840.50/1–2545: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)30
859. ReEmbs 1006, January 29.31 For Hawkins. In view of French request for delay in EEC and ECO conversations, failure of Soviets to reply and desire of British not to proceed in preliminary conversations without some Soviet participation postponement of discussions until about March 1 seems necessary, particularly since Hawkins plans return to Washington. Further developments suggest desirability of expanding scope of discussions.
Combined Chiefs have sent Department and British Embassy a memorandum32 which states that SCAEF33 is concerned as to methods now available for ensuring most effective distribution of indigenous [Page 1417] resources as between liberated countries of northwestern Europe. Responsibility of SCAEF has been determined by Combined Chiefs to be limited to facilitating transfer of relief supplies between liberated countries and not to include any general jurisdiction to compel exports from one liberated area to another, except in emergencies. Combined Chiefs characterize the problem as being of “extreme and immediate importance” and ask what steps are being taken. Desirability of something along lines of EEC as previously discussed would, therefore, presumably be acceptable to Combined Chiefs.
AmEmbassy, Paris, has reported confidentially34 that Belgian Foreign Minister35 is visiting Paris about February 7 and is expected to discuss possible arrangement among France, Belgium and Holland to provide more efficient use of their common resources. This would include not only shipments between countries but also agreements with regard to the most effective rehabilitation of industries which might include arrangements not to reconstruct certain industries in one country because those industries might be more effectively rehabilitated in one or both of the other countries. French apparently contemplate that any Franco-Belgian-Dutch arrangements would be fitted into EEC when and if formed.
Paris has also reported36 that Foreign Minister of Luxembourg37 is having conversations with French officials.
In view of discussions between British and Western European Allies in September (reDepts 568, January 24 and reEmbs 913, January 2638) and other facts stated above, it is clear that the idea of EEC is in no way novel to any of the countries or groups which would be included in EEC under our proposals, and that the idea has been generally accepted, except for the fact that Soviets have given no indication of their position. They have had the proposal before them, however, since last September.
Department has under consideration proposing that March 1 meeting be expanded to include Belgians, Dutch, and Luxembourgers, and that it be attempted at that meeting to create EEC and ECO so that they could immediately get to work. It would be suggested that between now and March 1 the problems could be discussed informally in the Four Party Committees and in the various capitols. Department would propose to discuss the matter fully with Hawkins when he returns to Washington.
You are requested to send your comments on this proposal to Department as soon as possible.
- Repeated to Moscow as telegram 229; to Paris as telegram 438.↩
- Not printed.↩
- January 19, 1945, not printed.↩
- Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force.↩
- Telegram 370, January 26, 1945, noon, from Paris, not printed.↩
- Paul-Henri Spaak.↩
- Telegram 405, January 29, 1945, 2 p.m., from Paris, not printed.↩
- Joseph Been.↩
- Neither printed.↩