https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/a8370bd57bcb770088c72dd06a98e8f8.pdf 0b1e4c03fed091e73a6b67e715d9ad73 PDF Text Text /ft r r f# " FM LDN DECS/57 TOPSEC CDN EYES ONLY TO EXTERNAL 3 0 0 7 PRIORITY , Document divulgue en vertu de la Loisur I'acces a ('information \i£^-sy/ \fp i INFO WASHDC NATOPARIS EMBASSYPARIS BONN NATO MINISTERIAL MEETING - FRENCH ATOMIC AMBITIONS. A FEW WEEKS AGO AT DINNER FRANCIS HURE,A COUNSELLOR IN THE FRENCH EMBASSY,DISCUSSING THE PROSPECTS FOR THE NATO MINISTERIAL MEETING, TOLD US THAT M PINEAU WAS DETERMINED TO INSIST ON AND BY ONE MEANS OR OTHER TO OBTAIN A POSITION OF NUCLEAR EQUALITY.IF THE IDEAL C NATO COOPERATION WERE TO PREVAIL IN THIS MATTER THIS EQUAL STATUS WOULD,IN M PINEAU'S VIEW,HAVE TO INVOLVE A SHARING 3Y THE MAIN NATO COUNTRIES ON EACH OF THREE KEADS-CA5STOCKPILING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS,(B)PRODUCTION FACILITIES ANDCORESPONSIBILITY FOR USING THEM.THE FIRST POINT,ACCORDING TO OUR INFORMANT,WOULD INVOLVE STOCKSPILING WARHEADS ON THE CONTINENT NOT UNDER USA CUSTODY BUT WHETHER UNDER THE CUSTODY OF NATO AS SUCH OR UNDER THE NATIONAL CUSTODY OF AT LEAST SELECTED NATIONAL GOVTS,INCLUDING FRANCE,THE SECOND POINT IN THIS FRENCH DEMAND WOULD INVOLVE COOPERATION BY THE USA AND UK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTION FACILITIES FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN FRANCE AND POSSIBLY ELSEWHERE,TLE THIRD POINT WOULD INVOLVE AN EXPLICIT SOLUTION TO THE "WHO PUSHES THE BUTTCN?"ISSUE,ON LINES THAT WOULD INCLUDE FRANCE ALONG WITH THE UK AND THE USA.HURE WAS SOMEWHAT VAGUE, ON WHETHER M PINEAU VOULD ENVISAGE THAT ALL OTHER, OR EVEN SOME OTHER,NATO MEMBERS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS CIRCLE, 2.ACCORDING TO THIS FRENCH THESIS,THE ALTERNATIVE TO THIS n SHARING* AND "NATO INTER-DEPENDENCE"SOLUTION WOULD BE AN ACCELERATED NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS,INCLUDING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE MEGATON WEAPONS,EITHER BY FRANCE ALONE OR POSSIBLY WITH CERTAIN ASSOCIATES.LURE WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE RECOGNIZED THAT IT WOULD TAKE "TWO OR THREE YEARS AT BEST,POSSIBLY LONGER FOR HYDROGEN WEAPONS*,FAILING THE ATTAINMENT OF EQUALITY OF STATUS BY ONE OR OTHER OF THESE TWO MEANS,FRENCH OPINION WOULD BE FORCED TO MOVE RAPIDLY TOWARD A THIRD ALTERNATIVE,WHICH COULD ONLY BE,HE SAID , FRENCH NEUTRALISM.OUR FRENCH FRIEND PERSONALLY RECOGNIZED THE DANGERS OF THIS POSITION BUT SAID THAT POLITICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY ONE OF THESE THREE SOLUTIONS WAS,HE THOUGHT,INEVITABLE GIVEN THE ATTITUDE NOT ONLY OF FRENCH LEADERS BUT OF FRENCH OPINION. 3.YESTERDAY EVENING WE SAW HURE AGAIN AND HE RETURNED TO THE SUBJ; . . .2 .000731 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur faeces a I'information PAGE TWO 3 0 0 7 HE SAID THAT DESPITE THE OBVIOUS DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS,AND U ~ f I T E THE LINE TAKEN IN THE USA PAPERS PRESENTED TO THE NATO COUNCIL THIS WEEK,HE THOUGHT THAT FRENCH LEADERS WOULD TRY TO PURSUE,BY ONE MEANS OR ANOTHER,ONE OF THE THREE ALTERNATIVES HE HAD MENTIONED, HE READILY CONCEDED TO US THAT THE EXTREME FRENCH POSITION HE HAD DESCRIBED TO US WAS BASED ON AN EXCESSIVE PREOCCUPATION WITH QUESTIONS OF STATUS.HOWEVER,HE MADE THE POINT THAT SUCH EMOTIONAL DRIVING MOTIVES COULD NOT SAFELY BE UNDERESTIMATED. 