Office of the Historian

863.105/3–1349: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Legation in Austria

top secret
Washington, March 18, 1949—11 a.m.

243. Reply from Fr Emb re estab Aust gendarmerie force Deptel 150 Feb 191 and USFA’s P 3111 Mar 92 is in sustance as fols: Fr Govt has not changed attitude set forth aide-mémoire Nov 16, 1948.3 Appears essential in case estab mobile gendarmerie regiment approved by Aust Govt plan shld be carried out only after an understanding by three Govts and implementation should depend on or be related to (subordonnée à) development Treaty negots at London.4

[Page 1241]

Re approach to Aust Govt in matter aide-mémoire recalled it had been agreed Oct 1948 by US, UK and FR elements desirable to reach general accord on organization future Aust army before beginning discussions with Aust Govt on formation gendarmerie force.5

Fr Emb rep informed orally Fr position second sentence para one summary above was in accord with ours if language “subordonnée” interpreted as “be related to” and wld not be held to preclude decision to proceed with plan if Treaty not concluded in current negots. Fr Emb rep stated he understood this interpretation to represent attitude FonOff and Fr Govt wished to make certain whatever outcome Treaty negots implementation plan to form gendarmerie wld be reviewed by three Govts before action taken in Vienna. On basis para 1 urtel 1270 Dec. 6, 19486 it was pointed out we were not aware any such agreement three Elements last Oct mentioned above. He replied he wld endeavor obtain further info although acknowledging Fr High Commissioner may have gained mistaken impression of arrangements considered by three Elements Vienna past autumn.

Acheson
  1. Supra.↩
  2. Not printed; in it Keyes reported that the three Western High Commissioners had informed Figl and Schaerf of the plan to form a gendarmerie regiment in the Western zones of Austria. Figl assured the Commissioners that the plan would be entirely satisfactory to the Austrian Government.↩
  3. Not printed. For a summary of the aide-mémoire, see telegram 898, November 30, Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. ii, p. 1375.↩
  4. For documentation relating to the Austrian Treaty negotiations, see pp. 1066 ff.↩
  5. The text of the French aide-mémoire of which this is a summary is in file 863.105/3–1349.↩
  6. Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. ii, p. 1376.↩