MOSCOW CONFERENCE

I have been urgently endeavouring to see the Under Secretary of
State with reference to your telegram 284. Owing, however, to
pressure of work due to the 'Middle East Crisis' [1] and the
President's forthcoming address to the Joint Session of Congress
tomorrow, appointment for today has had to be postponed until
Thursday morning.

In the meantime, the Minister has seen Hickerson (who in Matthews'
absence in Moscow is acting as Assistant Secretary of State for
European and Far Eastern Affairs) and conveyed the Government's
view that there should be no discussion or decision at Moscow
regarding Pacific settlement with Japan.

Hickerson's reply was-
(A) Our assumption was correct. The agenda did not contain any
item regarding Pacific settlement;

(B) Marshall went to Moscow prepared to discuss Germany and
Austria;

(C) Molotov's raising of the China issue had taken the United
States completely by surprise. Marshall had taken no Far Eastern
experts with him and none were being sent. There had as yet been
no telegram from Marshall today. Stirling asked Hickerson whether
he could add that there would in fact be no discussion regarding
the Pacific at Moscow. He said he would prefer to limit his reply
to the above though 'there would be none'. Meanwhile he would
convey our views to Acheson at once. [2]