Ask the Scholar
Page 1 of 2
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
OCR
556
PERSONAL - EYES ONLY FOR THE SECRETARY
THE FOREIGN SERVICE
141
OF VELE
UNIFEO STATES OF AMERICA
AMERICAN EMBASSY
LONDON
May 23, 1950.
My dear Dean:
You will doubtless remember our conversation the night
before you started on your homeward journey in regard to
operation Bisbee.
I have naturally thought a great deal about the matter.
It isn't necessary, I am sure, to repeat what I said before --
that I do not want this particular responsibility, nor indeed
any other responsibility. I am here only because of you,
the President and the state of world affairs, but principally
because of you and the President. With this as an unnecessary
and redundant preamble, I can say that I have some very real
deficiencies. Moreover, I do not know how long my health
would stand up under the stress of doing both jobs; that is
to say, the one I now have and the new one. If, however, you
thought that my doing it would be the best solution of the
question, there are certain general conditions under which I
would be prepared to do it for a reasonable period.
To outline these general conditions in writing would
require a memorandum which would be longer than you would want
to read and that I would want to write. One of them is that
in undertaking it, I do so in partnership, as it were, with
a powerful person to act as backstop in Washington and to move
between London and Washington at irregular intervals. Regard-
less of who undertakes to do the job, I think this sort of an
arrangement is necessary in order, in the first place, to get
the Council of Deputies off the ground and into the air; and
in the second place, to assure that the positions taken by the
Chairman of the Council with the Deputies had the full support
of Washington. I would not be concerned whether the person
who will act as backstop in Washington was Chairman and I was
Vice Chairman to keep the matter in the air while he was in
Washington. This is a matter of title and not of substance.
If, however, someone other than the Ambassador to London
becomes the Chairman, than I think the terms of reference of
The Honorable
DECLASSIFIED
The Secretary of State,
STATE 2TA. 6-12-79
Washington 25, D. C.
E.O. 10265
By NCT.HC NARS, Date 9-12-79
Page data
- Page
- 1
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 1fc7b3108f67a28a
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 183391898
- Core
- doc
- Type
- document
DTO data
{
"id": "183391898",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391898",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Letter from Ambassador Lewis Douglas to Secretary of State Dean Acheson",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391898",
"collections": [
"Dean Acheson Papers",
"Secretary of State Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721918/1721918-07-01.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721918/1721918-07-01.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721918/1721918-07-01.jpg",
"imageCount": 2,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "183391898",
"label": "Letter from Ambassador Lewis Douglas to Secretary of State Dean Acheson",
"core": "doc",
"dtoType": "document",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391898"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "183391898",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391898",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Letter from Ambassador Lewis Douglas to Secretary of State Dean Acheson",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391898",
"collections": [
"Dean Acheson Papers",
"Secretary of State Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721918/1721918-07-01.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721918/1721918-07-01.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721918/1721918-07-01.jpg",
"imageCount": 2,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Document source extras
{
"url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183391898",
"naId": 183391898,
"levelOfDescription": "item",
"productionDates": [
{
"day": 23,
"logicalDate": "1950-05-23",
"month": 5,
"year": 1950
}
],
"recordType": "description",
"ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}
Page context
{
"seq": 1,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721918/1721918-07-01.jpg",
"mediaId": "1fc7b3108f67a28a",
"ocrText": "556\nPERSONAL - EYES ONLY FOR THE SECRETARY\nTHE FOREIGN SERVICE\n141\nOF VELE\nUNIFEO STATES OF AMERICA\nAMERICAN EMBASSY\nLONDON\nMay 23, 1950.\nMy dear Dean:\nYou will doubtless remember our conversation the night\nbefore you started on your homeward journey in regard to\noperation Bisbee.\nI have naturally thought a great deal about the matter.\nIt isn't necessary, I am sure, to repeat what I said before --\nthat I do not want this particular responsibility, nor indeed\nany other responsibility. I am here only because of you,\nthe President and the state of world affairs, but principally\nbecause of you and the President. With this as an unnecessary\nand redundant preamble, I can say that I have some very real\ndeficiencies. Moreover, I do not know how long my health\nwould stand up under the stress of doing both jobs; that is\nto say, the one I now have and the new one. If, however, you\nthought that my doing it would be the best solution of the\nquestion, there are certain general conditions under which I\nwould be prepared to do it for a reasonable period.\nTo outline these general conditions in writing would\nrequire a memorandum which would be longer than you would want\nto read and that I would want to write. One of them is that\nin undertaking it, I do so in partnership, as it were, with\na powerful person to act as backstop in Washington and to move\nbetween London and Washington at irregular intervals. Regard-\nless of who undertakes to do the job, I think this sort of an\narrangement is necessary in order, in the first place, to get\nthe Council of Deputies off the ground and into the air; and\nin the second place, to assure that the positions taken by the\nChairman of the Council with the Deputies had the full support\nof Washington. I would not be concerned whether the person\nwho will act as backstop in Washington was Chairman and I was\nVice Chairman to keep the matter in the air while he was in\nWashington. This is a matter of title and not of substance.\nIf, however, someone other than the Ambassador to London\nbecomes the Chairman, than I think the terms of reference of\nThe Honorable\nDECLASSIFIED\nThe Secretary of State,\nSTATE 2TA. 6-12-79\nWashington 25, D. C.\nE.O. 10265\nBy NCT.HC NARS, Date 9-12-79"
}