881.00/7–1845: Telegram
No. 1350
The Representative in the
Conversations Concerning Tangier (Childs) to the Acting Secretary of State1
4310. From Childs.
Meyrier informed British Counselor Holman and me today that he had made an unofficial communication to Soviet Representatives of [Page 1410] Embassy [sic] yesterday concerning Soviet participation in Tangier conference and had mentioned August 3 as a tentative date for official opening (my 4262, July 162).
At Meyrier’s request Holman agreed to endeavor to obtain acquiescence of British Govt in date proposed as soon as possible. Meyrier stated he wished to open entirely informal conversations with US and British on July 30 to which no publicity of any kind would be given, such informal talks to continue to August 1, inclusive. (Sent Dept 4310; repeated Madrid 272; London 525; Tangier 22.)
It appears to me that USSR might legitimately take exception to participation of American Representatives in such informal talks to which Russian Representatives were not also invited. Accordingly, I believe it might be preferable for such informal discussions in advance of conference to be confined to British and French Representatives whose invitations to US and to Soviet Union are based on their original sponsorship of 1923 statute.3
Absence of American Representative from preliminary discussions would not preclude our being kept currently informed of developments of those conversations.
- Sent over the signature of Caffery. The gist of this message was included in telegram No. 65 of July 19 from Grew to Byrnes (file No. 800.00 Sum-maries/7–1945).↩
- Not printed.↩
- i. e., the regime established for Tangier by the convention signed at Paris, December 18, 1923. For text, see British and Foreign State Papers, vol. cxvii, p. 499.↩