Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Western European Security, Volume V, Part 2

396.1 LO/9–2954

Telegraphic Summary by the United States Delegation¹

secret

London, September 29, 1954—2 a.m.

First quadripartite Ministers meeting on restoration German sovereignty held 3 p.m., September 28 under chairmanship Eden.

Eden opened meeting by saying all four governments appeared agreed occupation should be terminated and that necessary arrangements should be made as soon as possible. These should include retention Allied rights re Berlin and Germany as a whole, arrangements for stationing, security, status and support of forces. Bonn discussions had been useful and he proposed that three High Commissioners and representative of Chancellor carry on discussions and recommend to Ministers how this should be worked out. There was need for speed and agreement in principle should be reached in London. However, necessary agreements would have to be made in accord with constitutional procedures of respective governments. Chancellor was entitled to show progress as result of this convention. He suggested this be done by Allies issuing declaration of intent indicating that occupation regime would be terminated as soon as possible.² It might also state that meanwhile, three High Commissioners would not exercise powers to be diverted except in agreement with German Federal Government. Eden said he put this forward as suggestion. It needed examination which should be done by experts.

Adenauer said he hoped restoration of sovereignty would not have to wait until all arrangements made and all treaties ratified. He welcomed British suggestion which he said German public opinion would feel meant that conference had resulted in real change and not mere words.

Re restoration German sovereignty, Mendes-France said French delegation would facilitate achievement of this objective to maximum and would be realistic in dealing with it. After Brussels conference,³ French Government had decided to agree to Anglo-American suggestion to put Bonn treaties in effect. He had publicly stated this and French parliament was aware of it. He said re Eden proposal it would be difficult for French Government to take position without parliamentary approval. Government could give instructions to French High Commissioner but could not enter into agreements which prejudice right of Parliament to pass on substantive issue.

Secretary said US desires German sovereignty be restored as soon as possible and that US prepared in light unanimous vote Senate to act without delay from constitutional standpoint.⁴ He felt further exploration of steps needed complete restoration sovereignty. Working groups could press forward on this and report in two or three days areas of agreement and disagreement which Ministers could then consider. He hoped that agreement on steps necessary consummate termination occupation could be worked out in detail at London. These might be dependent on coming into force of other arrangements.

Re Eden proposal, Secretary said it was new idea and he wished to think it through before expressing an opinion. He felt everything possible should be done to assist Chancellor and enable him to indicate to German people that conference had taken action. He wished to think about implications of Eden proposal. While he approached it with sympathy, he thought it needed to be studied to see whether necessary rights would be maintained. He suggested it be considered by working group. Secretary renewed his proposal that High Commissioners and Chancellor’s representative make comprehensive report in next two or three days. Mendes-France said problem was complex. He felt that governments probably not far apart on substance, but there was problem of procedure which he felt experts should also explore during conference. He said that French delegation had three or four questions on procedure which he would like to have considered.

Eden suggested that it would be desirable that working group have some agreed principles from Ministers on which to work and distributed paper proposing following principles:⁵

1. Arrangement for terminating occupation should be capable of being made effective in advance or independently of arrangements for German military contribution. Pending entry into force of latter, German rearmament would remain subject of restriction.

2. Simplest method would be declaration by three Allies terminating occupation and giving Federal Republic full authority subject certain reservation, e.g. Berlin.

3. Declaration would not come into force until settlement convention, less those parts now out of date, had become effective and arrangements made to cover stationing, status and financing of Allied forces and protection their security.

4. In reviewing extent to which Bonn conventions could now usefully be brought into operation, working group should not attempt to renegotiate documents but restrict themselves to deleting provisions now out of date.⁶

Secretary said for problems immediately at hand only fourth point seemed relevant and that first three could be considered better in light of knowledge what documents would look like. However, he did not object to working group studying these points as well as new Eden proposal. All Ministers agreed to fourth point British paper and remainder of British proposals were referred to working group for study, it being specifically understood that consideration of declaration of intent was without commitment. Eden suggested that if working group felt it needed further instructions it should report to Ministers on following day.

Adenauer designated Grewe as German representative on working group.⁷

1. Transmitted to the Department of State in telegram Secto 9, Sept. 29, and repeated to Bonn, Rome, Ottawa, Luxembourg, The Hague, Brussels, and to Paris for USRO, CINCEUR, and Reinhardt. A 12-page verbatim record of this meeting is in the Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 367. The list of principal participants, not provided in the source text, was taken from the verbatim record.

2. Eden’s proposal was circulated as document NPC(54)6 of Sept. 28, the text of which reads as follows:

   “The proposal is to make a declaration of the intent of the three Occupying Powers to take as soon as possible the steps necessary to terminate the Occupation regime.

   “Since, however, this process must take a little time, the declaration could include a statement by the three Occupying Powers that they propose to instruct the High Commissioners not to use in the meantime powers of which it is proposed to divest them except in agreement with the German Federal Government.” (Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 364)

3. For documentation concerning the Brussels Conference of Aug. 19–22, see pp. 1052 ff.
4. For the text of Senate Resolution 295 approved on July 30, 1954, see the Department of State Bulletin, Aug. 23, 1954, p. 284.
5. The British paper presenting the principles summarized in the source text has not been further identified.
6. Documentation concerning the negotiation of the Bonn conventions is presented in volume vii.
7. Immediately following this Four-Power meeting, the Working Group on German Sovereignty held its first meeting at Lancaster House. As a result of this meeting and another held the following morning at 11 a.m., the Working Group submitted a list of questions to the four Foreign Ministers seeking guidance concerning their tasks and stated that little progress could be made until this guidance was received. The questions submitted to the four Ministers were circulated in document NPC(54)15 of Sept. 29 and were considered at the second Four-Power meeting of Oct. 1; a copy of document NPC(54)15 is in the Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 364. A brief summary of the first meeting of this Working Group is contained in telegram Secto 8 from London, Sept. 29 (396.1 LO/9–2954); however, no records of the subsequent meetings of Sept. 30, Oct. 1, and Oct. 2 were found in Department of State files. The U.S. representatives on the Working Group were Conant (head of U.S. Delegation), Reinstein, Hilles, and Wilson. This Working Group is presumably a continuation of the quadripartite Working Group which met in Bonn prior to the beginning of the Nine-Power Conference; for information on the Bonn group, see footnote 3, p. 1297.