033.1100/10–148
The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of Defense (Forrestal)
Dear Jim: Yesterday afternoon Senators Fulbright and Scott W. Lucas reported to me at length about their trip to Europe, including their visit to Berlin. They were very complimentary about the job General Lucius D. Clay is doing but expressed serious concern with the impression they received in conversation with OMGUS governmental experts that the U.S. authorities in Germany favor the principle of proportional representation in the drafting of the future constitution for western Germany. Both Senators felt very strongly that the proposals reportedly encouraged by our authorities are theoretical, textbook procedures which have proved unworkable in our own unhappy experience with proportional representation. They mentioned in particular that New York State had tried it and had abandoned it this year. It was their opinion that the new German constitution, if it accepted the principle of proportional representation and multiple parties as a basis for a parliamentary system, would play directly into the hands of the communist and the splinter parties by enabling them to control blocks of votes and thereby put them in a position to obstruct and disrupt the German government. Both Senators asked me to take this matter up with our military authorities here, as they themselves proposed to do.
Our Department has received no information about OMGUS policy regarding this question and we cannot be sure that our State Department mission in Germany has been kept informed, since we have had no reports from Ambassador Murphy. In our own planning for recent sessions of the Council of Foreign Ministers dealing with Germany, the Department has felt it should reserve its decision with respect to [Page 427] proportional representation until duly representative Germans had an opportunity to debate the matter fully. We appreciate that proportional representation is a part of German experience but we understand that a large section of the German population became disillusioned with its practicability because of its operation under the Weimar Republic. We are skeptical of the merits of proportional representation as a device for insuring democratic representation and in any event we would oppose the adoption of proportional representation in a form which would lead to the fragmentation of political parties, tending to render impossible the existence of responsible and efficient democratic government. We believe our authorities here should be kept fully informed about any OMGUS policy respecting the question of proportional representation.
Both Senators Fulbright and Lucas urged that former Senator Robert LaFollette be assigned to the task of advising the Germans in the drafting of their constitution. They felt that his long background in the practical aspects of political and governmental organization would be invaluable if he could be sent over promptly. I have not, of course, approached Mr. LaFollette and I do not know whether he would be available but I strongly recommend that an attempt be made to obtain his services for this job as I am sure he could be of great assistance.
I would appreciate receiving your views concerning the questions raised by Senators Fulbright and Lucas and the suggestion they made to me. I am sending a copy of this letter to Kenneth Royall.
Sincerely yours,