Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, European Security and the German Question, Volume III, Part 1

PPS files, lot 64 D 563, 723 Near and Middle East

Memorandum of Conversation, by John H. Ferguson of the Policy Planning Staff¹

top secret

[Washington,] May 31, 1951.

Mr. Burrows came in to tell me of a message received by the British Embassy from London concerning further discussions of command arrangements in the Mediterranean and Middle East.

He explained that the British Chiefs had indicated that they were pleased at the progress that was being made and that they understood that General Bradley and General Vandenberg were going to be in Europe within the next week or so and hoped they might have an opportunity to discuss these matters with them in London. They were also suggesting that General Bradley ask Admiral Sherman to accompany him and participate in the discussions.

Mr. Burrows referred to the fact that the Ambassador had spoken to Mr. Matthews after the last joint meeting and had mentioned that he thought perhaps a discussion among a smaller group would be useful as the next step, and that the British felt the possibility of discussions between the British Chiefs and some of our Chiefs in London might serve this purpose. Mr. Burrows said that he did not want us to have the idea that this represented any change in the arrangements for arriving at a decision on these matters but rather the desire on the part of the British Chiefs to take advantage of the presence in Europe of some of our Chiefs. He said that Air Marshal Elliot was speaking to General Bradley and was suggesting a meeting in London about the 8th of June.²

1. Copies to Under Secretary Matthews, EUR, NEA, and Nitze.
2. See U.K. record of a meeting held on Friday, 8th June, 1951, p. 528. The question of a Mediterranean Command was raised briefly at the end of the State–JCS meeting on June 6 when General Collins stated that General Eisenhower “is insistent on the importance of doing something quickly about the Southern European Command” of NATO, Collins reiterated the JCS position on the issue which was that “we should not try to settle on command arrangements outside the NATO area at this time,” and he reported that General Eisenhower shared this view and “had been glad to hear that we had backed him up” in the discussions with the British. The JCS pressed for the immediate appointment of Admiral Carney as Commander in Chief of the Southern European Command of NATO (State–JCS meetings, lot 61 D 417, Jan–June 1951).