396.1 GE/7–1954: Telegram

The United States Delegation to the Department of State

top secret
niact

Secto 659. Eyes only for the Secretary from the Under Secretary. Reference your Tosec 565.1

  • Paragraph 1. No. I gave the background of thinking on this in my Secto 638.2
  • Paragraph 2. I am fully aware limitations of executive power and authority in this matter and have and will continue to use constitutional argument as necessary. As I reported in my Secto 638, I made [Page 1448] it clear that United States cannot join in any guarantee and will not even join any proposal declaring conference members will in future consult.

I have reason to be well satisfied with what we have been able thus far to accomplish with Eden and Mendes-France, and am particularly gratified at progress have been able to make with Eden on SEATO. See my Sectos 6443 and 649.4 In the event of failure conference Eden is prepared make immediate declaration, and even if conference succeeds is prepared to go ahead very quickly along lines for which we have long been working.

In the latter case he asked for two to three weeks to work on Colombo powers in order to get at least benevolent neutrality.

Smith
  1. Dated July 18, p. 1429.
  2. Dated July 18, p. 1405.
  3. Dated July 18, p. 1434.
  4. Dated July 18, p. 1439.