Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, Central and Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume IV

400.539/10–650: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Bruce) to the Secretary of State

secret

Paris, October 6, 1950—8 p. m.

1825. Excon. ReDeptel 110 to Lisbon October 2, repeated Paris 1670, London 1713.¹

1. Question of Portugal becoming member CG presents number of problems which we believe merit full and careful consideration before any overtures made to Portuguese.

2. First question is relationship between CG/CoCom operation and NATO. As Department is aware, there have been suggestions both from Embassy and other PC’s as to desirability of considering liaison between CG/CoCom and NATO. Have other PC’s signed secret minute such as that quoted paragraph 14 reftel?

3. Certain procedural questions arise as to the manner in which Portugal should be requested to join CG/CoCom operation should it be decided it should become member this group. Germany was invited become member by CG. If CoCom/CG operation is to continue divorced from NATO, we assume same procedure would be followed in case of Portugal. This would require CG discussion and we cannot discount possible objections by other PC’s.

4. We assume Portugual exports 1A and 1B items and diversions to Soviet bloc negligible. We have no information on this subject or Portuguese export controls other than Torep A–20, July 25, 1949, copy ECA/Washington.²

5. A very practical question is whether it would be to best US interests to have Portugal join a group in which US is in minority and which is controlled as result present policy cleavage by UK. On basis information at hand we see no benefit Portuguese membership CoCom at this time.³

Sent Department 1825, repeated information Lisbon 6.

Bruce

1. Not printed. It proposed the prompt conclusion of a bilateral military assistance agreement with Portugal in order to regularize the planning, programming, and delivery of military aid to Portugal. The draft text of such a bilateral agreement was transmitted together with the text of a proposed secret minute under the terms of which Portugal would undertake to consult on and cooperate in the development of security export controls over war-potential items. The Department of State assumed that on the basis of the secret minute, Portugal would become a member of the Consultative Group. The Embassy in Paris was asked to comment (740.5 MAP/10–250).
2. Not printed.

3. Telegram Tomap 123, October 10, to Lisbon, repeated to Paris as 1850, not printed, stated that in light of the comments made in the telegram printed here, negotiations for a bilateral military assistance agreement with Portugal, together with the proposed secret minute on cooperation on security export controls, should proceed but without any overtures regarding Portuguese membership in the Consultative Group (740.5 MAP/10–1050).

   The United States-Portuguese Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement was Signed in Lisbon on January 5, 1951; for text, see TIAS 2187. Documentation on the negotiation of this and other mutual defense assistance agreements with Western European countries is included in vol. iii, pp. 611 ff.