Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Regulation of Armaments; Atomic Energy, Volume XX

191. Memorandum of a Conference With the President, White House, Washington, May 2, 1957¹

Washington, May 2, 1957

OTHERS PRESENT

• Secretary Herter
• Admiral Strauss
• Governor Adams
• Mr. Harlow
• Ambassador Wadsworth
• General Goodpaster

The meeting was concerned with the resistance being manifested in the Senate to prompt ratification of the International Atomic Energy Agency treaty. Admiral Strauss reviewed certain of the questions of challenges being raised against the treaty—that it is a “give away” (which it is not); that third countries would be enabled to develop atomic weapons (they will in any event, and the treaty provides a means of instituting inspection); that Red China can join the Agency (we retain the right to pull out at any time on due notice—here the President added that to get in they would have to subject themselves to inspection with much of the same result as his own air inspection proposal); that the Agency is not necessary since we have bilateral agreements (we have these with some, not all, free world countries, and many countries are not subject to inspection); that the satellites could obtain our contributions of fissionable material (in fact, we can direct our contributions to countries with whom we have bilateral treaties); that the treaty, once approved, could be amended to include provisions adverse to U.S. interest (amendment requires a ⅔ vote, we would be free to drop out of the organization in such case, and amendment could only bind us upon our ratifying it).

After some further discussion it was agreed, and the President arranged by phone, for the President to meet with Senators Knowland and Hickenlooper on this matter at 11 o’clock tomorrow.²

G
Brigadier General, USA

1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DDE Diaries. Drafted by Goodpaster on May 2. The conference was held following the NSC meeting. Another meeting was held later that day with the President, Strauss, Gerard Smith, Wadsworth, and Goodpaster, during which they discussed the arguments raised against the IAEA statute. (Memorandum of conference by Goodpaster, May 3; ibid.)
2. Eisenhower met with Knowland and Hickenlooper on May 3 from 11:02 to 11:42 a.m. (ibid.,Eisenhower Records, President’s Appointment Book for 1957), but no record of their conversation has been found in the Eisenhower Library or Department of State files.