DEPARTMENT OF STATE Memorandum of Conversation
DATE: July 8, 1949
SUBJECT: Atlantic Pact and the Military Assistance program.
PARTICIPANTS: M. Bonnet, French Ambassador The Secretary of State Mr. T. C. Achilles, Office of European Affairs
COPIES TO: S/S, U, G, C, S/P, WE, EUR, General Greunther
The Ambassador called at his request to discuss the Atlantic Pact and military assistance. I told him that we expected the Senate to approve the Pact on July 12 or 13 and that the Military Assistance Program would be introduced immediately thereafter. He expressed satisfaction and said that the fact that MAP had been introduced would be of assistance to Schuman in the Assembly's debate on the pact.
I took occasion to hand him my reply to the aide memoire which M. Schuman had given me on June 16. In doing so I stated that I was somewhat puzzled by M. Schuman's reference to "assurances" he had received in Washington. I recalled that we had told him we planned to make every effort to secure passage of MAP at this session and that we contemplated French representation on whatever military executive committee might be established under the Pact but that I had certainly not given him, and obviously could not give anyone, assurances of a strategic nature. Strategic plans must be worked out by the military authorities in the light of discussions held in the Pact organization.
He inquired as to the progress of our thinking on the organization. I said that the various aspects of the matter were still under study in the National Military Establishment and this Department but that we continued to feel definitely that France should be represented on any small military executive committee which might be established.
He inquired whether we envisaged the headquarters of the organization as being in Washington and expressed considerable concern when I said that neither we nor the military had reached any decision on location or even formulated any particular views about it. He said that he had been given to understand some weeks ago that we strongly favored Washington and that our views must have changed. I assured him that I had heard nothing from the National Military Establishment on this subject and Mr. Achilles added that he had also heard nothing on it in numerous informal discussions with the NME and that certainly it was not a case of a position having been adopted and changed.
After leaving my office he repeatedly reiterated to Mr. Achilles his belief that we had reached a decision and changed it despite the latter's emphatic denials that there was any basis for his belief. He had obviously advised his government that we favored Washington and was upset at having to correct that impression.
Dean Acheson
AGR:TCAchilles:man 7/8/49