The Pentagon Papers
Gravel Edition
Volume 1
Document 91, Telegram from Secretary of State Dulles on the Conference Declaration,
19 July 1954, pp. 568-69.
SENT TO: Amconsul GENEVA TOSEC 576
FOR UNDER SECRETARY FROM SECRETARY
Your SECTOS 666, 667, 668, 669.
As requested 669 you may expand proposed unilateral declaration so as to take
note of paragraphs 1 to 8 of the proposed Conference declaration with understanding
that US obligations QTE with regard to aforesaid agreements and paragraphs of
Declaration UNQTE are limited to those expressed Subparagraphs 1 and of Annex
B of your instructions.
The foregoing is on the assumption that the Declaration in its final form does not materially differ from SECTO 667. As to nonmateriality of differences, would like you to obtain Phleger's legal judgment.
Have no objection to including first portion of paragraph 9 of proposed Conference declaration but am concerned as to effect of including second portion of paragraph 9 as this seems to imply a multilateral engagement with Communists which would be inconsistent with our basic approach and which subsequently might enable Communist China to charge us with alleged violations of agreement to which it might claim both governments became parties.
While we don't want to take responsibility of imposing our views on the French, I feel particularly concerned about provisions of paragraph 6 which gives the Control Commission constituted as per SECTO 666 authority also to control the general elections. The ink is hardly dry on the Declaration of President Eisenhower and Prime Minister Churchill of June 29 to the effect that "In the case of nations now divided against their will, we shall continue to seek to achieve unity through free elections supervised by the UN to insure that they are conducted fairly." It is rather humiliating to see that Declaration now so quickly go down the drain with our apparent acquiescence.
With reference to 668 believe something like this is acceptable if obtainable.
Believe that this would not necessitate these states dealing only with or through
France as suggested your 650 and 652. We hope that this possibility of direct
assistance for genuinely defensive and internal security purposes and not involving
any US bases can be preserved as it may very well be that as a result of surrender
in Tonkin Delta French will become so highly unpopular that their effort to
maintain authority in other areas would in fact lead to these other areas surely
falling under Communist domination.
DULLES
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