Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Berlin Crisis, 1958–1959, Volume VIII

289. Memorandum of Conversation⁰

US/MC/3

Geneva, May 10, 1959, 4 p.m.

MEETING OF FOREIGN MINISTERS PALAIS DES NATIONS, GENEVA, 1959

PARTICIPANTS

• United States
  • The Secretary of State
  • Mr. Merchant
  • Mr. Reinhardt
  • Mr. Gibson
• France
  • Foreign Minister Couve de Murville
  • Mr. Joxe
  • Mr. Lucet
  • Mr. de Menthon
• United Kingdom
  • Foreign Minister Lloyd
  • Sir Anthony Rumbold
  • Mr. Wilkinson
• Germany
  • Foreign Minister von Brentano
  • Mr. Duckwitz
  • Mr. Grewe

SUBJECT

• Meeting Procedures and Western Coordination

The following conclusions were reached at the meeting:

(1) Mr. Lloyd as senior Foreign Minister will accept responsibility for calling meetings of the Western Foreign Ministers as seems desirable.

(2) A quadripartite coordinating group at the Deputy level will meet at 10:30 every morning to review the previous day’s developments and prepare matters for the Ministers’ decision.

(3) That in connection with the argument with the Soviets over the shape of the table, the point of substance is not recognizing the GDR to the degree of permitting their seating at the table.¹ Once this point is settled the shape of the table is irrelevant and in those circumstances we could accept a round table. Mr. Lloyd at his meeting with Gromyko later in the day will make this point. Meanwhile it was confirmed that the UN will not issue passes to the Council chamber to either German delegation for the Monday meeting.

(4) After responding to Hammarskjold’s welcome address (assuring a procedural debate did not then arise), Mr. Lloyd as Chairman will go around the table enabling each of the other three Foreign Ministers to make their opening statements. It was presumed that this round would be all that would be covered in the first session.

(5) The four Foreign Ministers agreed to meet together immediately after the close of the Monday conference session.

(6) That in order to avoid the formality of the 3-to-1 ratio of speeches, Mr. Lloyd as Chairman on opening day would suggest that the chair recognize speakers who desired to speak during the course of the conference without regard to their position in the rotation.

(7) That advice would be sought from either German delegation during the sessions only by agreement of all four Foreign Ministers.

(8) That Palthey² should be told that he could come and go and remain in the Council chamber as his duties required and that a place would be made available for him to sit but not of course at the conference table.

0. Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199. Confidential. Drafted by Merchant and approved by Max Krebs, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State. The meeting was held in the Secretary’s villa. Secretary Herter arrived in Geneva at 6:40 p.m. on May 9. On May 10 he discussed the Foreign Ministers Conference with Hammarskjöld at 11:15 a.m. and with Italian Foreign Minister Pella at noon. Memoranda of these conversations, US/MC/16–17 and 4–5, are ibid., Conference Files: Lot 64 D 560, CF 1344.
1. The shape of the table and the question of German participation had been under discussion since May 5 when it became clear that the Soviet Union would insist on full participation by the German Democratic Republic. Reports on these discussions were transmitted in telegrams 1436, 1444, 1454, and 1463 from Geneva, May 5–8. (Ibid., Central Files, 396.1–GE/5–559 through 5–859)
2. Georges M. Palthey, Deputy Director of the European Office of the United Nations at Geneva.