Editorial Note
The plenary body of the Committee of European Economic Cooperation (the Foreign Ministers) re-convened at the Quai d’Orsay at 11 a. m. on April 16, and approved and signed the following diplomatic instruments: the Final Act of the conference, the Convention for European Economic Cooperation, with Annex, and two supplementary protocols, and seven resolutions. The immediate result of the signings was the establishment, of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) (on a provisional basis until July 29, 1948 when the requisite number of ratifications had been accomplished). The Final Act provided a résumé of the membership and purposes of the conference, enumerated the protocols concluded, and described the position of signatory states in relation to the Organization. The Convention, composed of a preamble and 28 articles, stated the objectives of the joint recovery program, and set forth the structure [Page 424] of the new Organization. The Annex concerned “Additional Provisions concerning the Functions of the Secretary-General” of the Organization. Protocol No. I dealt with the legal capacity, privileges and immunities of the Organization, and Protocol No. II was concerned with the financial regime of the Organization. The seven resolutions were sent to the Council of the new Organization for its guidance. (Resolution II recommended that the new Organization “should make all such arrangements as may be appropriate to maintain close relationships with the United States Representative in Europe appointed in accordance with the United States Economic Co-operation Act of 1948, and to assist him in the performance of his duties.”)
Because of the several instruments executed on April 16 more than one source must be consulted in order to refer to all the texts. Perhaps the most readily available text for the Convention is in the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Documents on International Affairs 1947–1948, pages 178 ff.; this has the virtue of having been taken from the text in the French Government’s Documentation Française (No. 889) (the Archives of the French Government are the official depository for the authentic texts in the English and French languages). Department of State Publication 3145, “Convention for European Economic Cooperation with Related Documents” (Washington, May, 1948) is, according to the inscription, “Printed from an official French text”. It does not, however, include all of the resolutions. The official United Kingdom text is found in British Cmd. 7796 (Treaty Series No. 59 (1949), “Final Act of the Second Session of the Committee of European Economic Co-operation together with the Convention, Annex and Supplementary Protocols Nos. I and II.” It is necessary to go to British Cmd. 7388 “Miscellaneous No. 4 (1948)” for the seven resolutions. For a publication containing both the English and the French texts of the several instruments, but not including the resolutions, see Convention de Coopération Economique Européenne, Paris, April 16, 1948. None of the texts, except those of the resolutions, was sent to the Department of State in the form in which it was signed. Draft texts of all the other instruments were transmitted to the Department by the Embassy in Paris in despatch 528, April 12, 1948 (840.50 Recovery/4–1648).
At the plenary meeting at the time of the signings, the Foreign Ministers made remarks appropriate to the occasion. Texts of these statements were transmitted to the Department by the Embassy in despatches 566, April 19; 599, April 22; and 620, April 26. At the conclusion of the conference, it was “agreed … that a message of thanks should be sent to the Government and peoples of the United States . . . .” (C.E.E.C. document Minutes/Plenary/Final, Paris, April 16, 1948, Paris despatch 599, April 22, 1948, 840.50 Recovery/4–2248).