840.50/4–2745: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
London, April 27,
1945—midnight.
[Received April 28—5:15 a.m.]
[Received April 28—5:15 a.m.]
4321. In a series of personal conversations which we had with Hall-Patch86 and Coulson,87 Wormser and Lamping88 in the last week the way was prepared for an informal meeting yesterday morning in the Foreign Office, attended by representatives from Belgium, Holland and Norway and by the French and United Kingdom delegations and Penrose and Berger.
- 1.
- The following procedure was provisionally agreed subject to
confirmation from the Belgians, Dutch and Norwegians within 5 days.
- (a)
- One week from the day of the meeting the United Kingdom Government to issue an invitation to all the European Allies except Poland, together with the United States and USSR to attend meetings in London, the first on May 18 to establish ECO and the second on May 25 to establish EEC.
- (b)
- The documents on ECO and EEC agreed between the United States, United Kingdom and French delegations to be circulated as the basis on which the ECO will be set up. Proposed Soviet amendments on ECO will not be circulated.
- (c)
- Arrangements to be made for ECO and EEC to hold working meetings a day or two after the meetings at which they are established.
- 2.
- Regarding paragraph 2 of Department’s 3219 April 24, it does not seem clear whether Alphand’s views are precisely identical with Wormser’s instructions. In addition difficulties arose over an instruction from the French Government that the proposed Soviet amendments should be circulated along with the coal document (Embassy’s 4119, April 2189). Wormser, who was in Paris when his instructions were drafted, said, in reply to Penrose’s representations on the undesirability of such a procedure, that his instruction on the matter was the outcome of a difference of view within the French Government. One group was at first opposed to going ahead on EEC and ECO without the Soviet, but subsequently agreed to a compromise which made provision for the circulation of the Soviet amendments on coal and for fixing the meeting to set up EEC one month after the opening of the San Francisco Conference.
- 3.
- To get these instructions altered Wormser said the whole subject would have to be reopened within the French Government. Wormser felt that there would be some risk that the outcome of this might not be satisfactory. But he was ready to agree that if the United Kingdom offered at the meeting yesterday to send out the formal invitations as the government of the country in which the meetings were to be held he would not raise the point concerning the proposed Soviet amendments, since the French Government would in that case not be taking direct responsibility for the form in which the invitation was issued.
- 4.
- This remained the position just before yesterday’s meeting began and
Penrose agreed to the procedure outlined in paragraph 1 above for the
following reasons:
- (a)
- It was essential to avoid reviving the sterile controversy on the proposed Soviet amendments at yesterday’s meeting and also at the meeting planned for May 18.
- (b)
- Wormser had agreed to make a statement at the meeting yesterday indicating the French Government’s support of ECO and willingness to join it.
- (c)
- The joint action of United States, United Kingdom and France might be attained by a slightly different procedure in the next few days.
- 5.
- As regards (c) Penrose discussed the question of joint action again today with Wormser and Hall-Patch, and finding Wormser [Page 1447] still unwilling to risk stirring up in Paris the question of the Soviet amendments, asked him whether he would suggest to his Government the following alternative procedure: the United Kingdom to issue the invitations through the heads of their missions to the governments concerned and the French and United States Governments to instruct their heads of missions in the same capitals at or about the same time to approach the governments to which they are accredited, to indicate that France and United States support the proposed meetings and will participate in the establishment and working of the organizations, and to express the hope that the governments in question share these views and intentions.
- 6.
- Wormser agreed to recommend this procedure to his Government in a telegram tonight and Hall-Patch said he was sure it would be welcomed by the United Kingdom Government. We would appreciate hearing from the Department as soon as possible whether this procedure is acceptable.
- 7.
- Regarding paragraph 3, Department’s 3219, April 24, Penrose spoke strongly in the same sense at the meeting yesterday and Hall-Patch expressed agreement. Wormser has already expressed the French agreement with our proposed addition to the terms of reference bearing on this point and it will be incorporated in the document which is to be circulated to the countries.
- 8.
- Regarding paragraph 4, Department’s 3219, Berger spoke strongly in the same sense at yesterday’s meeting. We are looking forward to Potter’s arrival.
- 9.
- We have pressed for an earlier date than May 25 for the EEC meeting but the difficulties described above stand in the way. However, we have obtained agreement that the committees shall start work immediately after their formal establishment.
Please bring this message to the attention of Hawkins.
Repeated to Paris as 225, Moscow as 149 and Brussels as. 131.
Winant