740.00119 Council/5–348: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Douglas) to the Secretary of State
us urgent
1890. Delsec 1710. Agree with your paragraph 2 Deptel 1551, April 30 (Secdel 1568).1 As to paragraph 1, entertain considerable doubts because:
- 1.
- Soviet military authorities might take the opportunity to permit delegates from eastern zone’s Laender to attend. In this event, even though delegates were chosen by elections, we could be certain they would be of Soviet selection, subservient to their orders.
- 2.
- These delegates would presumably be under instructions to use the Assembly as a platform for propaganda, as an instrument for sowing the seeds of discord among the western Laender and for attempting to persuade delegates to reject such private and friendly counsel to the German delegates as the occupying powers, during the course of the deliberations, may give.
- 3.
- Even though the delegates from the Soviet Laender were unsuccessful in dissuading the other delegates from accepting broad principles of the constitution which we desire, the five Laender in the Soviet zone might, with two or three Laender in the western zones, by, rejecting the constitution, delay or prevent the acceptance of the constitution by ⅔ of the Laender, which will probably be a condition precedent to making the constitution effective.
These doubts were expressed at a meeting with the French and British delegations, and generally concurred in by them. In subsequent papers the language in the British re-draft, to which your cable refers, was deleted, no distinction is made between the Laender of the western zones and the Laender of the eastern zone, phrases like “various states” are used, and the matter is left to the Ministers President to determine. However, under the latest draft the military governors will make the [Page 220] communication to the Ministers President, presumably of the western Laender.
Suggest that the best method of avoiding the appearance of a purely western German government, is to make it clear that additional Laender may at any time, by accepting the constitution and establishing for each a Laender constitution not inconsistent with the constitution for the German government as a whole, join the federation. This either the Ministers President will probably do, or the constitution itself will make provision for, or both devices will be used.
Hope you agree. Appreciate your comments and hope you will give them to us unsparingly.