840.00/10–2449: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom
priority
3819. For Douglas and Perkins. In connection discussions with Brit on closer international integration you may wish refresh your memory of views so ably expressed by Bevin in his memo transmitted with Inverchapel’s letter to Marshall of Jan 13, 1948.1 Believe Emb has copy. In it Bevin stressed necessity of creating some form of union in Western Europe whether of formal or informal character backed by Americas and Dominions, comprising Scan, Low Countries, France, Italy, Greece, possibly Portugal and as soon as circumstances permitted Spain and Germany, that Brit could no longer stand outside Europe and insist its problems and position were separate from those of its European neighbors, that relations between various countries might differ but between all there wld be understanding backed by power, money and resolution, that policy outlined wld require lead from UK since Western Europe wld look to it for political and moral guidance and assistance in building up counter attraction to Communism. Inverchapel’s letter also stated “on economic side Bevin hopes ERP will be brought to fruition and lead to economic integration of resources of Western Europe. Everything possible shld be done to achieve this”.
- For texts of the letter and memorandum, see Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. iii, pp. 3–6.↩