800.796/716
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Berle)
Mr. Wershof62a came in to say that they had heard from the Canadian Government regarding exploratory air conversations, as follows:
- (1)
- The arrangement suggested was entirely acceptable to the Canadian Government;
- (2)
- They suggested conversations be held in Ottawa but would be prepared to consider any other suggestion;
- (3)
- They hoped we would give them very promptly our general ideas so that (j. D. Howe, who would be doing the talking, could consider them;
- (4)
- Mr. Howe is expected to make a full-dress speech in the Canadian Parliament tomorrow (March 17).63 He had promised to do this earlier. In the course of the speech he expected to put on the table the draft convention which the Canadians had proposed to us as embodying their tentative conclusions.
Mr. Wershof explained that they had not wished to make this draft convention public, still less to be in the position of advancing a “Canadian plan”. Unhappily, the fact that this document had leaked [Page 417] through London to Mr. Wayne Parrish, and that he had published it, now made it necessary for them to state the facts. He pointed out that as to the “leak” they could absolve us. The document had actually been delivered to the State Department on Saturday, March 11, and it now developed that Mr. Wayne Parrish had had it a couple of weeks before that. I told him we had known from London that he had had it.
I said that our only desire was to keep matters on a wholly exploratory level and keep them as quiet as possible. We did not consider that we were settling anything at this point—merely opening exchanges of ideas on a subject which would probably take quite a bit of time—hence I hoped matters could be kept quiet lest people get the idea that commitments were being made, whereas, of course, they were not being made. Mr. Wershof said his Government understood that perfectly.
I told him I would try to get such material for him as we had to offer, as nearly as possible a week before talks actually started. Mr. Wershof said this would be of value: Mr. Howe could then consult his Government about them rather than give snap opinions.