DEPARTMENT OF STATE Memorandum of Conversation
DATE: July 16, 1950
SUBJECT:
PARTICIPANTS: Sir Oliver Franks, British Ambassador Secretary of State Acheson; and Mr. George W. Perkins, Assistant Secretary
COPIES TO: S/S G - Mr. Matthews S/A - Mr. Jessup FE - Mr. Rusk E - Mr. Thorp
Sir Oliver showed me copies of the exchange of communications between Nehru and Attlee. He was unable to leave copies with us.
He also showed me a copy of the report which Ambassador Kelly had made giving his reactions to his last talk with Gromyko.
Sir Oliver stated that he had favorable word on my request concerning stopping of oil shipments to Communist China and informed me that the British Government had decided to requisition all oil supplies as the quickest and least troublesome way of stopping shipments. His Government also raised the question of including oil in the 1-A list so far as East- West trade was concerned and indicated that it felt that this should be discussed by the East-West trade people in Paris. Finally, his Government requested that the Department maintain the greatest secrecy concerning these oil measures. I questioned what this meant and how the requisitioning of oil stocks in Hong Kong could be kept secret. Sir Oliver agreed and said that he would seek further clarification on this point.
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