850.33/11–352
No. 132
The United States Special Representative
in Europe (Draper) to the Under Secretary of State (Bruce)
Dear David: Just a line to inquire as to George Humphrey and whether you have been able to talk with him and persuade him to make a “private” trip to Europe to talk to various people about the developing Schuman Plan.
The High Authority will be making its report to the Council of Ministers in January and hopes to actually make one market of the six countries so far as coal and steel is concerned on February 10th next. Therefore, a great deal of crossfire and back and forth thinking and planning, both by the High Authority and throughout the coal and steel industries, will be going on during the next three months. If George could spend three weeks over here before the end of the year it would be very useful indeed.
Tomlinson suggests Henry Parkman as a possibility for our representative with the Schuman Plan. You remember Henry was with you in Paris and later was the U.S. member of the Ruhr Authority. This should have given him some real contact with the coal and steel business although, of course, his own background is legal. Also, he has had enough government and army experience to know how to fit into the picture over here very well. I had not thought of his name even though I did talk to him on the phone a week ago just before I left Boston on a purely personal basis. You might care to talk to John Kenney about this suggestion and if it seems a good one then he or you might talk to Henry about it.
As you may have heard I landed in a hospital in Boston for three or four days with an infected foot, but got away a week ago and am back here in harness as good or bad as ever.
With best regards,
Sincerely yours,