4.HURE SAID THAT FRANCE HAD HAD TALKS ON THE SUBJECT OF"EQUAL STATUS FOR EUROPE* IN NUCLEAR MATTERS AS WELL AS IN GENERAL,WITH SEVERAL OF HER PARTNERS AMONG "THE SIX",AND HE DID NOT SEEM AS PESSIMISTIC AS OTHER INFO WE HAVE GATHERED WOULD HAVE LED US TO EXPECT,ABOUT FRENCH PROSPECTS FOR EVENTUANLY GETTING SOME COOPERATION FROM OTHER EUROPEANS FOR A MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION. 5 . I N REPORTING THESE OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FRENCH COUNSELLOR,WE SHOULD MENTION THAT HE I S A FAIRLY CLOSE FRIEND OF SOME FIFTEEN YEARS1 STANDING,AND IN SEVERAL PREVIOUS POSTS WE HAVE FOUND HIM MODERATE AND RELIABLE IN HIS JUDGMENTS.WHEN WE SUGGESTED. TO HIM WHAT SEEMED TO US PERSONALLY THE IMPRACTICALITY OR DANGERS OR BOTH OF SOME OF THE FRENCH DEMANDS,HE SAID HE FULLY RECOGNIZED THEM,BUT WAS DESCRIBING THE FACTS OF THE FRENCH MOOD AS HE SAW THEM. $.A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO MORRIS JAMES,UNDER-SECRETARY AT THE CRO,MENTIONED TO US THAT FRANCE HAD BEEN TRYING TO PERSUADE THE GERMANS AND SOME OTHER CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATES TO JOIN HER IN MAKING FAR-REACHING DEMANDS IN THE ATOMIC FIELD AT THE FORTHCOMING NATO MEETING.JAMES SAID THAT ACCORDING TO UK INFORMATION THESE FRENCH EFFORTS HAD MET WITH VERY LITTLE SUCCESS. 7,YESTERDAY AT LUNCH BREWSTER MORRIS,COUNSELLOR AT THE USA EMBASSY, MENTIONED TO US THAT WHILE NO DECISION HAD YET BEEN TAKEN BY THE USA ADMINISTRATION ABOUT THE DESIRABILITY OF SEEKING FAR-REACHING AMENDMENTS TO THE MACMAHAN ACT,ONE CONSIDERATION WHICH WAS BEING GIVEN GREAT WEIGHT BY THE STATE DEPT WAS THAT THE PRESENT RESTRICTIONS IN THE ACT ARE USEFUL IN HINDERING THE DEVELOPMENT OF MILITARILY SIGNIFICANT NUCLEAR CAPACITY BY FOURTH COUNTRIES SUCH 000732 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur faeces a I'information PAGE THREE 3 0 0 7 ~^m% S.DURING THE COURSE OF A WIDE RANGING CONVERSATION YESTERDAY EVENING WITH SIR PATRICK DEAN,HE EXPRESSED THE UK'S WELL-KNOWN HOPE THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD IN DUE COURSE REQUEST EARLY SUBSTANTIAL REVISION OF THE MACMAHAN ACT,HE ALSO SAID THAT HE HAD SOME CONSIDERABLE MEASURE OF CONFIDENCE THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD IN FACT SUCCEED IN GETTING SUCH REVISION THROUGH CONGRESS,WE ASKED DEAN WHETHER HE DID NOT THINK THERE WAS SOME INCONSISTENCY IN MR MACMILLAN'S PRESSURE FOR SUCH USA LEGISLATIVE REVISION,ON THE ONE HAND,AND THE UK'S SINCERE AND OFTEN REITERATED CONCERN ABOUT THE FOURTH POWER ATOMIC PROBLEM ON THE OTHER HAND.DEAN ADMITTED,THOUGH RATHER RELUCTANTLY,THAT THERE WAS A REAL DILEMMA HEREoHE SEEMED TO AGREE THAT THE PROBLEM HAD NOT BEEN SUFFICIENTLY THOUGHT THROUGH IN LONDON,UK PRESSURE FOR AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS TO PERMIT GREATER COOPERATION IN ATOMIC QUESTIONS WAS,HE SAID,BASED ON THE DESIRABILITY OF MORE COOPERATION WITH THE UK AND CANADA, 9.DEAN SAID THAT HE HIMSELF WOULD BE VERY TOUGH WITH THE FRENCH,HE TOLD US THAT DURING THE RECENT WEEKS THE FRENCH HAD GREATLY INCREASED THE OPPORTUNITIESCTHOUGH THESE WERE LONG-STANDINGJTO THE BRITISH TO DISCLOSE INFO AND TO GIVE FRANCE ADVICE ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.WE UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN THE FRENCH HAVE PRESSED THE BRITISH THE LATTER HAVE EXPLAINED THEIR REFUSAL TO .MEET FRENCH REQUESTS BY SAYING THAT THEIR ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE AMERCANS PREVENT THIS.WHEN BETTER-INFORMED FRENCH REQUESTS MAKE THE POINT THAT CERTAIN TYPES OF INFORMATION WHACH THEY REQUIRE ARE NOT COVERED BY BRITISH'AMERICAN AGREEMENTS,THE UK HAS BEEN FORCED TO REPLY THAT WHILE THIS IS TRUE THE FACT I S THAT I F THE UK WERE TO GIVE SUCH ASSISTANCE TO THE FRENCH THE AMERICANS WOULD CLAMP DOWN ON THEIR OWN COOPERATION IN OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SUBJECT WITH THE UK, 