840.50 Recovery/6–2647: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Douglas) to the Secretary of State
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3516. For the Secretary from Clayton and Ambassador. In discussions at 10 Downing St. today Foreign Secretary sketched his plans for forthcoming Paris meeting re European aid. Bevin wanted a small representative body, perhaps representing five countries from Western Europe, to prepare a program by early August for our use and consideration in September. He hoped Italy could work on this committee or on sub-committee but the delay in ratification of the peace treaty kept Italy in the same category as certain Balkan countries, for example, Bulgaria, which the USSR might nominate for the committee work Bevin contemplated.1 To take a debating point away from USSR and to have valid reason for selecting Italy and not one of [Page 294] Balkan satellites, Bevin had urged immediate ratification of the treaty by the Italian Constituent Assembly. De Gasperi informed Bevin that there was some difficulty because of the threatened resignation of President de Nicola in Italy but Bevin recommended extraordinary measures to get the treaty ratified.
We agree[d] to ask you to support Bevin’s efforts in this direction and if you concur suggest Ambassador Dunn be asked to supplement the approaches by the British by urging De Gasperi to arrange for immediate ratification. If time is not too short perhaps a parallel approach to Italian Embassy, Washington would be in order.
Douglas