884



FOREIGN RELATIONS, 1946, VOLUME I



finding character of the next stage of negotiations and the attempt
to secure a reconciliation of points of view.
  GENERAL McNAUGHTON expressed strong approval of the report of
the S. & T. Commitee, pointing out that it was in reality the first
official report of the Atomic Energy Commission and its subcommit-
tees. He thought that the report was essentially sound, that it did not
weaken the American view, and that it had the real merit of being a
new source document to which all could refer in future discussions.
In other words, while it followed the lines of the Acheson report and
the Baruch Plan, it did not suffer from their disabilities in that it was
not an American report but an AEC report.
  MR. EBERSTADT said it was more important that we have a sound
report, even if that meant a split in voting, than simply to get a unani-
mous vote on a report which was too weak.
  MR. BARUCH pointed out that the tide of public opinion is running
very strongly against the Soviets. He remarked that even many of the
so-called liberal groups had commented to him that they were no longer
able to support many of the actions which the Russians have recently
taken. Jokingly, he commented that he was being branded a commu-
nist, since he was trying to work with Gromyko in a patient and under-
standing fashion. He remarked cryptically that we must be prepared
one day to say: "Good Morning Death !"
  MR. IGNATIEFF remarked that the chief preoccupation of all nations
was for security and that the concept of two worlds offered precious
little in the way of security. Therefore, we must make every attempt to
join these two worlds.
  MR. EBERSTADT asked what the alternatives would be if a real split
occurred. He pointed out the difficulties of determining what nations
would have to be excluded from our world, citing, as an example,
Poland. He mentioned Section 51 of the United Nations Charter, com-
menting that we might, at some time in the future, have to remind the
Soviets of the power inherent in that Section. He pointed out the
danger that was inherent in any two world alternative. If this came to
pass we would be accused by public opinion of having devised a plan
which was obviously unacceptable to the Soviets with the full realiza-
tion that they would reject it and then having revealed our real inten-
tions by proposing an atomic alliance against them.
  GENERAL MICNAUGHTON stated that he would press for the comple-
tion of the preliminary report of the S. & T. Committee with the idea
of having it presented formally to the full Atomic Energy Commis-
sion. He promised to talk to Captain Alberto about some sort of
resume of the past two months of negotiations.