Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Western Europe and Canada, Volume VI, Part 1

740.00/5–852: Telegram

No. 37
The Ambassador in France (Dunn) to the Department of State¹

confidential

Paris, May 8, 1952—7 p.m.

6906. Embtel 6929 May 1.² Deputies of CM of Council of Europe have completed meeting on Eden proposal by agreeing to questionnaire which is to be answered at next meeting deputies Strasbourg May 16.³ FonOff and Secretariat comments follow:

Statements of UK del in closing sessions offered more grounds for optimism re UK desire to achieve worthwhile coordination involving some UK association with def and coal steel communities. UK del appeared to be impressed with pessimistic reaction other dels to its initial statements and with unanticipated strongly critical position of Ger-Ital dels whose close alignment somewhat alarmed other dels. Meetings conducted in tense atmosphere and there was evidence of conflicting interests between French, who desire obtain some form of UK association from Eden initiative, and other Schuman plan–EDC countries who (as reported Embtel 6929) are fearful that attempt to obtain something workable from Eden proposal will only result in slowing down European integration.

Answers to questionnaire, which is quoted in immediately following tel,⁴ will clarify whether, and in what way, there may be formal coordination between CE and specialized auths. At present, coordination that appears most probable is between assemblies and between juridical organizations. Secretariats might be related in similar manner to secretariats UN organizations. Problem of ministerial coordination remains most difficult as well as most important.

Dunn

1. Repeated to London, Rome, Bonn, Ankara, Athens, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, The Hague, Luxembourg, Oslo, Reykjavik, Stockholm, and Strasbourg.
2. Presumably a reference to Document 35.
3. An unofficial report on the meetings of the Ministers’ Deputies of the Council of Europe, held at Paris from Apr. 28 to May 5, was transmitted to the Department of State in despatch 2940 from Paris, May 7. (740.00/5–752)
4. Telegram 6907 from Paris, May 8, contained the text of the questionnaire under reference. (740.00/5–852)