FOREIGN RE;LATIONS) 19510,. VOLUME I


Department of State Atomic ]Dnergy Files
             Memorandum     by the Counselor (IKennan)1
                               [Extracts]

TOP Szcl                            [WASHTNGTON,] January 20, 1950.

            INTERNATIONAL CONTROL OF ATOMic ENEGY
  The Policy Planning Staff has 'been asked to re-examine the present
position of the United States with respect to the international con-
trol of atomic energy, and to assess the adequacy of this position in
the light of present circumstances, particularly the demonstrated
Soviet atomic capability. The following paper is intended to con-
tribute to this re-examination.
   [Here follows Part I, 11 pages, in which Kennan examines the exist-
ing United States position on international control.]

                                  II
  In approaching the question of the adequacy of the present U.N.
majority position, I am proceeding on the assumption that no basic
change in the nature of the regime in power in Russia can be brought
about by a voluntary subjective act of the Soviet leaders at this
juncture, or indeed by anything short of a major upheaval, which
would remove -the communist party entirely from         power in that
country, or a long process of erosion and mellowing. I cannot, there-
fore, look to any agreement on the international control of atomic
energy to be -the caus'eor the occasion of a change of heart on the, part
of the Soviet leaders which would basically alter the nature of- Soviet
power.

  'Preparation of this report commenced in October 1949, while Kennan was
holding simultaneously the,, positions of Director of the Policy Planning
Staff
and Counselor. For documentation on consideration-by the Policy Planning
Staff
of the question of international control, see Foreign Relations, 1949, vol.
, pp.
191 ff. On January 1, 1950, Paul H. Nitze succeeded Kennan as Director of
the
Policy. Planning. Staift. Kenn-an transm'itted the present ýdraft
to Lucius D. Battle,
Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, on January 24 under the cover
of a
memorandum which read 'as follows: "Since Paul and the others were not
entirely
in agreement with the substance and since I was afraid that this report might
be
an embarrassing one to have on -record as a formal Staff report, I have re-done
this as a personal paper.
  "I recommend to the Secretary's attention Section VII, pages 63-71,
which
is new, and is directly along the lines of his conversation of yesterday
evening."
The conversation has not been identified.
  The source text consists of 79 typewritten, double-spaced pages. The extracts


printed here, Parts II, III, V, VII, VIII, and IX iun 'their entirety, comprise.
pages of the report. The report is described in George F. Kennan, Memoir
1925-1950 (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1967), pp. 471-476.


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