Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Council of Foreign Ministers; Germany and Austria, Volume II

862.60/9–1647: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State

top secret

Paris, September 16, 1947—noon.

3788. From Clayton, Caffery and Douglas. Reference London Embassy telegram 4749 to Lovett, repeated to Paris as 501, Geneva for Clayton as 144, September 2.³⁸

1. In view of the precarious political situation in France, and for the reason stated in London Embassy telegram 4749, we again strongly recommend that the informal discussions, which had commenced prior to the tripartite conference in London, be continued promptly. These discussions dealt with the establishment in the peace settlement of an international device, particularly an allocating board, for the purpose of insuring that the Ruhr would not be used as an instrument of aggression and that access to the products of the Ruhr should not in the future, as was the case in the pre-war period, be exclusively subject to the will of Germany.

2. You will recall that towards the close of the tripartite discussions Douglas was authorized to state that the US Government was prepared immediately to engage in “discussions of and to give sympathetic consideration to the establishment in connection with the peace treaty an international device for the purpose of insuring that access to production of the Ruhr shall not in the future, as was the case in the pre-war period, be exclusively subject to the will of Germany”.

Douglas did not at the conference advance this proposal for reasons which were stated in London’s 4660, August 27.³⁹

The French political situation is now more critical than it was at an earlier date. A continuance of the discussions referred to in paragraph one above are accordingly, we believe, more urgent than they were several weeks ago. We would appreciate your advice and authorization to continue them.⁴⁰

Caffery

38. Ante, p. 1068.
39. Ante, p. 1064.
40. Telegram 3631, September 22, to Paris, not printed, stated that the Secretary of State had approved in principle the continuance of discussions with the French regarding the Ruhr. The Department of State deemed it preferable, however, that such discussions await the outcome of conversations between Secretary Marshall and Foreign Minister Bidault in New York. For the records of the Secretary’s conversations with Bidault on September 18 and October 8, see pp. 680 and 682.