66FOREIGN RELATIONS) 19 5 0, VOLUME I


845A.2546/7-1250
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Clarence A. Wendel of the
           Office of the Under Secretary of State (Web5b)

TOP SECRET                          [WASHINGTON,] July 12, 1950.
Participants: Ambassador Jooste of South Africa
              Mr. W. Dirkse-van-Schalkwyk, First Secretary, South
                African Embassy
              The Secretary of State
              Mr. Clarence Wendel, U/A
  The South African Ambassador stated that he had requested the
time with the Secretary to take up, under instructions from his Gov-
ernment, a matter pertaining to atomic energy which would be handled
on a secret basis. His representations would be oral and informal and
would be similar to representations which had been previously made
to the British Government by his Government.
  The Secretary was probably aware, the Ambassador said, that South
Africa might become one of the foremost, if notý the chief, sources
of
uranium. He mentioned that with the full awareness of the United
States and of the United Kingdom, research conducted in South
Africa on the extraction of uranium minerals from gold ores had now
produced significant and important results. Corollary work augment-
ing this had also been performed in the United Kingdom and in the
United States and was continuing.
  His Government, the Ambassador continued, by virtue of these
developments and the expected position of South Africa as a pro-
ducer of uranium, desired to associate itself with the "inner circle"
of Western countries in atomic energy. In connection with this repre-
sentation, there were -two particular points which his Government
wished to note. The first pertained to security, and he wished to em-
phasize that the United States and the United Kingdom could be
assured that they would have no cause to worry as to the ability and
concern of the Union Government in this connection. The second
related to the atomic bomb, and his Government wanted to make it
explicitly clear that it had no interest in obtaining information
regarding the manufacture of atomic ,weapons.
  The Secretary took note of thifs point and inquired whether this
meant that the- Union Government was mainly interested in the ore
extraction phases. The Ambassador replied in the negative, although
he did not expand on what sort of special assistance his Government
desired.
  The Secretary said that there obviously was not much he could say
at this time, but he could assure the Ambassador that these represen-


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