790.5/12–2951: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in France 1
top secret
Washington, December 29, 1951—6:37 p. m.
3743. Dept is advised that Gen Bradley as Chairman JCS extended invitations Dec 28 in form of memo to Gen Ely as Chief of Fr Mil Mission Wash and Air Chief Marshal Sir Wm Elliott as Chairman of the Brit Joint Services Mission Wash to the Fr and Brit Chiefs of Staff to attend a tripartite mil conf on SEA to be held in Wash on or about Jan 14, 1952.
Highlights from the two identical memoranda fol:
- (a)
- Conf “to be without commitment on the part of the US JCS.”
- (b)
- SEA must be considered in the light of the world-wide implications of the situation;
- (c)
- Views of the Fr and Brit JCS as previously presented including note presented to Bradley by de Chanvigne on Nov 28 in Rome2 are now under study in connection with the coming conf.
- (d)
- JCS suggest that the conf deal primarily with discussion of measures to implement recommendations made at the Singapore Conf;
- (f)
- [sic] Suggested that the Chiefs of Staff of the three nations take the opportunity of the conversations to exchange informal views with re to SEA.
- (g)
- Detailed arrangements to be made thru consultations of the three representatives here.
You may inform the Brit and Fr Govts accordingly even though they have undoubtedly already recd notice thru mil channels.
Acheson
- Also sent to London as telegram 3118.↩
- The “Note on Southeast Asia” circulated by the French at a tripartite meeting at Rome on November 28 suggested that military staff talks be held. The text of the French note was transmitted to the Department of State by the Embassy in London in despatch No. 2831, December 27, not printed. (790.5/12–2751)↩