Office of the Historian

Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 192

No. 488
Minutes of a Meeting of the Tripartite Working Group, Berlin, February 16, 1954, 10:30 a.m.1

secret
BER MIN–19
February 16, 1954
  • Present
    • United States
      • Mr. MacArthur
    • United Kingdom
      • Sir Frank Roberts
    • France
      • M. Seydoux

1. Tactics for Today—Agenda Item 3.

It was agreed that the Austrians should be asked by M. Bidault to explain their new instructions. It would be preferable if Mr. Figl while not mentioning Article 4 bis would explain that his instructions confirmed the fact that there could be no discussion of the Treaty if the Soviet proposed Article 332 was under consideration. Mr. Eden will present argumentation noting that still more obstacles [Page 1128] were being placed in the way of obtaining the Treaty. Mr. Molotov would probably raise Article 4 bis. Mr. Dulles would say that it was impossible for the US to lend itself to something that was as fraudulent as Article 4 bis.

M. Bidault wished to interject a proposal with regard to alleviating the situation in Austria. The UK and the US delegations felt that this would unnecessarily confuse the unassailable position the west were now holding. The Germans would also expect such treatment. Statements along these lines could be incorporated in the tripartite communiqué on Austria.

It was agreed that the Ministers should discuss this. It was further agreed that if the consideration of Austria concluded early that the meeting should adjourn and the Ministers should not commence discussion of Item 2.

2. Item 2.

M. Seydoux proposed that the Security Declaration and the Declaration of Intent3 be set forth at the close of the meeting. The US and UK strongly objected to the use of these Declarations at this time. The US and UK would prefer the presentation of tripartite communiqués, one dealing with Austria as a separate matter and the other a general one concluding with a statement of present relations between the USSR and the West. Unless agreement is reached with regard to the proposed conference under Item 1, the UK and the US believed that the communiqué should be issued in the three capitals Friday evening while the Ministers were on their way home. It was proposed that the French produce a text of their proposal along with a revision of the communiqué which would cover their comments. The drafting group would then meet at 5:00 at the UK Headquarters to consider the texts so that they might be submitted to the three Ministers tonight.

3. Secretary’s Departure Plans.

Mr. MacArthur announced that the Secretary was tentatively planning to leave Berlin after the Plenary Session on Thursday and would stop at Wahn Airfield to speak with Adenauer for about an hour before resuming his flight to Washington.

4. Four-Power Communiqué.

In the event the Soviets suggested a four-power communiqué the three powers would maintain that there was nothing the four could agree upon to say.

[Page 1129]

5. Further Quadripartite Meetings.

If Mr. Molotov raised this subject the three Ministers would stand firm that there should be no continuing deputies meeting. Without precluding future Big Four meetings the Ministers should avoid naming a specific date.

  1. According to the U.S. Delegation Order of the Day, USDEL(OD)23, Secretary Dulles met with the staff of the Berlin Element of HICOG at 9:30 and the Austrian Experts met at 10 a.m. No record of these meetings has been found in Department of State files. (CFM files, lot M 88, box 168)↩
  2. FPM(54)66, Document 521.↩
  3. For text of the U.K.-French Draft Security Declaration, see Document 314. Regarding the Declaration of Intent, see BER MIN–3 and –5, Documents 357 and 372.↩