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Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Berle)
At lunch with Lord Beaverbrook today, he gave his ideas as to the possible course of civil aviation matters. He said that he was under instructions to maintain the desire for a strong international body which could regulate civil aviation matters. He was fully aware of our position, which was that we could not assent to this. I gathered, however, from the conversation that at an appropriate time the British Government will recede from its position. Lord Beaverbrook, indeed, indicated that there would have to be several days battle at an international conference before this would be achieved.
He said that he thought the situation had progressed to a point where the parties really interested ought to sit down and begin talking about routes in advance of an international conference. We had stated what we wanted; the Netherlands had stated what they wanted. The British would be able to lay down a map on relatively short notice. Probably the other parties principally interested could do likewise. [Page 510] His idea was that we first talk routes, and not talk frequencies. Frequencies could be left for a later stage—possibly an international conference. Routes, especially at this stage of the game, he thought would have to be determined by reasonable give and take between all parties interested—a thoroughly flexible arrangement which could develop as events move forward.
I told him that in the more recent conversations, especially with the Netherlands, somewhat the same idea had been expressed. I would tell him very soon whether he had better send for his route experts while he was here. In any event we should like to know what their plans were since we had already stated our own.