Office of the Historian

Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 389: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of State, at London

top secret
Washington, September 27, 1954—7 p.m.

Tedul 2. Eyes only Secretary. I wish to be sure you read Schwartz’s memorandum of September 251 to Bowie reporting Cutler’s conversation with the President and the President’s approval of NSC 5433 as amended by Friday’s NSC meeting.2 Believe Bowie has full memorandum but pertinent portion follows:

“General Cutler also transmitted the following points made by the President in connection with NSC 5433 and the London meeting:

1.
He heartily agrees with the Secretary’s view that the Europeans should make the plan and do most of the talking.
2.
He believes that we should not threaten the French, but should view their rejection of EDC more in sorrow than anger.
3.
He agrees that we should slow down aid to France and make no new financial commitments (as set forth in revised paragraph 10 [9]).
4.
In connection with the JCS memorandum3 (transmitted under cover of Secretary Wilson’s letter of September 23 and Mr. Lay’s memorandum of September 23), he is of the firm opinion that no bilateral arrangement between the U.S. and Germany will [Page 1279] work; he considers that we would have to have at least the U.K. and the Low Countries with us.
5.
He still believes that an arrangement equivalent to NATO and EDC, which provides for a German contribution, will permit the defense of Europe on the ground.”

Smith
  1. A copy of the Schwartz memorandum is in the S/S–NSC files, lot 63 D 351, NSC 5433 series; virtually the entire text of this memorandum is quoted in the source text.↩
  2. For the text of NSC 5433 of Sept. 16, see p. 1205. NSC 5433 was revised as a result of a meeting of the National Security Council on Sept. 24 and circulated as NSC 5433/1 of Sept. 25; for the text of NSC 5433/1, see p. 1268.↩
  3. This is a reference to Enclosure 2 to the memorandum by Lay of Sept. 23, p. 1249.↩