Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, the Ambassador of Spain, and Homer Byington

DEPARTMENT OF STATE EPARTMENT SF 441 258 Memorandum of Conversation corf DATE: August 23, 1951 SUBJECT: NATIONAL Spanish-U. S. Relations ARCHIVES AND RECORDS SERVICE* PARTICIPANTS: The Spanish Ambassador The Secretary of State Mr. Byington, Director, office of Western Suropean Affairs COPIES TO: s/s Imbassy, Paris Admiral Feahteler, C.N.O. G Embassy, London Itr. Nash, Defense EUR Imbassy, Madrid BNA Mr. Spofford, London RA Mr. NacArthur, Paris WE U. S. PRINTING OFFICE 16-61120-1 The Ambassador said that he had come in to have a general exchange of views concerning the state of U.S.-Spanish rolations. He did not come in more often begause he did not vish to take too much of my time, but it would be a great help to him to have my opinion on what could be done in the way of draving our countries into closer association. He said that he felt substantial progress was in fact being made and Spain was desizous of carrying on actively in the direction in which ve vere heading. He referred particularly to the military conversations and to Ambassador Griffis' activities in Madrid, where he was very popular. I replied that with reference to the military conversations now in course, we could make the mostprogress by avoiding grandiose plans and by making our undertaking practical of accomplishment without placing too heavy a burden on the political considerations involved on the part of the other Western European nations. I said that for the present I thought it best to await the report of our military mission now in Spain and to ascertain from that report what we would be able to negotiate on a realistic and limited basis. Apart from the field of military rolations, there was the influence keenly felt in the United States of Spanish treatment of the press. I considered that it would be vory helpful to the state of our mutual DECLASSIFIED relations E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or by Dept. of State lettgr, 5-14-26 Bay. NLT. HC - NARS Date