Office of the Historian

880.00/9–2650

Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Lucius D. Battle, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State 1

secret
[New York,] September 26, 1950.

Participants: Mr. Acheson
Mr. Bevin
Mr. Barclay2
Mr. Battle

In a conversation on other matters, Mr. Bevin mentioned his efforts to get Mr. Spender of Australia to take the lead in the Commonwealth program of aid to Southeast Asia. Mr. Bevin said that he had, when he was in Colombo, asked Mr. Spender to propose the program. He said that he thought that it was best for the proposal to come from another country rather than the United Kingdom. Mr. Bevin expressed the hope that an Asiatic organization would be created on which the United States might keep a free eye even though the United States might not be in it. He mentioned the possibility of a military pact but said he thought there was no military pact in Asia which could be the basis for a pact. He suggested to Mr. Spender that economic power be pulled together for common purposes.

Mr. Acheson said that he had also talked to Mr. Spender about this and that we looked with favor on the program.

  1. This conversation occurred in New York. Secretary of State Acheson and Foreign Secretary Bevin were present for the Fifth Session of the North Atlantic Council, September 15–26.↩
  2. R. E. Barclay, private secretary to Mr. Bevin.↩