740.00119 Council/2–1748
The British Embassy to the Department of State 1
Aide-Mémoire
Mr. Bevin has been giving consideration to the forthcoming three-power talks in London about Germany and has taken into account the views of the Department of State as expressed to the British Embassy. Mr. Bevin feels that, in view of the difficulties which have been experienced in implementing the Potsdam Agreement and of the disappointing results of the last Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, it is undesirable to continue the state of uncertainty and indecision which has existed for the last three years in Western Germany. He considers that active decisions are required if confidence is to be restored and Western Germany established on democratic lines.
2. On the other hand, the interests of France and the Benelux Union cannot be disregarded during the forthcoming talks. Mr. Bevin considers that the discussion with the French representatives must be designed to reach clear-cut conclusions. He therefore hopes that the talks will provide a first opportunity of facing squarely the differences between the policies of the three governments towards Germany and that they will result in a frank interchange of views over the whole field.
3. It is often said by the Germans that only the Russians have a plan for Germany. But the Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom have recently taken the first steps towards carrying out their own plan by establishing a new economic administration at Frankfurt. The initiative lies with the Western powers and the Soviet authorities have been compelled to follow this lead by establishing in the Soviet zone of Germany an imitation of the new bizonal organisation.
4. Subject to the foregoing considerations, Mr. Bevin agrees that the forthcoming meeting should be as informal as possible. He understands [Page 69] the reasons for which the Department of State wish to make it clear that the three-power talks are not expected to reach final decisions on all the items of the agenda. For example, no final conclusions can be expected immediately on Item B (Relationship of Western Germany to the European Recovery Programme), Item C (Control of the Ruhr) or Item D (Security against Germany).2 Nevertheless, Mr. Bevin hopes that the United States delegation will come to the talks prepared to reach agreement, if not final decisions, over as wide a field as possible on these items.
5. Mr. Bevin considers that it is essential to reach firm conclusions on Item F (Evolution of the political and economic organisations of the three Western zones). Progress must be made with the plans for the development of political institutions in Western Germany, if possible on a three-power basis, or, if not, on a two-power basis. If Western Germany is to make her proper contribution to the European Recovery Programme, as it is vital that she should, there must be clear agreement between the three Western powers on the political and economic organisation of Western Germany. Failure to reach agreement on this question will not only have a most serious effect on the success of the European Recovery Programme, but will, in Mr. Bevin’s view, increase the risks arising from the present state of uncertainty.
6. As regards future discussions, Mr. Bevin is unwilling to commit His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom to participate in a series of consultations between the three Western powers until he sees how the forthcoming talks develop. In any event he considers it undesirable to appear to give any undertaking, particularly to the French Government, that policy in the combined zones will be determined by a series of international conferences at governmental level. Such a series of conferences would in his views involve too great a danger of postponing decisions on the vital and urgent issues now demanding solution in the bizonal area.
7. Mr. Bevin wishes Mr. Marshall to be informed of his preoccupation that the forthcoming talks should not result in failure to reach agreed conclusions wherever this is possible in the matters to be discussed.
- Telegram 536, February 17, to London,
personal for Ambassador Douglas, not printed, commented as follows regarding
this aide-mémoire:
“In reply to informal explanation given Brit Emb on your views re tripartite London discussions on Germany, Dept has received aide-mémoire which FonOff is being requested to bring to your attention. It is believed this question can best be discussed by you and FonOff and should not be taken up in Secretary’s press conference, Feb. 18.” (740.00119 Council/2–1748)
↩ - The items under reference here are the agenda items set forth in Secretary Marshall’s note of January 30 to Ambassador Inverchapel, p. 49.↩