Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of Great Britain Oliver Franks, John Jernegan, and Llewellyn Thompson

198 s/s DEPARTMENT OF STATE 80 Memorandum of Conversation DATE: March 15, 1949 SUBJECT: Revised Britich Attitude on Proposed Statement on Greece, Turkey, and Iran. PARTICIPANTS: The British Ambassador. The Secretary. Llewellyn a. Thompson, Deputy Director, **ATIONAL BUR. RECORDS AMD of gamer (?) prisin SERVICE* Also Present: John D. Jernegan, Chief, OTI. COPIES TO: BUR WE G C P UNA 1-1493 Ambassador Franks handed me the attached draft extract from a proposed statement by Mr. Bevin in the House of Commons. He also let me read a telegram he had just received from london, the substance of which was as follows: (1) Mr. Bevin's proviously expressed views regarding the necessity for making a special declaration regarding Oreece, Turkey, and perhaps Tran, at the time of signing the Atlantic Pact had been his own views. He had now discovered that they did not correspond with those of his colleagues in the Cabinet. (2) It was therefore the present view of the British Governnent that the only special statement regarding the three countries in question which should be made by Great Britain should be incorporated in lir. Bevin's speech on the Atlantie Pact. That is, there should be no separate, more or less formal, declaration issued at the time of signature of the Pact (3) Purthermore, the Cahinet did not wish to make special reference to Iran even in Mr. Bevin's speech. (4) Mr. Bevin realized that this change in the proposed course of action might be disappointing, especially to the Greeks and the Turks, but he was inclined to think that it might be less disappointing than the issuance of a separate decla- ration of the limited nature which tre had had under consideration. lie believed that what Turkey, in particular, expected and wanted was a formal commitment ratified by the U.S. Senate binding the U.S., and Groat Britain, to go to war if Turkey should DECLASSIFIED be E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) Dept. of State letter, Aug.5,1973 7-23-25 NLT. HC : NARS Date 4-2076