Pages 71-72 from FO 371 110691 - Atomic Energy

The document is a telegram from Sir R. Makins to the Foreign Office, dated January 15, 1954. It summarizes the American tentative proposals for the creation of an atomic energy agency. The key points mentioned in the telegram are as follows:

1. The agency would not be independent but would be under indirect control of the United Nations, possibly with specialized agency status similar to Unesco.
2. Membership would be open to all nations, whether members of the United Nations or not, as long as they pay their contributions and accept the rules of membership.
3. The governing body of the agency would consist of all contributors of atomic materials, including heavy water and graphite.
4. The agency's role would be that of a broker and technical advisor, rather than operating reactors or acting as a bank. It would have a small working stock of uranium and fissionable material, which would be supplied by contributor nations and sold to customers interested in setting up reactors.
5. Technical advice would be provided to customers based on their submitted plans, but the agency itself would not submit plans. The agency could also arrange for the reconditioning of reacting materials, supply additional uranium, and provide experts. The supply of isotopes would not be excluded.
6. The objective of the agency should not be seen as a plan for general disarmament or international control of atomic energy. It should not interfere with relations between the United States and other powers or between the UK and the Commonwealth. It should not be used as a strategy to bring the Russians to a conference.
7. The Canadian Cabinet has approved a paper on the same topic, which the Canadian Ambassador will present to the State Department. The State Department is eager to receive the UK's views on the proposals.

The telegram is addressed to the Foreign Office and is copied to Sir I. Kirkpatrick, Sir P. Dixon, Mr. Coulson, and the Head of General Department.