436. Telegram Supnu 325 From Geneva1
Supnu 325. Eyes only for Herter from Wadsworth. Reference: Supnu 323.
The Sovs today gave what was evidently intended to be an indication of interest in either reducing the number of our scheduled meetings or of having an early recess.
After the regular meeting members of SovDel buttonholed difference members of USDel informally. They all asked whether we thought regular daily meetings were useful since there was obviously so little to talk about now. Tsarapkin asked US staff member what we thought about cutting down meetings to one or two a week and to another member of USDel question was asked what about two meetings a month. Usachev asked Stelle and me what our thinking was about time off for Easter, expressed opinion “US would need perhaps a month to find out where it was going”.
[Typeset Page 1592]Significance of these Sov questions may of course be primarily along lines of trying to find out what we are going to do and specifically whether early break by US in prospect. But it is difficult to interpret questions as not also indicating possible sov receptivity to idea of recess for period of Macmillan’s talks and Easter.
Accordingly we feel today that it might be easier than we had assumed yesterday to secure Sov agreement to a recess of three weeks or so after the next few days.
[Facsimile Page 2]Since Easter comes on the 29th of month it would seem easy to justify a recess until at least a few days after that date. As a matter of fact if there is any possibility that the UK position in Washington talks is such that we find it necessary to continue these negotiations for considerable period a recess which lasted for some time after the end of Macmillan visit would be highly opportune. In that event we would need through consultation and decisions as to how we were going to proceed. I feel justified by the Russian questions today and by the possible contingency that there might be a decision for further negotiations to put more strongly the recommendation for an immediate recess with a resumption date which I put forward in my yesterday’s message.
- Source: Suggests a recess in nuclear testing suspension talks. Secret. 2 pp. NARA, RG 59, Central Files, 700.5611/3–959.↩