Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

the NLT Caral Aide/183 OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE DECLASSIFIED WASHINGTON State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 By DEB NLT, Date 9-4-85 March 16, 1951 TPRET SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS OUR-POWER - At the tenth session of the Paris talks on EXPLORATORY TALKS Thursday Ambassador Jessup introduced a new agreed tripartite version of item 1: "Examination of the causes of present international tensions in Europe and of the means to secure a real and lasting improvement in the relations be - tween the USSR, US, UK and France, such as: the existing level of arma- ments, its effect on the question of the demilitarization of Germany, and the means for the control and reduction of armaments; measures to eliminate the fear of aggression; fulfillment of present treaty obligations. 11 The immediate Soviet reaction was nega- - tive and the Soviet delegate replied with a lengthy harangue in which he con- - tended that the Western Powers were introducing a new argument when they brought up the question of the existing level of armaments. He also reiterated that any agenda acceptable to the Soviets must contain the question of German demilitarization. SPAIN Ambassador Griffis has had a first talk of substantive political importance with General Franco. Having mentioned to Franco in the course of conversation that the US was interested in the viewpoint of the Spanish Government con- cerning defense against Communism, and specifically concerning Western Europe, Franco launched into a 40 minute monologue. Franco began with the failure of the Republic following Communist infiltration, story of the Revolution, and his bitterness against England and France who had heaped insults on Spain for the past fifteen years. Turning to the present situation Franco said that while he believed that England had guts and might fight, France was utterly unreliable and it was quite possible that should the US continue to arm the European countries it might find both England and France taking a position of armed neutrality in any open war between the US and Russia. Nevertheless, under any conceivable conditions, Spain would defense itself. Franco stated that while England had entered into a defensive treaty with the US against Russia, she had not denounced her existing treaty of friendship, offensive and defensive, with Russia.