Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, Council of Foreign Ministers; Germany and Austria, Volume III

CFM Files: Lot M–88: Box 143: USDel Working Paper Series

Proposal of the United States, United Kingdom, and French Delegations to the Council of Foreign Ministers ¹

secret

Paris, June 12, 1949.

USDel Working Paper/32 Rev. 5²

Provisions for Permanent Consultations on Germany

Despite the inability, at this session of the CFM, to reach agreement on the unification of Germany,³ the four Ministers will continue their efforts to achieve this result, and, in particular, now agree as follows:—

1. During the course of the Fourth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations to be convened next September, the four Governments, through representatives at the Assembly, will exchange views regarding the date and other arrangements for the next session of the CFM on the German question.

2. The Occupation Authorities, in the light of the intention of the Ministers to continue their efforts to achieve the unification of Germany,⁴ shall consult together in Berlin on a quadripartite basis.

3. These consultations will have as their purpose among others to mitigate the effects of the present administrative division of Germany and of Berlin notably in the matters listed below:—

(a) Expansion of trade between the Western Zones and the Eastern Zone and between Berlin and the Zones, in accordance with the following principles, inter alia:⁵

(i) An increase in such trade should be encouraged with a view to its reaching a level substantially higher than that which took place in 1947 or in 1948;

(ii) There should be a balance in the flow of essential goods, and in the flow of non-essential goods between the Western Zones and Western Sectors of Berlin, on the one hand, and the Eastern Zone and Eastern Sector on the other.⁶

(b) Facilitation of the movement of persons and the exchange of information between the Western Zones and the Eastern Zone and between Berlin and the Zones.

(c) Consideration of questions of common interest relating to the administration of the four Sectors in Berlin with a view to normalizing, as far as possible, the life of the city.

4. In order to assist in the work envisaged in paragraph 3 the respective Occupation Authorities may call upon German experts and appropriate German organizations in their respective jurisdictions for assistance. The Germans so called upon should exchange pertinent data, prepare reports, and, if agreed between them, submit proposals to the Occupation Authorities.

5. In order to promote further the aims set forth in the preceding paragraphs and in order to improve and supplement other arrangements and agreements as regards access to and egress from Berlin, the Occupation Authorities will negotiate an agreement in Berlin to include the following principles:

(i) The requirements of the Western Allies for facilities for movement by rail, road and water for their nationals and their goods shall be met.

(ii) The Soviet authorities would facilitate the two-way movement by rail, road and water of persons and goods not included in (i) between the Western Zones and the Western Sectors of Berlin.

With a view to assisting in attaining the objectives stated in this paragraph 5, the Western Powers will undertake to operate and maintain the autobahn Helmstedt/Berlin as a line of communication and to control the traffic thereon. They will undertake to facilitate the movement thereon of Eastern Zone traffic including cross traffic.⁷

1. A copy of this paper was handed to Vyshinsky, at the 19th meeting of the Council, June. 12, 1949; this text and its revisions were then discussed at the 19th through 22nd sessions, June 12–19. For the minutes of these sessions, see pp. 985–1035.
2. The first draft of the USDel Working Paper/32 series was prepared by Jessup, June 7, and revised by Dulles (32 Rev. 1), June 8. The Dulles draft was then, discussed by a tripartite working party, June 9, and the resulting paper (32 Rev. 2) considered by the United States Delegation June 10, revised (32 Rev. 3), and discussed again by the tripartite working party (32 Rev. 4). 32 Rev. 4 was submitted to the Ministers at their meeting, June 11, where further revisions were made. The resulting paper (32 Rev. 5) was handed to Vyshinsky. The texts of the various drafts enumerated above are in CFM Files: Lot M–88: Box 143: USDel Working Papers Series; a record of the three Ministers meeting is CFM Files: Lot M–88: Box 140: Tripartite Meeting of the Ministers.
3. At the 20th meeting of the Council Vyshinsky submitted a series of additions and amendments to USDel Working Paper/32 Rev. 5 which are indicated in this and subsequent footnotes. The substance of the revisions and the text of USDel Working Paper/32 Rev. 5 as it would read with the Soviet changes is included in the papers of the United States Delegation as USDel Working Paper/42, not printed, June 15 (CFM Files: Lot M–88: Box 143: USDel Working Papers Series). At this point the Soviet Delegation proposed to delete “on the unification of Germany” and substitute “on the restoration of the economic and political unity of Germany”.
4. The Soviet proposal would have deleted “the unification of Germany” and substituted “the restoration of the economic and political unity of Germany.”

5. The Soviet Delegation proposed to substitute for the Western draft of paragraph 3(a) the following version:

   “a. Expansion of trade and development of the financial relations and economic relations in general between the Western Zones and the Eastern Zone and between Berlin and the Zones, in accordance with the following principles, inter alia:”

6. The Soviet Delegation proposed to redraft this subparagraph as follows:

   “There should be a balance in the flow of essential goods, and in the flow of non-essential goods between the Western Zones, on the one hand, and the Eastern Zone and Berlin, on the other.”

7. The Soviet Delegation proposed to redraft paragraph 5 as follows:

   “In order to promote further the aims set forth in the preceding paragraphs and in order to improve and supplement the agreements as regards the communications between the Eastern Zone and the Western Zones and between the Zones and Berlin as well as regards the transit, the Occupation Authorities, each in its Zone, will take measures for ensuring the normal functioning of the rail, water and road transport and that of the postal, telephone and telegraph communications.”

   The Soviet Delegation also proposed to add the following two paragraphs to the Western draft:

   “To recommend to the leading German economic bodies of the Eastern and Western Zones to set up in the Zones Economic Missions for the purpose of establishing the necessary coordination between the respective German bodies of the Zones in the field of trade and economic activity in general. These Missions shall facilitate the establishment of closer economic ties between the Zones and more effective implementation of trade and other economic agreements.

   “To recommend to the German economic bodies of the Eastern Zone and Western Zones to set up a coordinating economic body and to render the necessary assistance to the creation of such a body and to its functioning.”