Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Western European Security, Volume V, Part 2

Conference files, lot 59 D 95, CF 158

Memorandum by Douglas MacArthur II ¹

top secret

Washington, July 15, 1953.

On July 11 Secretary Dulles had French Foreign Minister Bidault and Acting UK Foreign Minister Lord Salisbury for dinner.

Secretary Dulles mentioned to both Lord Salisbury and M. Bidault that the US was now willing to send a few 280 mm. artillery battalions to Europe in support of the NATO forces. The Secretary explained that these artillery pieces fired both regular and atomic ammunition, but that atomic arms would not be shipped to Europe with the guns. Regular ammunition, however, would be supplied.

Both M. Bidault and Lord Salisbury indicated agreement, and Lord Salisbury commented that since the guns used regular ammo, it would be well to treat this as a routine deployment of units. He implied a reluctance to emphasize or point up the fact that the guns could also fire atomic shells.

Douglas Macarthur II

1. Copies of this memorandum were sent to Secretary Dulles, Under Secretary Smith, Matthews, Merchant, Wolf, Riddleberger, Arneson, and General Collins.