389. Memorandum of Conversation1
PARTICIPANTS
- The Secretary of State
- Thomas E. Murray
The Secretary said he was glad that Mr. Murray would be going to the Geneva conference on nuclear testing. He said he was counting on Mr. Murray’s cooperation, stressing that we could not afford a show of division in these very delicate negotiations. He noted that they would [Typeset Page 1474] now be made all the more difficult by the fact that the Soviets appeared to be taking a new look at their position.
Mr. Murray assured the Secretary of his cooperation. He said he would not “speak out” when he disagreed, but would express his viewpoint privately to Senator Gore. He said he had long favored stopping the testing of large weapons, but thought it essential to continue making small yield tests. He thought we could satisfy everyone’s needs, the scientists and military together, by underground tests.
The Secretary pointed out that we needed not only weapons but public good will and the support of our allies as well. He thought therefore that the main question would be one of tactics at the Geneva conference to insure that the blame for any breakdown was laid to the Soviets. We should not ourselves appear militaristic. The Secretary said that if we could work it out without jeopardy to our foreign relations, he would favor small underground testing. He said he did not think the conference would be a success; that the Soviets would continue testing and therefore we would then resume our own testing.
- Source: Geneva Conference on Nuclear Testing. Confidential; Personal and Private. 1 p. Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memoranda of Conversation.↩