Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Bernard M. Baruch

298 ARCHIVES 2 GOVER IOP SECRE 71 March 3, 1950 conf Mr. Bernard M. Baruch called upon me today. The call was arranged in the following way. The Secretary of Defense telephoned to me to say that General Bradley and Under Secretary Early had been staying with Mr. Baruch in South Carolina. During their visit Mr. Baruch expressed his desire to give me certain information relating to conversations which he had had with Mr. Gromyko. Secretary Johnson thought that it would be advisable for me to see Mr. Baruch. I said that I would be glad to see him and the meeting was therefore arranged. The Gromyko Matter: Mr. Baruch began with a lengthy discussion of his relationship with Mr. Gromyko, with whom he had been thrown in close contact during his service on the Atomic Energy Commission of the United Nations. He and Mr. Gromyko had established friendly relations, even though they had violent public disagreements as to policy. Mr. Gromyko continually expressed the view that the United States was making no effort to reach agreement on the control of atomic energy or the atomic bomb and repeated an alleged observation of Marshal Stalin that the United States never gave the Soviet Union anything which could cause it to make concessions in any area. At one point Mr. Baruch stated to Mr. Gromyko his belief that if he could see Marshal Stalin he could convince him of the error of his views in this and other matters. After some general conversa- tion in which Mr. Gromyko said that Mr. Baruch was regarded in Russia as an enemy of the Soviet Union, Gromyko decided to consider the matter further. Later on he informed Mr. Baruch that he could have a visa for the Soviet Union and that he could talk with any of the government officials that he wanted except possibly Marshal Stalin, although that matter would have to be decided later on. He could also go wh ere he wished. Mr. Baruch said that he had the question of the propriety of his going put up to Secretary Marshall, although not directly by Mr. Baruch, and was told by Secretary Marshall that he was in favor of the trip. Mr. Baruch was going to Europe in any event in the summer of 1948. He went to Europe, Mr. Gromyko telling DECLASSIFIED TOP SECRET E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 12.29.75 5(D) or E Dept. of State letter, 17-3-1973 Bar NLT- HC NARS Date6-4-26