102. Memorandum of Conversation1
SUBJECT
- Allied Statement on German Unity
PARTICIPANTS
-
United States
- Ambassador Llewellyn E. Thompson
- Mr. Hugh G. Appling, EUR/WE
-
France
- Ambassador Herve Alphand
- Mr. Bruno de Leusse, Minister Counselor
Ambassador Alphand said that although his Government had been unenthusiastic from the beginning about the idea of a new allied statement on German unity, they were prepared to go along with such a gesture. The GOF believed it would lead nowhere and supposed that neither we nor the FRG had any illusions. The Ambassador said he was under instructions from Paris to submit for our consideration the attached new draft of such an allied declaration.2 He believed it was substantially the same as the earlier draft but somewhat terser. The new French draft omitted any mention of the U.N. They thought this was a good idea since the U.N. had never been brought into the German matter. Neither did their draft refer to relations between the two Germanies, but rather held to the basic idea that reunification must be based on self-determination. They reaffirmed Four-Power responsibility, emphasizing the relationship of the German problem to European security. He said [Page 250] that the draft had been shown to the German Charge in Paris who considered it adequate. It had also been shown to the German Embassy here. The French Ambassador in London was presenting the draft to the Foreign Office.
Ambassador Alphand said that a second question was the date of the declaration. May 8 would hardly be good from a German viewpoint. Gromyko would be in Paris April 24–30. The Germans wished to refer to the declaration in the communiqué following the NATO meeting May 11. Therefore, sometime between the first and the eighth of May seemed best. An early date might preempt a Soviet statement on the same matter. Ambassador Thompson suggested that May Day might not be the best time and that it might be wise not to leave the Soviets much time to respond between issuance of the declaration and the NATO meeting.
Finally, Ambassador Alphand suggested that the text of the declaration and the date of its issuance be considered in a meeting of the Ambassadorial Group Tuesday, April 20.
Ambassador Thompson said that at first glance the French draft seemed a good one and, subject to the Secretary’s views, we would consider taking it up in a meeting of the Ambassadorial Group April 20. We would take appropriate steps to convene such a meeting.
Ambassador Thompson raised the question of how the declaration would be made. Ambassador Alphand conjectured that it might be delivered by Ambassadors of the three Western powers to the Foreign Office in Moscow. Ambassador Thompson suggested that the best procedure might be parallel public statements in each of the three Western capitals. It was agreed that this question of procedure could be discussed in the Ambassadorial Group also.