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

Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 165

The United States Delegation at the Tripartite Foreign Ministers Meeting to the Department of State ¹

secret
priority

London, October 16, 1953—10 p.m.

Secto 8. At meeting this afternoon Foreign Ministers considered security guarantees in relation to tripartite experts meeting in Paris next week.² Eden explained object of meeting to prepare tripartite positions on all possible phases Lugano meeting on assumption Soviets will accept invitation to meeting. He summarized British thoughts on security guarantees which based on fact that elements of security arrangements such as UN already in existence. British have three proposals none of which ideal:

(1) A NATO declaration or agreement that if Germany or EDC committed aggression NATO treaty would come into effect and victim would be defended even though it might be USSR or satellite.

(2) Agreement between UK, US, France, USSR, and Germany for mutual assistance in case of attack across German borders.

(3) Nonaggression pact between the EDC and USSR as supported by US and UK guarantees.

Bidault then summarized views outlined in Paris Telegram to Department 1452, October 13.³ He stressed that these ideas should be kept secret and that if we can agree on what to do there will still be question of when and how to do it.

Secretary expressed doubt that USSR, in view its own record, rates nonaggression pacts very high. He suggested emphasizing purely defensive character of EDC at every opportunity, mentioning particularly coming Hague meeting. Also explained that tying guarantees closely to UN Charter will greatly facilitate US ratification. He mentioned particularly Article II, Sections 4 and 6 of UN Charter and suggested experts keep these two sections in mind during Paris discussions.

It was agreed that discussions in Paris should begin October 21, last approximately 10 days, and be conducted in light of above.

1. Repeated to Paris. Regarding the Foreign Ministers meeting at London, Oct. 16–18, see the editorial note, p. 1709.
2. For documentation on the meetings of the tripartite working group at Paris prior to the Berlin Conference, see volume vii .
3. Not printed; it reported the new French position on security guarantees in Europe as part of an ongoing effort to induce the Soviet Union to join in a Four-Power Conference. The French proposed to frame the question of security guarantees “in terms of West preoccupations rather than those of Russians” in order to “quiet the worries of West public opinion” and to “demonstrate publicly our will for peace, and to reinforce our propaganda.” Starting from this hypothesis the French envisaged (1) a declaration by all NATO governments reaffirming in the most solemn terms devotion to the U.N. Charter and the fully defensive nature of the alliance; (2) a declaration by the Federal Republic of Germany binding itself formally not to seek forceful modification of the territorial situation created by the surrender of 1945, and (3) a declaration by the occupying powers taking note of the German declaration and guaranteeing it with respect to the Soviet Union (640.611/10–1353).