740.00119 Council/6–2646: Telegram
The Secretary of State to Assistant Secretary of State Clayton and Assistant Secretary of State Hilldring
secret
[Received June 26—4:31 p.m.]
3144. This is Delsec 636. From the Secretary for Clayton and Hilldring. Re Secdel 339 [337].95
While Bevin has not yet talked to me concerning any coal discussions in Paris, Alphand has suggested some side talks on this problem. I told him that General Clay would be here the end of this week and we would then see what the French have in mind with regard to increased Ruhr production and allocation. I do not believe that there should be extensive coal talks during this conference and see no need for anyone to come over from the Department for this purpose at the present time.
The European Coal Organization, of which we and the British and French are members, was set up specifically for the purpose of dealing with problems of coal allocations and I think it would be a mistake to divert consideration of this aspect of the problem to other channels.
- Reference is to telegram 3047, June 25, to Paris (not printed), which informed the Secretary that the British Embassy had advised the Department that Mr. Bevin planned to propose discussions among the governmental coal experts at Paris in order to implement suggestions for increasing German coal production already considered by Mr. Galbraith and Mr. Turner (740.00119–Council 6–2546).↩