REGULATION OF ARMAMENTS


  me certain views before I left. He said he was "speaking personally",
  adding that on his recent trip to Paris he had discussed this matter
  with Parodi 2 and the Foreign Minister.
    Chauvel did not consider the present situation "satisfactorv"
from
  the point of view of the western powers. He was not sure they had a
  thorough understanding of each other's position.
    Chauvel said French public opinion had not formerly been much
  disturbed by the atom bomb question. However, the hydrogen bomb
  announcement and, in particular, Einstein's recent statement,4 had
  created great nervousness in France. The effect had been intensified by
  Churchill's statements prior to the British election.5
    Chauvel felt that it was now necessary to consider most carefully
  the "political aspect of the problem", without at the same time
losing
  sight of the scientific realities. He. remarked that the French, as well
  as the British and Canadians, had "followed the American lead",
and
  that this had been, and remained, necessary because only the Ameri-
  cans had all the information required for decisions. I asked him to
  illustrate what he meant. Chauvel replied that, for example, he did
  not really know what was involved in the application of the "stages
  principle". Chauvel said that he had learned, in what he described
as
  "side conversations" with Hickerson and Osborn, that under the
UN
  Plan "stages of disclosure would take about two years". This
had not
  come up in meetings of the Sponsoring Powers.,
  Chauvel said he wished me to understand he was not being at all
  critical, because he realized the requirement of secrecy, but this created
  certain- problems which were now taking on great importance. The
  French would, of course, continue to follow the lead of the US. But
  they would wish to know the "political analysis" from which we
were
  proceeding.
  For this purpose, it seemed to Chauvel desirable that we speak with
him, the British and the Canadians, as soon and as frankly as possible.
Chauvel would hold any such talks in the strictest confidence, report-
ing only by personal letters to Parodi and Schuman. Chauvel added,
almost as an after-thought, "and of course Bidault6 would be kept
informed".
  2 Alexandre Parodi, Secretary-General of the French Ministry for Foreign
Affairs.
  3Dr. Robert Schuman.
  Speaking at a television forum on February 11, Dr. Albert Einstein, dis-
coverer and exponent of the theory of relativity and pioneer nuclear physicist,
stated that should man succeed in making the hydrogen bomb, radioactive poison-
ing of the atmosphere would become a possibility. See also Dr. Albert Einstein,
"Arms Can Bring No Security," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,
March 1950,
p. 71.
  p Reference is to the British Parliamentary elections held on February
13,
1950, in which the Conservative Party led by former Prime Minister Winston
S.
Churchill sharply reduced the Labour Party majority.
  SGeorges Bidault, Premier of France.


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