213. Memorandum of Conversation0
SUBJECT
- The MLF
PARTICIPANTS
- United States
- The President
- William R. Tyler, Assistant Secretary European Affairs
- Thomas M. Judd, EUR/BNA
- UK
- Lord Home, Foreign Secretary1
- Sir Davis Ormsby Gore,
- Ambassador to the U.S.
- Oliver Wright, Foreign Office
Following the discussion of Gromyko’s claim that the MLF was blocking a worldwide non-dissemination agreement (see separate Memcon),2 the President inquired as to the thinking in London on the [Page 614] MLF. He knew that Thorneycroft was opposed. Who were the other opponents? Lord Home replied that one of the problems was that the MLF at the moment did not have a single friend in Parliament. The MLF would cause the Macmillan government additional problems in Parliament. The President said for that matter he did not know how it would go with Congress. We hadn’t done much work on it as yet.
The President then inquired as to the British thinking on the proposed experiment in mixed manning on a single ship. Lord Home quoted Montgomery’s statement to the effect that the battle would be inside the ship rather than outside. The British might be able to provide some men for the ship. He thought that we should move slowly on the MLF question.
The President said there was no hurry. The Germans were in no rush as long as they could see progress being made. The ship could sail around for as much as a year and a quarter or a year and a half and the Germans would be satisfied. By then we should know what the situation was. It was better to get the ship sailing than to try to get agreement on a blueprint for the MLF.
Lord Home remarked that it might be better for both of us to hold off on the MLF until after our respective elections.