Office of the Historian

346. Notes on the Secretary of State’s Staff Meeting, Department of State, Washington, March 19, 1958, 9:15 a.m.1

Washington, March 19, 1958, 9:15 a.m.

[Here follows discussion of unrelated subjects.]

18. The Law of the Sea

Mr. Becker reported the difficult position we are in which he anticipated would be resolved in the next week. He noted that the UK delegation apparently has agreed entirely with our position.

The Secretary noted that inherently we are up against a losing battle in this territorial limits problem since some 80 nations stand to enlarge their territories by the increased territorial limit and only 10 maritime powers stand to gain by maintenance of the 3-mile limit.

Fisher Howe2
  1. Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Staff Meetings: Lot 63 D 75. Secret. Drafted by Howe.↩
  2. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