Office of the Historian

425. Memorandum of Conversation1

Washington, February 17, 1959
[Facsimile Page 1]

SUBJECT

  • Geneva Nuclear Test Negotiations

PARTICIPANTS

  • The Acting Secretary
  • Mr. Kohler—EUR
  • Mr. Spiers—S/AE
  • Sir. Harold Caccia—U.K. Ambassador
  • Mr. John Roper—U.K. Embassy

Mr. Herter said that he had asked for this meeting to reiterate our view about the necessity of Western firmness on the control issues in the Geneva nuclear test negotiations. There had been no apparent [Typeset Page 1574] softening in the Russian position on the questions at issue and we felt there should be no softening in our own position. He wanted to emphasize that the U.S. could not consider compromises in its position on the basic control questions, since to do so would run the risk of producing a treaty which the Senate would not consent to ratify. There was also a strong feeling on our part that the inspection provisions which might be adopted in the present negotiations would serve as a precedent for future arms control arrangements and thus bore an importance beyond the immediate situation. He thought it well to re-emphasize this position prior to Mr. Macmillan’s visit to Moscow.

Ambassador Caccia said that the subject would undoubtedly be raised by the Soviets with the Prime Minister and that he would transmit Mr. Herter’s views, which he thought were sound and represented the approach agreed upon between the Secretary and the Prime Minister during the former’s recent visit to London. Sir Harold then raised the question of the Department’s reactions to the memorandum which Mr. Roper had delivered to Mr. Farley on February 10 containing U.K. suggestions on how to deal with two of the points in the Soviet veto list. Without getting into the details of the British suggestions, Mr. Herter observed that he felt generally we should not advance proposals for getting around the current impasse but rather should see if the Soviets were prepared to moderate their own position in any respect.

[Facsimile Page 2]

(After the meeting Mr. Herter authorized Mr. Spiers to discuss our detailed comments on the British memorandum with the U.K. Embassy.)

  1. Source: U.S. firm position on control issues in nuclear testing suspension talks. Secret. 2 pp. NARA, RG 59, Central Files, 700.5611/2–1759.↩