Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Charles Murphy

1006 Apr il 13, 1949 MEMORANDOM OF CONVERSATION ARCHIVES AND 'NATIONAL RECORDS WITH MR. CHARLES MURPHY SERVICE* Congressional Responaibility for St. Levrence Benvay Mr. Charles Murphy called on me at the President's request. The purpose of his call was to discuss a proposed transfer from the Department of State to the Department of Commerce of responsibility for the pre- sentation to Congress of the St. Lawrence Seavay legis- lation. The President wished Mr. Murphy to give me the President's thought on the matter and to ask for my comments. The President's thought was thet the Department of State has a very heavy legislative-schedule. This schedule will probably require more time and effort than the officers of the Department can readily give to it. To add to this responsibility that for the St. Lawrence Seavay will over burden the Department and necessarily eut down on the time and effort which it em give to ench of the projects. The Department of Commerce does not have a heavy schedule. The Secre- tary of Commerce is a lawyer of grest capacity and vigor and has h d success with his legislative programs. He can give much more personal attention to the St. Lawrence Seavay matter than I could give. Further- more, the Department of State is deeply interested in the St. Lawrence and will cooperate fully in presenting it. The administration case vill be strengthened by having enother Department put its full energy into it instead of merely cooperating. I told Mr. Murphy that he could assure the President that any suggestion of his would be most completely and loyally carried out by the Department. Since the Prosi- dent had asked for my comments, they vere that I thought such a transfer of responsibility as had been suggested was very vise, both for the reasons vhich Mr. Murphy