Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State and Members of the House of Representatives

15 DEPARTMENT OF STATE CONFI DEAMTAL Memorandum of Conversation 58 DATE: February 4, 1949. SUBJECT: The Atlantic Pact SERVICE" PARTICIPANTS: Secretary of State Acheson Cong. Sol Bloom Charles E. Bhlen Cong. John Kee Cong. Helen Gahagan Douglas Cong. Charles A. Eaton Cong. John M. Vorys COPIES TO: S - The Secretary U - Mr. Webb G - Mr. Rusk L - Mr. Gross EUR - Mr. Hickerson epo 1-1493 At the request of Mr. Bloom, I received the Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee thie morning consisting of the following representatives: Mr. Bloom, Judge Kee, Mrs. Douglas, Dr. Eaton and Mr. Vorys. The purpose of the visit was to express the desire of the Foreign Affairs Committee that the North Atlantic Pact be presented to the Congress as a joint resolution and not as a treaty. In support of this contention, the following arguments were introduced: 1. The pact was a multilateral convention and not a bilateral treaty and as such should be considered, as UNRRA had been considered, as a joint resolution by the Congress. 2. Since the obligation to assist other countries might involve the United States in hostilities it touched directly upon the war-making powers of Congrees which under the Constitution brought the House directly in. 3. Since the pact would require implementing legis- lation and appropriations for the supply of arms, the House should be given an opportunity to consider the DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E) 7.23.75 Dept. of State letter, Aug 9,1973 Bx NLT- HK : NARS Date 4.20.76