851.014/5–2247
The Secretary of State to the French Ambassador (Bonnet)
The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the Ambassador of France and has the honor to refer to the Ambassador’s note No. 184 of May 20, 1947,53 describing a revision of the boundaries of the Saar territory which the French Government proposed to effect, and also to note No. 189 of the Embassy of France dated May 22, 1947,54 in which a map of the proposed changes was enclosed.
In harmony with previous statements of the policy of the United States Government of which the Ambassador is doubtless informed, the Secretary of State in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers on April 10 of this year proposed to his three colleagues the immediate detachment of the Saar from Germany and its integration into the economy of France on condition that appropriate modifications be introduced into the level of German industry and that equitable adjustment be made in French claims for reparation payments from Germany. At that time the Secretary of State expressed his willingness to agree to minor rectifications of the boundaries of the Saar territory as delimited in 1919 provided such rectifications could be clearly justified. The Secretary of State continues to regret that the unwillingness of his Soviet colleague in the Council of Foreign Ministers did not make possible a prompt quadripartite agreement for the provisional disposition of the Saar in a manner responsive to the French desires.
Since receipt of the notes cited above, the Minister-Counselor of the French Embassy informed the Department that French customs officials would take up their posts on June 7, 1947 along the line described in these notes and that a plan of currency conversion within [Page 1083] the territory so defined would be announced on June 10 and become effective on June 15. The Secretary of State understands that public announcement of these measures has since been made by the French Government.
The Government of the United States takes note of these administrative changes introduced into the French zone of occupation in Germany with the understanding, as confirmed by the Minister Counselor of the French Embassy, that these changes are not intended by the Government of France to prejudice the final delimitation of the Saar territory which is reserved for the peace settlement with Germany.