Office of the Historian

155. Airgram From the Department of State to the Embassy in France0

January 15, 1960.

G-236. Paris pass Thurston and Finn, info USRO. State-Defense message. Following for Embassy’s information. Dept and Defense hope shortly to negotiate agreement with France for Atomic cooperation. Entire proposal is under consideration by AEC, and their position cannot now be forecast. Agreement is necessary under Section 144b and 91c of Atomic Energy Act to provide for transmission of Restricted Data and equipment necessary for training of French forces which eventually would have access to NATO Atomic Stockpile in Germany.1 [19–1/2 lines of source text not declassified]

Following are plans regarding negotiation cooperation agreement.

1.
We are now seeking Circular 175 authorization to negotiate such agreement. Draft will be forwarded Embassy for its information as soon as possible.
2.
Would hope negotiation might be concluded promptly since we wish to present it to Congress as early in session as possible.

[1 paragraph (8 lines of source text) not declassified]

Embassy should not communicate with French concerning foregoing until instructed further.

Merchant
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.517/1–1560. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Alan G. James in the Office of European Regional Affairs; cleared by the Offices of Western European Affairs, German Affairs, and Munitions Control, the Assistant Legal Adviser for Special Functional Problems, and the Special Assistant to the Secretary of States for Disarmament and Atomic Energy, the AEC, and the Office of International Security Affairs in the Department of Defense; and approved by Fessenden. Repeated to Bonn.↩
  2. Reference is to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 as amended on July 2, 1958. (72 Stat. 276) See footnote 3, Document 39.↩