ATOMIC ENERGY


  4. Other event of direct bearing on subject was President's an-
nouncement thalt Russia has atomic bomb. In minds of many Belgians,
including Sengier'2 and Robiliart'13 who have hitherto been opposed
to building of reactor in Belgium and have done their best to drag
their feet to that end, announcement of fact that Russila has bomb
has tended ito remove objection to building of such reactor, namely,
danger that scientific information obtained in Belgium might leak to
Russia  which   they  feel now   unfortunately   has the   necessary
information.
  5. Re Sengier's letter to Carroll Wilson contained in Embtel 1656,
December 9,14 stating Belgian delegation will not deal with commer-
cial contracts, Sengier explained last summer, as previously reported,
that he had confidence of Spaak and question remained to be answered
did he have confidence of Van Zeeland. Sengier's position was that
1944 agreement consists of three sections: first and last deal with rela-
tions between governments, central portion re commercial contracts
being Sengier's province. Sengier says he has been driving this home
to Van Zeeliand and he thinks with success; and in that letter states
Van Zeeland fully approves ,manner in which Union Miniere and
African Metals have been conducting mining and commercial matters
and Van Zeeland 'feels nothing should be modified on methods or prin-
cipal dealings with Combined Development Agency.'5 I ;assume De-
partment reference telegram was sent prior to receipt of Embtel 14,
January 5,11 quoting Sengier's letter to Lilienthal January 517 reiter-
ating he was sending Robiliart in his (Sengier's) place on Belgian
delegation to assure that arrangements he had made with Van Zeeland
and Wigny:'8 are duly respected; namely, that existing commercial
contracts for raw materials and agreement made on isotopes are not
to be interfered with by delegation (I might mention in passing that
Sengier's very emphasis on this point, both in these letters and in
conversations with me, may indicate his concern that it may not be
easy to hold Van Zeeland to his promise, but this is merely a hunch on

   'Edgar E. B. 7Sengier, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the -Union
 Mlnicre du Haut Katanga.
   H 1erman Robiliart, Union Minltre official; deputy to M. Sengier.
   Ii Sengier's letter of December 9, 1949, to Carroll Wilson, General Manager
of
 the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, is not printed.
   "The Combined Development Trust was established by the Agreement
and
 Declaration of Trust, signed by President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister
 Winston S. Churchill on June 113, 1944; for text, see Foreign Relations,
1944, vol.
 iT, pp. 1026-1028. The CDT (subsequently renamed Combined Development
 Agency) operated under the direction of the Uni'ted ,States-United Kingdom-
 Canadian Combined Policy Committee. Its function was to secure control and
 insure development of uranium and thorium supplies.
   Telegram 14 from Brussels, January 5, is not printed.
   17 Sengier's letter to David E. Lilienthal, Chairman of the U.S. Atomic
Energy
 Commission, is not Printed.
   18 Pierre Wiogny, Belgian Minister of Colonies.


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