Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of Great Britain Sir Oliver Franks, Averell Harriman, H. Freeman Matthews, and George Perkins

343 223 DEPARTMENT OF STATE my FOP SECRET Be Memorandum of Conversation 1015 DATE: August 3, 1950 SUBJECT: Proposed U.K. Note Relating to Increased Military Effort; China. crif PARTICIPANTS: Sir oliver Franks, British Ambassador; Mr. Dean Acheson, Secretary of State; Mr. W. Averell Harriman, Special Assistant to the President; Mr. H. Freeman Matthews, Deputy Under Secretary of State; and Mr. George W. Perkins, Assistant Secretary of State. COPIES TO: s/s G BNA 1-1493 Sir Oliver oame in to disouss the proposed note which the U.K. wss planning to deliver to the American Enbassy in London in connection with their increased military effort. He prefaced his remarica by saying that in considering the situation we should allow for the fact that ten days ago we had been pressing for a statement from the U.K. and that the fact that the state- ment appeared less urgent to us now did not alter the fact that it had been prepared in answer to our request. He then said that he had heard from London in connection with the deletions which had been discussed with Mr. Perkins the previous evening. London was unwilling to drop the part of paragraph 3 suggested for deletion, and I agreed that this was not of great importance. Sir Oliver said that they were, however, propared to make the deletions in paragraphs 6 and 7 which had been sug- gested. I stated that we felt this to be very important and urged strongly that this be done. Mr. Harriman raised the question of the negative tone of the note and folt that the way in which the increased effort was being presented percentage-wise did TRUMAN not do justice to what the U.K. was in fact doing. ARCHIVES "NATIONAL RECORDS AND Sir Oliver SERVICE" FOP SECRET