January 16, 1951
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation
The Secretary telephoned Senator Lodge to tell him he had just finished reading his speech and wanted to tell him he considered it an excellent and thoughtful one which would contribute a lot to the situation.
Senator Lodge thanked the Secretary and he said he thought the situation could be worked out and that it was not desperate at all. He said it couldn't be worked out by routine methods, however. He said he thought it possible to get a resolution on use of troops which would satisfy the qualms of those concerned about it and still be within the provisions of the Atlantic Charter.
The Secretary said that he too thought this possible and said the Department would be glad to be of any possible help. The Secretary then said he wanted to have a chat with the Senator and remarked that he thought more discussion would be helpful.
Senator Lodge told the Secretary a lot more discussion and information would be very helpful to him and many of his colleagues who were having difficulty answering their mail, containing such inquiries as "Why should we stay in Korea" and "Why does my son have to stay in Korea." He remarked that most of them don't know what to say, but he thought he understood the situation better than some of them. He said he realized the considerations which had to be made in reaching a decision, but in a Government like ours so influenced by public opinion you have to tell them something.
The Secretary promised to go to work on this problem and see what help the Department could offer.
L.D.B
S:DHM