740.5/9–250: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in France
1124. For Amb Bruce eyes only. Pls call urgently on Schuman and inform him that:
The US Govt has been fol closely suggestions made in Eur for speeding up the creation of the defenses of Eur by the creation of a unified Force for the Defense of Eur capable of deterring aggression or containing it should it occur. It is noted that if such a Force were created it would be necessary to establish a Supreme Commander with a Combined Staff, and that in this event, it should be possible to integrate into such a Force German units in a controlled status without thereby creating a German National Army. Also noted is the feeling that if these steps are to be effective larger participation by the US both in troops in Europe and in the direction of the unified Force might be required.
The US feels that these important suggestions shld be discussed in the tripartite Sept mtgs in New York and proposes to raise them.
In conveying the above to Schuman you shld emphasize that the US has not taken a final position on any of the above points but that it intends to come to the mtgs prepared to discuss them. For your info, and for use in your discussion with Schuman the fol is our tentative thinking on these points.
It wld seem to us that a unified Force for the Defense of Eur does imply a Supreme Commander who wld presumably receive direction from the Standing Group and a Combined Staff to serve such a Commander. The decision that a Supreme Commander wld be appointed could be made now but the actual appointment of such a Commander shld be delayed until such time as there are forces in being justifying his appointment. However, it should be possible now to estab a Combined Staff with a chief which cld direct the perfection of defense plans and the necessary steps in the formation of a Force for the Defense of Eur. This Staff would become the Supreme Commander’s Staff when he was appointed.
[Page 262]Important to be considered are ways and means whereby German military units cld be integrated into such a Force for the Defense of Europe. The command structure and supply system shld be arranged in such a way as not to create a German National Army.
On the production and supply side, the US is prepared to consider measures necessary to put the Military Production and Supply Board in a position to give effective direction to supply and production matters involved in equipping a Force for the Defense of Eur.
You shld make it abundantly clear that greater US participation in the defense of Eur and in the direction of such a unified Force would involve greater commitments than we have heretofore been willing to consider. Whether or not we actually make such additional commitments will depend on whether or not the Europeans are themselves willing to make substantially greater effort resulting in adequate steps to increase their forces in being. Without comparable commitments and greater effort by the Europeans we will not succeed collectively in building sufficient strength in time to be able to defend Europe in the event of aggression. Under such circumstances, not only would greater US participation serve no real purpose but it would actually result in a dissipation of our individual strength and thus that of the free world.
We feel, of course, that these matters shld be first discussed in the tripartite mtg, and we hope it may be possible for Schuman to come prepared to talk about these problems. We think it is very important that these questions also be discussed by the NAT Council. However, if any action is to result from the Council mtg itself, it is important that the other Ministers who will attend that mtg be informed as early as possible, and certainly before they leave for the meeting, so that they also may be prepared to discuss these subjects. We would, therefore, appreciate earliest replies as to their thinking on our informing the other Ministers.
We are sending a similar cable to London.1
- Telegram 1197, eyes only for Holmes and Spofford.↩