Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Foreign Minister of Iceland Bjarni Benediktsson, and Others

Copy 3 of 11 DECLASSiriED E 200 sis E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or DEPARTMENT OF STATE 7-23-23 of State letter, Dept. He : NARS Date 4-20-76 Memorandum of Conversation Restructed 86 ARCHIVE# AND roe OBCRET "NATIONAL SERVICE" RECORDS DATE: March 17, 1949 SUBJECT: Final Visit of Icelandie Foreign Minister PARTICIPANTS: Mr. Bjarni Benediktsson, Foreign Minister of Iceland Mr. Eysteinn Jonsson, Leader, Progressive Party Mr. Emil Jonsson, Leader, Social Democratic Party Mr. Thor Thors, Minister of Iceland The Secretary COPIES TO: Mr. Gross, Assistant Secretary XXXXXXXX Mr. John D. Hickersen, Director, EUR Mr. Benjamin M. Hulley, Chief, NOE Copies to: s/s; H; 0; EUR; WE; NOE; American Legation, Reykjavik -1493 The Foreign Minister expressed appreciation of the full and frank discussions with my colleagues on the many questions which he asked. He said he had been a sort of Spanish inquisitor and that the way in which his questions had been inswered could not have been more satisfactory. He thought he had all the informa- tion necessary to explain the Pact to the people of Ice- land. He had no other questions to bring up. I thanked him for his kind statement and assured him it had been a pleasure to have him and his colleagues here to engage in the talks which this visit made possible. (A joint press release was agreed to. ) I said that I understood from Mr. Hickerson that the phrase "including the use of armed forces" in Article 5 was troubling the Foreign Minister and that a suggestion had been made that in a brief speech incidental to the signing ceremony, he might mention the special status of Iceland as a country without armed forces. There would undoubtedly be speeches made by each Foreign Minister at that time and I thought it would be proper to follow this suggestion if the Icelandie Foreign Minister so desired. Mr. Bened ktsson thanked me but said that he would want to discuss with his colleagues the best manner of handling this and he would not decide it until after his return to Iceland. Mr. Gross