Summaries of Telephone Conversations

Washington, D. C. CO SUMMARY September 29, 1945 11:10 AM TOM CORCORAN to ABE FORTAS. CORCORAN said LISTER HILL called him last night. "He told me he really had this thing in shape." AF - Well, I think I've got it pretty well licked for the time being. Let me report to you. I had a long talk with KILGORE. He is just as hot as a buzz saw on this and has got a lot of ideas about it and it's going to work. Our friend ED was up lobbying him. TC - On this? (whispering). My God, really! (whistling). AF - Yeah. TC - Boy! AF - KILGORE is just hot as a buzz saw. TC - ED is a. G d fool to do things like that, isn't he? AF - Yep, sure he is. He has got a lot of ideas and I hopped him up and he hopped me up and it was swell stuff. Two - ICKES has sent the cable. My cable reached him in Paris and he sent a cable to McCARRAN which asked me to prepare a statement which we have been working on right along, of course (snickering). I just got a cable from him; he will be back toward the end of next week. Three - I trust you saw the Continental Shelf Proclamation? TC - That's right. That helped like hell. AF - That was pretty fine, I think. Now look, TOM. Here's the play on that. I'm sure you've got it but I will just check with you. They can't possibly go ahead with the resolution on the stuff within the three mile limit because if they do that it throws all kinds of doubt-- TC - The right to go outside. AF - And nobody knows which end is up and states start claiming that they are entitled to the résources of the Continental Shelf outside the three-mile limit. They have got one hell of a fight on their hands. In other words, what we have done here is to have dumped 750,000 square miles of additional territory, newly acquired territory, into this controversy. TC - I think it was a smart move. AF - In other words this is the confusing, bewildering, engulfing technique. TC - Very smart. AF - DEAN ACHESON and I had a press conference on it yesterday and I stayed very carefully away from this aspect of it and emphasized the fact that this had been worked on for years and had no relation to the other but we pour it on them. TC - Good boy. (Both laugh) 11:20 AM TOM CORCORAN to DWIGHT PALMER, at New York. CORCORAN said he heard things were coming along. PALMER said he got a cable (from his son?) to the effect that COLONEL DAVIES said the papers had finally come through. PALMER said he still did not know where he would be assigned. CORCORAN said he'd been promised the boy would be brought home. They agree some action is finally being taken and things are beginning to jell.