Office of the Historian

34. Telegram From the Delegation to the Geneva Conference on the Discontinuance of Nuclear Weapon Tests to the Department of State0

Geneva, June 12, 1961, 6 p.m.

Supnu 1652. Reference: Nusup 1257,1 Supnu 1639.2 We believe there might be disadvantages in actual tabling of treaty language in renewal of proposal re banning atmospheric tests. Our suggestion in Supnu 1639 was that there might be no harm and possibly some advantage in event we resume testing in repeating U.S. willingness to negotiate on basis proposed in 1959 for banning tests in readily policed environments such as atmosphere and ocean. But actual tabling or publication of treaty language for such a limited proposal might compete with and actually confuse picture of U.S. standing ready to sign treaty draft tabled on April 18th and detract from effectiveness of our tabling of comprehensive proposals which are being widely circulated. Actually, we would recommend that we do no more than say that the 1959 limited ban offer still stands as an alternative basis of negotiation and that we not put forward treaty language on this basis.

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 397.5611-GE/6-1261. Secret; Limit Distribution.↩
  2. This telegram, June 8, transmitted to the delegation the text of a draft memorandum from McCloy to the President recommending that the United States recall Dean from Geneva and commence preparations for a resumption of testing. The memorandum also recommended that the United States propose, together with the United Kingdom, an accord on atmospheric and underwater testing. Concurrently, the United States would announce that it considered itself free to resume testing until a comprehensive test ban treaty was agreed on. (Ibid., 397.5611-GE/6-761) See the Supplement.↩
  3. Dated June 6. (Department of State, Central Files, 397.5611-GE/6-661)↩