336. Message From President Eisenhower to Prime Minister Macmillan1
Dear Harold: I understand that while both of our governments desire to retain the three-mile limit of territorial sea for security reasons and in accordance with their traditional views on freedom of the seas, both governments are agreed that some concession is necessary in order to prevent the Geneva Conference on the Law of the Sea from approving by a two-thirds majority a twelve-mile, or even broader, territorial sea. The United States view that no concession involving recognition of a territorial sea of more than three miles can be accepted is based squarely upon the security interests of the United States and the entire free world. Accordingly, I am gravely concerned at word that your Cabinet is unable to accept a Canadian compromise proposal retaining the three-mile territorial sea, but permitting a contiguous zone of an additional nine miles in which the coastal state would have exclusive control over fishing, because of the proposal’s impact upon fishing interests and communities in the UK. The U.S. supports the Canadian proposal. The British alternative as we understand it is a six-mile territorial sea qualified by other nations’ right of overflight of aircraft and of innocent passage of warships without notification as respects the outer three miles. My advisors are unanimous to the effect that the British alternative, even as qualified, is seriously in derogation of free world security interests. The U.S. military authorities feel strongly that they cannot accept any extension of the territorial sea beyond three miles in view of their heavy, world-wide responsibilities for the defense of the free world. This would, for example, afford Soviet submarines, in time of war, an important covered way through [Page 652] neutral waters that they do not now possess. It is the view of the U.S. Delegation to the Conference, shared in Washington, that any retreat from the three-mile limit, such as is involved in the British alternate proposal, will result in Conference approval of a twelve-mile territorial sea with serious damage to our security position vis-à-vis the Sino-Soviet bloc. The stakes are so great that, I suggest, neither of us should permit commercial considerations to control. I would be deeply appreciative if you and your Cabinet would reconsider your position on this point, if necessary, after urgent consultation between our respective military authorities.
As ever.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 399.731/3–458. Confidential; Presidential Handling. Transmitted to the Embassy in London at 6:35 p.m. in telegram 6205, which is the source text, for delivery to Macmillan. In telegram 815 to Geneva at 3:20 p.m., Dean was advised that this approach was being made. (Ibid.)↩
- Telegram 6205 bears these typed initials.↩