122. Telegram From the Mission at the European Communities to the Department of State0
Ecbus 87. Luxembourg also for Embassy. Paris also for USRO. I had a long conversation with Jean Rey today at his request and speaking in his capacity as Commissioner in Charge of External Affairs he made the following points:
It is clear that De Gaulle had the intention of modifying the Rome and Paris Treaties and as a result of the reaction in the other capitals has now given up this idea.1 His proposal that the Heads of State of the six countries already bound together by the Rome and Paris Treaties should meet more frequently and in an ordered way is irreproachable. It should be possible to work out a solution which, without impairing the institutions of the Communities and the progress made toward federal unification with the Heads of Government as active participants. While it would be unwise to give General De Gaulle a sense of being largely rebuffed, his capacity for destructive as well as constructive action must not be lost sight of for he has destroyed the Fourth Republic, parliamentary government in France and is on the way to destroying NATO. The Commission is awaiting the return of President Hallstein but its preliminary attitude is to maintain silence while the other governments, particularly Benelux and Italy, are in effect pressing for the things that it would wish to emphasize but it must be anticipated that the European Parliamentary Assembly when it meets in mid-October will wish to discuss the general situation and the Commission will probably find that it will have to make its position known in advance.
Whereas French show no indication of wishing Britain to take part either economically or politically result of Adenauer–Macmillan talks2 is to revive the Six and Seven discussion. Much study is being given to bridge building schemes in both London and Bonn and Commission itself has taken a new look at the problem. However it still does not favor a preferential arrangement and it still believes that the difficult commodity problems are not insuperable on MFN basis, and he cited automobiles by way of example. Needless to say I assured him our policy had not changed.
I could not but take the tenor and tone of Rey’s remarks but as a warning to US that with the Commission under fire we must be all the [Page 298] more vigilant and purposeful if we want to ensure that we are not the victim of a discriminatory arrangement. In this general connection he referred to the obstructionist actions of the Swiss at the last meeting of the Trade Sub-Committee in Paris and indicated Commission’s representative at the next meeting would press again for action and refuse to be drawn into any more delay-making statistical studies.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 375.42/9–960. Confidential Repeated to Bonn, The Hague, London, Rome, Brussels, Luxembourg, and Paris.↩
- See Document 120.↩
- See Document 121.↩