351. Memorandum of Conversation Between Lovett and John Foster Dulles1
Mr. Lovett brought up the continuance of the advisory group on disarmament matters and asked whether it still served any useful purpose. He said that he was perfectly glad to carry on if it did serve a purpose. I said that while events had taken a turn somewhat different from what had been anticipated when the group was appointed in that there seemed no early likelihood of high-level disarmament talks with the Soviet Union, one could never tell what would happen, and I felt that both the President and I felt it a comfort to be able to call on the four individually or collectively and talk matters over. I said I did not want them to serve if they felt they were being in any sense used as a cloak in respect of matters where they were not adequately informed. Mr. Lovett said he had no such concern, and indeed after the first announcement the existence of the group had largely been ignored or forgotten by the press. He said that in view of what I had said he thought the group should continue in being. I expressed satisfaction at this.
He said that Beedle Smith had raised the question with him and that Beedle had felt that the differences exhibited at the meeting with Macmillan were unfortunate. I said they would have been unfortunate with anybody but Macmillan but that he was practically a member of the family. Lovett said he agreed.
We talked about many other matters of a general character.
- Source: Continuation of the disarmament advisory group. Confidential. 1 p. Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memoranda of Conversation.↩