Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of the Philippines Carlos Romulo, and U. Alexis Johnson

1231 TOENTIAL SECURITY INFORMATION DEPARTMENT OF STATE Sts DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E) Memorandum of Conversation 1014 Dept. of State letter, Aug. 9, 1973 307 Bz NLT-HC , NARS Date, 1-29-76 DATE:October 7, 1952 SUBJECT: Philippine Participation in Southeast Asia Military Conversations PARTICIPANTS: The Secretary Ambassador Romulo, Philippine Embassy FE - U. Alexis Johnson, Acting Assistant Secretary COPIES TO: s/s FE EUR PSA Defense - Mr. Nash S/A - Ambassador Jessup U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 16-61120-1 The Ambassador stated that he had asked to see the Secretary under instructions of President Quirino who had called him at 2:00 a.m. Philippine time in great agitation over Philippine exclusion from the present military talks in Washington on Southeast Asia. He stated that as the Secretary was out of town yesterday he had called to discuss the matter with Mr. Foster and Frank Nash of Defense. He stated that the President said Philippine newspapers and the political opposition were headlining the fact that for a second time (the first being the ANZUS Conference) the Philippines have been excluded from a meeting of great interest to them and the President as well as Romulo had been placed in a very difficult position to answer the opposition. He stated that Mr. Foster had yesterday suggested to him that President Quirino announce that a meeting would be held in Manila on October 24 with Mr. Foster, Admiral Radford, Mr. lash and Mr. Allison to diseuss mutual defense problems. The Secretary stated that he thought this was a good idea and should do much to overcome Quirino's difficulties. Ambassador Romulo indicated that immediately on his arrival in New York this morning he would telephone Quirino and make this suggestion to him. The Secretary stated that the interpretation put on the present military meetings in the Philippine press was of course erroneous and most unfortunate. All of us had been concerned for some time over what would happen in event of invasion of Southeast Asia and who would do what. The French were of course primarily responsible in Indo-china and the British in Malaya and because of their Commonwealth obligations, New Zealand and Australia were also directly concerned with the Malayan situation. I DERTIA. SECURITY INFORMATION