July 24, 1950
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION WITH PRESIDENT
Item 2. Japanese Peace Treaty
I discussed with the President the desirability of proceeding at once to work out with the Pentagon a plan for a Japanese peace treaty. This would cover the main points in the treaty and the procedure to be adopted. The President agreed that it was important to get on with this matter and approved our suggestion of how to do it.
I assured the President that before any steps were taken with other countries, the matter would be laid before him formally for his approval.
Dean Acheson
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July 26, 1950
MEMORANDUM OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
Participants: Mr. William Foster, ECA Secretary Acheson
Mr. William Foster telephoned Secretary Acheson today and took up two points, the first of which is reported in another memorandum.
The second point dealt with Mr. Foster\'s deep concern about what he thinks is a growing feeling on the Hill that, in view of the large demands of the military assistance program, ECA can be reduced as not being important. The ECA appropriation bill will be acted on tomorrow and Mr. Foster has talked with numerous people on the Hill. The most recent Senators with whom he has talked and who seem to be impressed by this view were Senators Smith and Saltonstall.
Mr. Foster thought that to a great extent this view arose from briefings by the military in which the military, not understanding the importance of maintaining economic strength as a base on which to build increased military strength, had expressed their views that ECA was not important.
The Secretary said he had told the Foreign Relations Committee Monday afternoon that the exact opposite of this was true. He had told them that it was vitally important that ECA funds be continued and he had also said there was a possibility that they might need to be increased, and had explained why.
Mr. Foster said he was getting up a letter to Senator Connally as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in which he would set forth the necessity for maintaining the ECA appropriations and suggested that Mr. Acheson either write a separate letter or join with Mr. Foster in signing a single letter. He said he would get up a letter and send it over early this afternoon and Mr. Acheson could decide whether to sign that letter or write a separate one. The Secretary said he would be glad to do it either way - whichever seemed more desirable when Mr. Foster\'s letter reached us.
LDBattle
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