Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of Great Britain Sir Oliver Franks, and W. Walton Butterworth

SUBRET Return To the S/S 6082 DEPARTMENT OF STATE Returnte for Memorandum of Conversation office DATE: December 8, 1949 "NATIONAL SUBJECT: ARCHIVES SERVICE'* AND RECORDS Japanese Peace Treaty 271 PARTICIPANTS: Coof 317 Sir Oliver Franks, British Ambassador The Secretary Mr. W. Walton Butterworth, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs COPIES TO: S U G EUR FE NA 1-1493 There was apparently received at the British Embassy the attached message from Mr. Bevin to me while the British Ambassador was talking with me this morning and he sent it over by hand upon his return to the Embassy. We met at my house before dinner and I pointed out to him that Mr. Bevin's message dealt with two matters. In the first place, it addressed itself to the desirability of Mr. Bevin's having the United States views before the convening of the Ceylon Conference and, in the second place, to having consultations before U. S. policy was finally settled. As regards point one, the reason that I had sent my message to Mr. Bevin was to warn him as far in advance as possible of the fact, regrettable though it was, that it seemed un- likely that due to the developing complexities with which the military authorities of this Government found themselves faced, that the tentative time schedule could be met. I simply could not give Mr. Bevin a U. S. Oovernment position on these matters when the U. S. Government position had not yet been able to be evolved and I greatly regretted that this was the fact. As regards point two, there was no question of the U. S. Government reaching a hard and fast decision which was not subject to discussion and possible modification. The DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E) Dept. of State letter, Reg-5.1973 2.25.253 By NLT- He : NARS Date 4-28-76 -