740.00119 Council/7–1846: Telegram
The United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:32 p.m.]
1740. Personal for Ben Cohen.38 It is noted that the Secretary is quoted as saying in his July 15 radio broadcast39 that “the French [Page 578] Government, which had previously opposed the establishment of central administrative agencies, indicated its interest to accept our proposal when we suggested that the Saar be excluded from the jurisdiction of these agencies”. Neither Clay nor I believe this to be accurate.
Notes made of July 12 meeting40 show that Bidault stated that although the French Government had not modified its point of view regarding German central administration and although it linked this problem with its proposals for the future of the Ruhr and Rhineland,41 it did not object to provisional arrangements for economic unity within the present boundaries of Germany. Hence it was not opposed to the creation of Allied offices with German personnel which under the ACC Berlin would provisionally apply the principles of German economic unity.
The foregoing represents the same position the French have taken throughout the past months. They have been agreeable to the establishment of Allied offices but that is different from what was contemplated at Potsdam, namely, the establishment of German central agencies. I am not certain whether the Secretary has this distinction clearly in mind.
- Benjamin V. Cohen, Counselor of the Department of State; Counselor, U.S. delegation, Council of Foreign Ministers.↩
- For text of the Secretary’s broadcast reporting on the Paris Council of Foreign Ministers, June 15–July 12, see Department of State Bulletin, July 28, 1946, p. 167.↩
- For the record of the July 12 meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, see volume ii.↩
- See memorandum by the French delegation to the Council of Foreign Ministers, April 25, 1946, ibid.↩