740.00119 Control (Germany)/6–648: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom ( Douglas ) to the Secretary of State
2493. 1. At a meeting with Strang and Massigli this morning, Massigli again raised the question of a formal démarche through the Embassies of the three western occupying powers in Moscow. He made it clear that his government had contemplated a communication to the Soviet Government after the recommendations of the London conference have been accepted by the respective governments. He seemed to agree with all of our objections, but asked for further time to consider them. (Deptel 2098, June 41)
2. Strang suggested, informally, that if anything were to be said on the subject, it should preferably be said by Mr. Bevin in explaining the German recommendations to the House of Commons, by M. Bidault, and possibly by Secretary Marshall; that the statements, if any were made at all, should take the following lines: That, of course, we were anxious that there should be a united Germany, but that political unity must be based upon economic unity; that this embraces the free movement of peoples throughout all of Germany, the free movement of trade, a common currency, a common export-import program, the cessation of the exaction of reparations from current production; that since none of these had been agreed to by the Soviet, we had found it necessary to proceed with our program in western Germany; that the communiqué2 itself made it clear that all states in Germany were free to subscribe to the constitution to which reference is made in the communiqué.
3. Massigli then asked what the answer would be if the Soviet were to ask what was meant by the last paragraph of the communiqué in which it is stated that the program recommended would, we believe, facilitate the four-power agreement on Germany. The answer we suggested to such a question, if it were put, was to be found in the communiqué itself.
[Page 366]Sent Department as 2493; repeated Berlin for Murphy and Clay as 175.