Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "193223521",
    "label": "Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Prime Minister of Belgium Joseph Pholien, Ambassador of Belgium Robert Silvercruys, United States Ambassador to Belgium Robert Murphy, George W. Perkins, and Robert Winfree",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193223521"
}

{
    "id": "193223521",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193223521",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Prime Minister of Belgium Joseph Pholien, Ambassador of Belgium Robert Silvercruys, United States Ambassador to Belgium Robert Murphy, George W. Perkins, and Robert Winfree",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193223521",
    "collections": [
        "Dean Acheson Papers",
        "Secretary of State Files"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721928/1721928-18-01.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721928/1721928-18-01.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721928/1721928-18-01.jpg",
    "imageCount": 4,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193223521",
    "naId": 193223521,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 9,
            "logicalDate": "1951-04-09",
            "month": 4,
            "year": 1951
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 3,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-da/201181/1721928/1721928-18-03.jpg",
    "mediaId": "06aa45f5136bfa75",
    "ocrText": ". s AND\nRECORDS\nthe\n-3-\nbut that Japan could be such a power. We must have the Japanese on the\nside of the West. In the Far Eastern Commission we were presently dis-\ncussing a peace treaty with Japan. We desired always to consult with\nall our allies before taking any steps.\nPrime Minister Pholien then inquired if we felt the same way about\nTito. I replied that the Tito situation was a little more difficult\nsince we did not know exactly what Tito wanted, however, it did appear\nnow that he wanted to talk with us.\nMr. Pholien then stated that he was going to Bonn on Sunday and\nmight possibly see Adenauer. He asked if he should endeavor to orient\nAdenauer re European thinking on Western Germany. He added that the\nGerman problem was very complex and complicated and that the Belgian\nGovernment's attitude on Germany had not yet crystallized. He also\nstated that he had heard from a Swiss merchani who had been in Poland\nthat while Poland hates Russia, she hates Germany more. I told the\nPrime Minister that as far as I knew Adenauer's attitude was good and\nthat we wanted to help with the Pleven plan so that Germany would not\nbe again a menace to the peace of liestem Europe. So far not much had\nbeen accomplished, however, Foreign Minister Schuman was hope: ful that\nmeetings to provide for a European Army could be arranged and we were\nmost anxious that such meetings take place. I added that I thought he\nshould tell Adenauer to be reasonable and to endeavor to reach agree-\nment in any conversations which might take place. The Prime Minister\nreiterated his opinion that this was a very complex problem. I agreed\nand stated that we were trying to find the least difficult solution.\nAt the present time, unless Russia's attitude changed, the defense of\nEurope without Germany would be extremely difficult. With German partici-\npation, Europe's defense would be possible. If the Russian attitude\nchanged, new situations would arise which would have to be met.\nI then mentioned the AP report regarding the cutting off of ECA\naid to Belgium. Ambassador Silvercruys said that he had seen a press\ndespatch several days ago from Athens on this subject -- that it was\na very delicate matter on which ECA was very touchy. I said that we\nhad just recently transmitted a note to the Embassy in Brussels for\ndelivery to the Belgian Government stating that the Belgians must re-\nlease these attached funds or an equal sum would be withheld from their\nallotment. I added that it was unfortunate that this had burst into\nthe press. The Prime Minister stated that he didn't know too much\nabout this particular matter. He did know that Greece owed a heavy\ndebt to Belgium and that Greece had received iron and steel from\nBelgium and had to pay for it. I replied that there was no doubt\nDECLASSIFIED\non\nE. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and I(D) or (E)\nDept. of State letter, A 5-2-76\nBy NLT. HC NARS 6-2476"
}