Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Mr. Hoffman, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Dirk Stikker, Ambassador Averell Harriman, Mr. Fack, and Edwin Martin

297 March 1, 1950 68 MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION PRESENT: The Secretary Foreign Minister Stikker can Mr. Hoffman Ambassador Harriman Mx. Fack c Assistant to Stikker Mr. Edwin M. Martin o EUR/RA SUBJECT: Exchange of Views between the Secretary and the Netherlands Foreign Minister on Certain Aspects of European Association, with Particular Reference to Economic Problems COPIES TO: The Secretary Mr. George W. Perkins, EUR Mr. Henry R. Labouisse, Jr. - BNA Mr. Theodore C. Achilles, WE a ARCHIVES NATIONAL RECORDS SERVICE" AND Mx. Dallas W. Dort 6 E es Mr. George C. McGhee 0 NEA Mr. Hoffman Ambassador Harriman Mr. Edwin M. Martin, RA The Foreign Minister opened the discussion with an account of his recent visit in London. He found Mr. Bevin much improved in health since his trip to Colombo and with considerable enthusiasm about pro- gress toward Euronean integration. Mr. Bevin assured him that the British wanted a Payments Union and promised him a definite proposal to meet U.K. worries before he left London. Unfortunately this had not been possible and the Foreign Minister had received a cable from Bevin only yesterday indicating it would be a matter of a couple of weeks, presumably in view of the results of the election. He did indicate, however, that the Treasury had develaped a plan which they hoped would be acceptable. He found Sir Stafford Cripps considerably less enthusiastic but still pretty mich committed to doing something to make the Payments Union possible. During his visit he also discussed FINEBEL with Mro Bevin and Mr. Cripps. He did go in the light of a French Cabinet decision, reported at the FINEBEL meeting in Paris by Mr. Schnider, to the effect that Germany could be included only if the British had no objections and if ECA was will- ing to provide additicnal dollars to cover potential deficits with Gernany. He found Mr. Bevin more strongly opposed to FINEBEL than Sir Stafford, and interpreted this as a reflection of Mr. Bevin's more active interest in European integration generallyo In discussing DECLASSIFIED 43y BYNLT-AL NARS, Date 29.4.79