1G.0N THE OTHER HAND.WE HAVE LEARENED IN STRICT CONFIDENCE FROM ANOTHER FRIEND IN THE FOREIGN OFFICECPETER RAMS30TT0M)THAT DURIi HIS RECENT V I S I T TO PARIS MR MACMILLAN FOUND IT NECESSARY,UNDER GAILLARD'S PRESSURE,TO AGREE TO HAND OVER CERTAIN TECHNICAL INFORMATION,ACCORDING TO OUR INFORMANT,THE UK HAVE EXPLAINED TO THE AMERICANS a v ,4 000733 �Document disclosed under the Access to information Act Document divulgue en vertu de ta Loi sur faeces a ^information PACE FOUR 3 0 0 7 THEY HAD ^ . ^ l ^ f ALTERNATIVE BUT TO GIVE WAY IN PART TO FRENCH PRESSURES, 1.UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES IT SEEMS TO US QUITE POSSIBLE THAT IF THE USA DOES AMEND THE MACMAHAN ACT IN A SUFFICIENTLY FAR-REACHING WAY TO COOPERATE WITH THE UK AND CANADA TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY AND PERHAPS WE WOULD DESIRE,THE STATE DEPT (FINDING ITSELF DEPRIVED OF THE PRESENT LEGISLATIVE EXCUSE WHICH IT USES IN TURNING DOWN FRENCH REQUESTS? WILL BE PUT IN AN INCREASINGLY EMBARRASSING POSITION AND MAY POSS^ IBLY HAVE TO ASSIST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS BY AT LEAST ONE "FOURTH POWER",AND PERHAPS SOON OTHERS ALSO. 12.WKEN WE SUGGESTED THIS POSSIBILITY TO SIR PATRICK DEAN,HE RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM,THOUGH HE THOUGHT THE USA EXECUTIVE WOULD JUST HAVE TO BE TOUGH. 13.INCIDENTALLY,DEAN SAID HE THOUGHT THE SWEDES COULD PROBABLY DEVELOP NUCLEAR WEAPONSSFASTER THAN THE FRENCH.IF,HOWEVER,THE GERMANS WERE TO COOPERATE WITH THE FRENCH,WHICH THUS FAR THEY HAVE REFUSED TO DO, THE FRENCH MIGHT BE ABLE TO DEVELOP FISSION WEAPONS WITHIN A COUPLE OF YEARS,AND POSSIBLY MEGATON WEAPONS THREE OR FOUR YEARS LATER THAN THAT. HuDEAN ALSO MENTIONED TO US THAT THERE I S ONE GROUP IN THE STATE DEPT WHO ARE ADVOCATING THE DESIRABILITY OF GIVING THE FRENCH S U F F I CIENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO LET THEM EXPLODE A FISSION DEVICE,IN THE HOPE THAT THE FRENCH PRESSURE I S BASED ON EMOTIONAL NEEDS FOR A SELFRECOGNITION OF STATUS,AND THAT ONCE THEY HAVE SUCCEEDED IN PRODUCING AN EXPLOSION THEY MIGHT THEN RELAX AND COOPERATE MORE HAPPILY WITH THEIR ALLIES WHILE LEAVING THE REAL WORK IN NUCLEAR WEAPONS TO THE USA AND THE UK FOR ECONOMIC REASONS.DEAN SAID,HOWEVER,THAT "STRAUSS AND THE OTHER QEOPLE WHO REALLY MATTER IN USA ATOMIC POLICY*ARE ABSOLUTELY DET: MINED NOT,REPEAT NOT,TO YIELD TO PRESSURE*AND NOT TO DO ANYTHING WHICH OULD ASSIST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLFAR WEAPONS BY FOURTH COUNTRIES, 15,INCIDENTALLY,SIR PATRICK DEAN AND RAMSBOTHAM ARE BOTH INCLINED TO THINK THAT THE USA COULD,THEY WISHED,COOPERATE RATHER MORE FULLY WITH COUNTRIES LIKE THE UK AND CANADA,WITHOUT A RADICAL REVISION OF THE MACMAHAN ACT.THE IDEA I S THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLi: TO INTEF IT DIFFERENTLY FOR SOME ALLIES THAN FOR OTHERS. 000734 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CDNW02303 Title A name given to the resource London to External 3007 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 06-Dec-57 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived �NATO - Stockpiling of atomic weapons in NATO countries,� RG25-A-3-b, vol. 5958, 50219-AL-1-40, pt. 1.2, Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Department of External Affairs Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Subject The topic of the resource atomic cooperation, NATO, nuclear weapons, Europe Description An account of the resource NATO Ministerial Meeting - French Atomic Ambitions Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Canada Declassified Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource en