Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Lucius D. Battle

372 corf TOP SECRE 309 November 6, 1950 In a meeting in the Secretary's office this morning on the question of what we say publicly to the press about the Russian note to the three powers suggesting a Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, the Secretary said that he thought that we should not be in any great hurry to reply. He then said that he felt that we would want some statement which could either be direct or indirect. After some discussion, he was inclined to think we should have a brief statement prepared which he could issue or make in his press con- ference on Wednesday and a longer background type of statement which could come from "informed sources" in the Government. The question of how the leak was to be made was left somewhat open. Consideration was given to having Mr. Matthews hold a back- ground conference, give out a statement as coming from "informed sources" on the Voice of America with a later release of what was given on the Voice or possibly calling in two or three select cor- respondents. With regard to what was told in the statement from "informed sources", the Secretary seemed to feel that something along the following might be used: The request that a CFM be conuened by the U.S.S.R. is to discuss a subject on which the three Governments sent a note to the U.S.S.R. in May (check date). No answer to this note was made until now. It is interesting that such a lengthy period has passed before a reply was made to the note from the three powers to the U.S.S.R., and that the reply is along the lines of "we aren't, you are". When the last meeting of the four Foreign Ministers took place, it was as a result of the decision of the U.S.S.R. to lift the blockade on Berlin. At that meeting it took some five weeks for any progress and this progress was substantially on the question of an Austrian treaty. At that time there ap- peared to be an agreement on this subject, but there has still been no real progress toward the treaty. At that meeting an effort was made to work out the question of the unification of Berlin. There was no tangible result of this - only propaganda. TRUMAN 5° ARCHIVES "NATIONAL SERVICE" AND for RECORDS COVERAGE TOP