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- Part of Dean Acheson Papers, Princeton Seminars Files
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OCR Page 1 of 1810/11/53 - Reel 5. track 1 - Page 1
MR. HARRINAN: I might add that I felt that the Europeans completely mi sunderstood
the position of our military committee and of our defense - and
at the meetings of the defense ministers, because they could not
(speak
conceive that anyone would( seek, as one part of the United States
Dovernment; and I felt at The Hague, when this Medium Term Defense
Plan was accepted in principle, subject to economic capabilities,
it was done because the Europeans felt that we were prepared to
do very much more than had even been considered or contemplated.
The last subject I might touch on was the discussions wa had
with Mr. Attlee then he was in Washington the latter part of
1950, wasn't it, Dean?
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MR. ACHESON: Yes.
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MR. HARRIMAN:
about the British expanding their military effort. I think -
I remember at that time the British were improving their position
rather rapidly, and misjudged the permanency of it, and the
Labour Government did lay down a program, a military program for
the British which substantially doubled their expenditures, and
was one in which the Conservatives, in spite of Churchill's
desire to carry on the maximum program, have had great difficulty
in maintaining. You will recall. Dean, our talk with Attlee
at my house, when ve explained to him that the United States was
going to make a very much larger effort, and unless the British
were to take the lead in doing something comparable to it, it
would be very difficult to continue to get American public opinion
to support the NATO effort. It seems to me that is about enough,
unless there is some other question. I think that what George
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