850.33/8–552: Telegram
No. 79
The Chargé in France (Achilles) to the
Department of State1
secret
Paris, August 5,
1952—noon.
777. Subject is Schuman Plan. Fol are additional details on preparations for mtgs of Schuman Plan institutions:
- 1.
- Schuman Plan govts are considering Van Zeeland’s proposal of Coppe, Belg Min of Reconstruction, for Belgium member of high authority. If Coppe’s appointment is confirmed in next day or two, Monnet hopes to arrange for cooperation of ninth member before first mtg of high authority. As previously agreed, this will probably be Belg Trade Unionist Finet, who was proposed for post by ICFTU.
- 2.
- Court is also supposed to hold initial mtg on August 10. Its membership is not yet complete. Fr Govt has not yet proposed replacement for Rene Mayer, who refused to accept designation because of failure of mins to concentrate all institutions at same seat. German judge also remains to be named. First task of court will be to establish its rules of procedure which it must do within three months.
- 3.
- Council of Mins scheduled to meet between 25 and 30 August. Site of institutions may be discussed at this mtg but no new decision likely to be reached. French–Ital proposal giving Schuman Plan assembly mandate to study nature and powers of European political community will also be on agenda, and French hope for favorable decision if Dutch have a government by that time. Council should also instruct high authority re commercial policy talks with non-member countries.
- 4.
- At first mtg high authority, Monnet will present program of work which will
concentrate initially on following tasks:
- (a)
- Organization of high authority staff. Monnet hopes that substantive staff can be kept as small as possible initially, and be permitted to grow only as specific needs become clear: he himself is only bringing two or three of his own people along. High authority will also have to appoint at an early stage certain special working groups, in particular a comite of experts to study transportation problems (see section 10 of transitional convention).
- (b)
- Establishment of contacts with appropriate industry, labor and consumer organs. This is first essential to all activities of high authority in preparatory period; it is also specifically required so that high authority can make recommendations to mins mtg in late August re members to be appointed to consultative comite.
- (c)
- Planning of steps which must be taken under treaty before single market can be brought into effect. Most important of these steps are establishment of perequation system for Belgian coal; commercial policy negotiations with non-member countries with which member countries have most-favored-nation trade agreements; and preparations to obtain waiver of most-favored-nation clause in GATT and OEEC trade liberalization code.
- (d)
- Obtaining of info from member govts and direct from coal and steel industries to permit drawing up of “balance sheet” of these industries in terms of production, consumption, markets, investment plans, restrictive agrmts and combinations, etc. This balance sheet must be presented to second mtg of Schuman Plan assembly in Jan 53. It will also permit establishment by high authority of initial investment prog, and preparation of estimates concerning probable econ effects of creation single market and resultant needs for readaptation funds.
- (e)
- Institution of negots with British Govt on method of association between UK and community, as well as on reciprocal reduction of tariff barriers on coal and steel and other commercial policy question. Monnet will go to UK soon after first mtg of high authority for preparatory conversation; formal negots can presumably start in Luxembourg as soon as official British Del named.
Achilles
- Repeated to London, Bonn, The Hague, Brussels, Rome, and Luxembourg.↩