Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, European Security and the German Question, Volume III, Part 1

740.5/9–2051: Telegram

The United States Delegation at the Seventh Session of the North Atlantic Council to the Acting Secretary of State¹

secret

Ottawa, September 20, 1951—6 p. m.

Secto 31. ToISA. On recommendation of deps NAC this afternoon² adopted fol draft resolution re procedures necessary for accession of Greece and Turkey to NATO and approved following draft protocol:

resolution on accession greece and turkey

The North Atlantic Council.

1. Having considered proposal put forward for accession of Kingdom of Greece and Republic of Turk to NAT.

2. Satisfied that security of NA area will be enhanced by accession of Greece and Turk to NAT.

3. Having examined question of amendments which might be desirable in provisions of NAT.

Recommends: to govts which are parties to treaty:

4. That, pursuant to Article 10 of treaty, each govt take whatever steps may be necessary to enable it to agree that Kingdom of Greece and Republic of Turk be invited to accede to NAT and thereupon notify its agreement to govt of USA: that thereafter Greece and Turk shall become parties to treaty upon date of deposit of their respective instruments of accession with Govt of the USA.

5. That, as from date of deposit with Govt of USA by Govt of Republic of Turkey of its instrument of accession, an appropriate modification of Art 6 of the treaty shall enter into force.

Agrees:

That these purposes wld be achieved and the requirements of treaty wld be met by bringing into force a protocol in accordance with procedure set forth herein.

Further recommends:

That such a protocol, prepared in English and French texts, be signed, as soon as possible, by members of council deps, duly authorized by their respective govts.

protocol³

Parties to NAT, signed at Washington on April 4, 1949

Being satisfied that security of NA area will be enhanced by accession of Kingdom of Greece and Republic of Turk to that treaty,

Agree as follows:

Article I. Upon the entry into force of this protocol, Govt of USA shall, on behalf of all parties, communicate to Govt of Kingdom of Greece and Govt of Republic of Turkey an invitation to accede to NAT, as it may be modified by Art II of present protocol. Thereafter Kingdom of Greece and Republic of Turk shall each become a party on date when each deposits its respective instrument of accession with Govt of USA in accordance with Art X of treaty.

Article II. If Republic of Turkey becomes party to NAT, Art VI of treaty shall, as from date of deposit by Govt of Republic of Turk of its instrument of accession with Govt of USA, be modified to read as follows:

“For the purpose of Article V an armed attack on one or more of the parties is deemed to include an armed attack—

(i) On the territory of any of the parties in Europe or North America, on the Algerian depts of Fr, on the territory of Turk and on the islands of any of the parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer;

(ii) On the forces, vessels or aircraft of any of the parties, when in or over these territories or any other area in Eur in which occupation forces of any of the parties were stationed on the date when the treaty came into effect, or the Mediterranean Sea or the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer.”

Article III. Present protocol shall enter into force when each of the parties to NAT has communicated to or deposited with Govt of USA its notification or instrument signifying its acceptance thereof. Govt of USA shall notify all parties to NAT of the date of receipt of each such notification or instrument and date of entry into force of present protocol.

Article IV.

Present protocol, of which English and French texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in archives of Govt of USA. Duly certified copies thereof shall be transmitted by that govt to govt of all parties to NAT.

In witness whereof, the undersigned plenipotentiaries have signed present protocol.⁴

1. Repeated to The Hague, Paris, Oslo, Copenhagen, London, Rome, Brussels, Frankfurt for Handy, and Luxembourg.
2. A brief summary of this Council meeting is contained in telegram Secto 32 from Ottawa, September 20, p. 683. Regarding action on this resolution and the protocol, see footnote 2 thereto.
3. The text of this protocol was released to the press on October 15 and is printed in the Department of State Bulletin, October 22, 1951, pp. 650–651.
4. The signatures were omitted from the telegraphic copy.