Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Western European Security, Volume V, Part 1

740.00/10–1553: Telegram

The United States Observer to the Interim Committee of the European Defense Community (Bruce) to the Department of State ¹

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Paris, October 15, 1953—3 p.m.

Coled 65. Re Deptel 1381, October 13, repeated London 1948.²

1. We face real possibility that Laniel Government will evade taking positive steps to bring about EDC ratification in France. Laniel, reversing previous statements of himself and Bidault, now speaks of bringing EDC to vote only after Presidential election around December 19. Presumably this decision is not unaffected by his own ambition to be President. We have seen no evidence that government “even intends to initiate action to revive work of assembly committees on EDC treaty so that vote could be taken soon after elections. It would be helpful if you could press Bidault to do whatever is necessary to begin active committee hearings of himself, Pleven, Alphand and other government representatives. Committee has said it will accept government guidance in determining its schedule and under best of circumstances process will take some weeks. Bidault should also be pressed to proceed with Saar talks concurrently with parliamentary preparations. If we must accept Laniel’s decision, goal should be to have everything ready for Assembly vote at latest immediately after Christmas holidays.

2. General consensus is that if Laniel and Bidault asked for vote on EDC treaty now they would have majority, and perhaps a respectable majority, assuming Saar settlement, United Kingdom association, and EPC progress. This favorable situation could change. As always in France, life of government is in doubt and in any case Laniel Government will most likely follow practice customary during Third Republic of resigning to give new President of Republic opportunity to name Prime Minister. Unless Laniel and Bidault take positive steps before Presidential election we therefore risk being thrown once again into confusion and delay which always attends formation of French Cabinet. Consequently another French Government through procrastination will have evaded its responsibilities, and horse-trading in forming new Cabinet may make it difficult to obtain commitment from new government to proceed without attempting to pose new conditions to ratification.

3. On European Political Community, it would be helpful if you could inform Bidault of firm view of yourself and the President that development should continue to follow supranational principle. Only in this way can momentum towards developing European unity be maintained and not be defeated by diversion into mere international organization. You might point out to Bidault that we favor supranational principle not only for its own sake but because we consider it necessary to fulfill condition for EDC ratification contained in French National Assembly resolution of February 1952 that European Army must be subordinated to supranational political authority with limited but real powers responsible to a directly-elected assembly. Unless European Political Community is developing on these lines and in particular unless French position in negotiations is consistent with this condition, we do not see how necessary votes from Socialists, Radical Socialists, and even most European of MRP leaders can be obtained for EDC ratification. See Coled 64,³ repeated London 279 for comments on prevailing confusion as result Quai d’Orsay recalcitrance in obeying Cabinet instructions.

4. On Saar item talked yesterday with Chancellor in Bonn. He said French seem in no hurry about Saar talks and doubts whether French will even consider discussing any concessions on their part until after Presidential elections. He is however going to attempt to work out a basis of discussion with Francois-Poncet after formation of his Cabinet next week. As Conant has reported to you,⁴ the Chancellor is far from being an independent agent on Saar question and he is also discouraged because in present French domestic political climate he sees little evidence that he will receive any real cooperation from present French Government in pushing forward EDC and EPC despite its stated intentions.

Bruce

1. Repeated to Bonn and to London for Secretary Dulles, who was attending a Foreign Ministers meeting; for documentation on this meeting, see the editorial note, p. 1709.
2. Not printed; it requested any specific points that might have arisen at the recently concluded Rome EPC meeting that could be taken up with Bidault at London (740.00/10–1353). Documentation on the Rome EPC meeting is in volume vi .
3. Not printed. (740.5/4–1353)
4. See the letter from Conant to the Secretary of State, Oct. 8, p. 819.