DEPARTMENT OF STATE Memorandum of Conversation
July 25, 1949
SUBJECT: General Ne Win's Call on the Secretary
PARTICIPANTS: General Ne Win, Deputy Prime Minister of Burma U So Nyun, Ambassador of Burma Mr. Dean Acheson - Secretary of States Mr. George C. McGhee, Assistant Secretary R. E. Usher, SOA
COPIES TO: S NEA SOA AMEMBASSY, RANGOON
General Ne Win, Deputy Prime Minister of Burma, paid a courtesy call on me this afternoon. He was accompanied by the Ambassador of Burma to the United States. I opened the conversation with some general comments about General Ne Win's journey from Rangoon to Washington and commented upon the shortness of his stay here. The General replied cordially saying that he regretted his visit to the U.S. must be so brief.
Mr. McGhee told me that while the General had been waiting to see me he had discussed his attitude toward the possibility of Burma's return to the British Commonwealth. The General had told Mr. McGhee that the Burmese have no intention of seeking dominion status within the Commonwealth, and that they had made up their minds on this point very definitely before making their decision to leave the Commonwealth in the first place.
Mr. McGhee brought up the subject of the Point Four Program saying that he had also been discussing this matter very briefly with the General and the General had indicated an interest in it. Mr. McGhee added that Burma seemed to be a country which the Point Four Program suited very well. Both General Ne Win and the Burmese Ambassador seemed to be quite interested in these observations and I commented favorably on the probable usefulness of the Point Four Program and mentioned the fact that the bill for the establishment of a Point Four Program is now before Congress.
I told General Ne Win that I had had long conversations with Ambassador Huddle, our Ambassador at Rangoon, on the situation in Burma and I understand that they have had to face very grave problems in Burma since the end of the war.
Ambassador So Nyun observed that the general situation has been improving in recent months, although several months ago the outlook had been extremely serious. He emphasized that the most important consideration was the fact that much of the insurgent held rice growing area had recently been recovered by Government forces.
General Ne Win observed that he had not had much contact with our Embassy staff in Rangoon, because he was not socially inclined and tried to stay away from social affairs and, of course, his onerous duties in Burma necessitated his reducing his social activities to an absolute minimum.
I said that we were very glad that General ne Win had come to see the U.S., and that if there was any way in which we could be of help to him while here we would be most pleased to be of assistance. General Ne Win thanked me for this expression of interest in his visit and after a few remarks of a general nature he expressed appreciation of the interview and made his departure.
NEA:SOA:REUsher:rk