Editorial Note
In a subsequent meeting on December 8, the representatives of the United States, United Kingdom, and France drafted an agreed tripartite text working from the amended U.S. text, a British draft, and French amendments to both. This draft was transmitted to the respective governments which offered various changes and amendments. The United States, in particular, was concerned that the draft would lead too quickly to a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers without adequate preparations. On December 11 a new draft was drawn up based on these considerations and again submitted to the governments, which proposed another series of changes. The United States wanted the British and French to understand clearly that the note was not a commitment to holding a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers for this would depend on the outcome of the exploratory talks with the Soviet Union.
Subsequent meetings in Paris could not resolve these differences and the question was referred to the Foreign Ministers at the sixth meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Council in Brussels, December 18–19. Documentation relating to the negotiations in Paris is in file 396.1. For the record of the Foreign Ministers discussion of the proposed reply, see the United States Delegation minutes, page 803.