481. Memorandum of Conversation1

US/MC/164
[Facsimile Page 1]

PARTICIPANTS

    • United States
    • The Secretary
    • U.S.S.R
    • Mr. Gromyko

SUBJECT

  • Disarmament Negotiations

After the discussion on Geneva Conference matters following lunch today, the Secretary raised with Gromyko the questions of renewing disarmament negotiations. He said that he was prepared now to discuss with Gromyko his ideas on a suitable form for carrying on negotiations which are now in suspension. The Secretary’s view would be the negotiating group should be small, and he had understood from Gromyko’s conversation with Secretary General Hammarskjold that he shared this view. It was clear to the Secretary that if the negotiating group is to be a workable organ, membership in it should be restricted to parties with a high degree of technical competence and with a real sense of responsibility with regard to the disarmament problem. The Secretary would prefer therefore that the negotiating body not include neutral countries since, for the most part, they are lacking in the requisite technical competence and their presence therefore would [Facsimile Page 2] probably [illegible in the original] the discussions. The Secretary [illegible in the original] the United States, the United Kingdom [illegible in the original] the Soviet Union, Poland and Czechoslovakia [illegible in the original] which to consider the Secretary [illegible in the original] could lunch with him Friday or Saturday [illegible in the original] to carry on their discussion of the problem.

  1. Source: Resumption of disarmament negotiations. Secret. 2 pp. NARA, RG 59, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199.