210. Editorial Note
At a meeting at Secretary Dulles’ residence on March 22, 1959, 5:20 to 5:55 p.m., Eisenhower and Macmillan informed the Secretary of the earlier discussion of a test cessation agreement (see Document 209). The relevant portion of Dulles’ memorandum of conversation reads as follows:
“On the Geneva test suspension negotiations, the President and the Prime Minister noted that the latter attached importance to finding some way to keep these negotiations going after they resume on April 13. He hoped that they could spin out at least until a Foreign Ministers meeting with the Soviets. The President indicated his readiness to conclude an agreement suspending atmospheric tests; he recounted some of the briefing Dr. Killian had given the group at Camp David. This had led him to conclude that any explosion greater than 10 kilotons could be detected; he thought that it might be possible to get Soviet agreement on unmanned instrument detection stations. The reported Soviet ‘agreement’ to our Duration Article makes it appear possible that the Soviets might make further concessions.
“I recalled that we have made provision for effective mobile controls the sine qua non of any agreement.
“The Prime Minister noted that our most recent scientific information suggests that there is a risk of disadvantage to us if the Soviets suddenly give in on the veto issue. Nevertheless, he thought that our gain would so outweigh any such disadvantage that we ought to assume the risk. The President said that he thought even an agreement limited to atmospheric tests, and including as few as three or four control posts, would be better than no agreement at all. I said that I thought that while our scientists can advise us on the size, composition and nature of controls, they are not in a position to make the required judgment as to the overall value to us of the establishment of mobile control personnel behind the Iron Curtain.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President)