740.00119 Council/11–2847: Telegram
The United States Delegation at the Council of Foreign Ministers to President Truman, the Acting Secretary of State, and Others
urgent
6249. Delsec 1509. For the President, Vandenberg, Connally, Eaton, Bloom, and Lovett. Fourth CFM meeting, November 28, Bidault presiding, discussed Bevin’s proposal87 to instruct the deputies for Germany to establish an allied commission or commissions to report on the territorial claims against Germany of the states neighboring on Germany. Marshall and Bidault accepted the proposal but Molotov objected, thus preventing agreement.
Bidault pointed out that Marshall and Bevin supported the economic integration of the Saar into France but Molotov made no comment in reply.
The council turned to the next subject on its agenda—the procedure to be followed in preparing the German peace treaty. Molotov asked the Council members first to reaffirm their agreement to establish a democratic government for the whole of Germany. He cited British reports of plans to establish a government in three western zones of Germany. Bevin replied that as the spokesman for the British Government, [Page 737] only his statements should be accepted as defining UK policy. He added that since Potsdam he had tried to obtain agreement on the formation of a truly democratic German Government so that Germany could return to the family of nations. He added that the British people are criticizing him for being too patient in seeking Four-Power agreement on Germany. He denied that the UK had assumed that this conference would fail but he stated that he could not commit his government to take no action if CFM agreement were impossible on measures to end the present chaos in Germany and to create a central German government, democratic in the British meaning of the word.
Marshall said the US position on the unity of Germany is clear and a matter of record, that talk about German unity is not enough but must be accompanied by practical measures. He said the US offer of September 1946 to unite the US zone with any other zone is still open and presents a way to achieve German unity.
Bidault said he would not reply to Molotov’s question about German unity because Molotov had not replied to the French request for a Soviet statement on the economic integration of the Saar into France. He said the question of a central German government can not be settled until agreement is reached on Germany’s frontiers.
Molotov introduced an amendment to his proposal of yesterday asking the Council to go on record as opposing the formation of any government for any zone of Germany. Bevin replied that he had heard reports that the USSR was forming a separate government in its zone but had not believed them and asked that Molotov have the same confidence in his colleagues. He urged the Council to get down to the work of deciding on how the German treaty is to be prepared by discussing specifically the proposals on this subject introduced in Moscow.
The Council will continue its discussion of this subject tomorrow.
Repeated to Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and Rome.