Hoover)
Source: Department of State, S/P–NSC Files: Lot 67 D 167, Soviet Satellites in Eastern Europe. Top Secret.
34. Memorandum From George T. Lister of the Office of Eastern European Affairs to the Officer in Charge of Polish, Baltic, and Czechoslovak Affairs (Trivers)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.48/10–2055. Top Secret.
35. Paper Prepared by the Interdepartmental Escapee Committee
Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 61 D 385, Escapees, Defectors—Documents. Secret. Prepared and concurred in by the Interdepartmental Escapee Committee (an OCB group chaired by a representative of the Department of State with representatives from Defense, CIA, USIA, ICA, Justice, and the OCB staff). The report is a compilation of reports from State, Defense, ICA, and USIA and was not formally submitted to the OCB, but rather circulated informally to member agencies, the NSC Staff, and others for background and reference. The report was submitted to the OCB Board of Assistants by the OCB Secretariat under cover of a memorandum of November 14.
36. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Polish Ambassador (Spasowski) and the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy), Department of State, Washington, November 7, 1955, 4:30 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 748.00/11–755. Confidential. Drafted by George T. Lister.
38. Telegram From the Legation in Romania to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.66/11–2055. Confidential; Priority.
39. Telegram From the Legation in Hungary to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 661.68/12–155. Secret; Priority. Sent also to Munich.
40. Telegram From the Legation in Romania to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.66/12–155. Confidential.
41. Telegram From the Legation in Hungary to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 864.00/12–1355. Secret. Sent also to Munich.
42. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Merchant) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, EUR Files: Lot 59 D 233, Rumania. Confidential Drafted by Beam and Stevens.
43. Memorandum From the Minister to Romania (Thayer) to the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Merchant)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 411.6641/12–2855. Secret. Merchant discussed this memorandum with Dulles and gave his view of the question of trade with Romania in a covering memorandum from him to Beam and Stevens, January 4, 1956, which reads:
“Regarding the attached memorandum from Bob Thayer, I discussed the subject briefly with the Secretary after he had seen Bob. I explained to the Secretary my reasons for believing that under existing circumstances the exchange of trade representatives with Rumania seemed to me to promise little value and to risk being distinctly misleading to some of our allies. The Secretary indicated his agreement with me and said that whereas this subject had been briefly discussed with Mr. Thayer when he saw him, he had not given Mr. Thayer any encouragement.”
44. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, January 9, 1956
Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199. Limited Official Use. Drafted by Beam and Stevens.
45. National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Department of State, INR–NIE Files. Secret. A note on the cover sheet reads:
“The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and The Joint Staff.
“Concurred in by the Intelligence Advisory Committee on 10 January 1956. Concurring were the Special Assistant, Intelligence, Department of State; the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Department of the Army; the Director of Naval Intelligence; the Director of Intelligence, USAF; and the Deputy Director for Intelligence, The Joint Staff. The Atomic Energy Commission Representative to the IAC and the Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, abstained, the subject being outside of their jurisdiction.”
According to a note from Macomber to Barnes, undated, attached to a memorandum from Armstrong to Dulles, February 7, summarizing NIE 12–56, the Secretary saw an advance copy of the conclusions of NIE 12–56; consequently the summary memorandum of February 7 and NIE 12–56 were not shown to the Secretary. (Ibid., Central Files, 760.00/2–5756)