Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Volume III, National Security Policy; Arms Control and Disarmament, Microfiche Supplement

378. Message From Macmillan to John Foster Dulles¹

London, August 21, 1958

Dear Foster,

Thank you for your letter of August 20. I have now received the President’s further message and am most grateful for his clear assurances on the exchange of information. I should like to assure you that my concern in my messages to the President was not simply to protect this country’s nuclear weapons programme. Quite apart from this I felt real doubts as to whether your proposed action was calculated to extract the maximum advantage for the Western countries from the Geneva Conference. I was not thinking so much of world opinion, which I know is not fully with us on this issue, but of the risk of throwing away the prize we hope to gain by making the Russians accept an international control system on their territory.

As to the larger political problem, I welcome the revision of your proposed announcement, which goes a long way to meet my point. I still fear that the Russians may be able to escape paying the price for the suspension of tests, but I recognise the force of your arguments and I agree that the new procedure should reduce that risk. I am also grateful to you for accommodating us on the date from which a suspension of tests should begin. I am therefore ready to join you in the action now proposed. I am sending Selwyn some suggested amendments to your draft announcement which I hope you may feel able to accept.

My intention is to make a parallel announcement at the same time as yours. I am still not sure that we need make these announcements quite as early as you suggest. May it not seem odd if we make our statements of policy before the world has seen the report of the Geneva Conference on which they are based? If nevertheless you feel it essential to go ahead on Saturday we shall be ready to make our announcement then.

I still feel worried about the French. I wish it had been possible to ascertain de Gaulle’s personal views before taking this action. I am however greatly relieved by the news of your talk with Couve de Murville, and I gather Selwyn has had a similarly reassuring reaction from him. Selwyn will continue to keep Couve fully informed of what we are doing, and no doubt you will do the same.

With warm regards,

as ever,

Harold Macmillan

1. Source: Statement on suspension of nuclear testing. Secret. 2 pp. NARA, RG 59, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, Macmillan to Dulles, 1955–59.