91. Editorial Note

On January 30, Murphy reviewed for Dulles the background of the tripartite talks and said both the French and the British were bringing military representatives, General Gelée and Admiral Denny, to the talks on the Far East scheduled for the following week. Murphy said he would ask the Department of Defense to select a high-ranking U.S. military representative and would discuss the matter at the State–JCS meeting later that morning. Secretary Dulles agreed that there was no objection to the participation of military representatives, including a senior U.S. military representative, at these talks. (Memorandum of conversation by Murphy, January 30; Department of State, Central Files, 700.5/1–3059)

At the State–JCS meeting on January 30, Murphy reviewed the developments in the tripartite political talks he was holding with the British and French Ambassadors on the de Gaulle proposals and the [Page 169] French desire for including military and strategic planning talks. He reported that at the series of talks beginning on February 3, the French Ambassador would be accompanied by General Gelée and the British Ambassador by Admiral Denny, and Murphy requested the JCS to appoint a high-ranking U.S. officer to work with him under the title of “military observer.” Murphy reiterated the Department’s desire to avoid formalization of a tripartite consultative organization which would be destructive to NATO. He characterized the U.S. and British participation in the talks as stalling, although he said the United States would try to meet the French position, wherever possible, without damage to the basic policies of the United States. He said the United States had not agreed to military talks with the French on any other than an ad hoc basis and that the Department was trying to eliminate any strategic discussions from the talks, trying particularly to ensure that the talks did not proceed in a NATO context. The record of this meeting indicates that the JCS later confirmed to Murphy the appointment of Admiral Dennison, Chief of Plans and Policy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, as the U.S. military observer. (Ibid., State–JCS Meetings: Lot 61 D 417)