740.5/12–550: Telegram
The United States Deputy Representative on the North Atlantic Council (Spofford) to the Secretary of State
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Depto 276. Following are proposed redraft of paragraph 9 and draft of new resolution 4 to deputies draft report (Depto 2661) This draft resulted from working level agreement (we participated in drafting with them) between UK and Dutch and may be revised before deputies meeting tomorrow.
“9. The deputies considered a Netherlands suggestion for the appointment of a NATO high commissioner in Germany, who would have certain responsibilities with regard to all the armed forces stationed in Germany and to German participation in particular.
In the course of the ensuing exchange of views, the following suggestions were made:
The building up of an integrated force will lead to the stationing in Western Europe, and particularly in Western Germany, of army and air force units contributed by several nations, jointly placed under SHAPE. The presence of these forces, diverse as to nationality, perhaps in countries not their own, would make it desirable for practical reasons to set up a NATO authority with power to advise the national authorities and coordinate their action in certain administrative and supply questions of common interest which will not be part of the responsibility of SHAPE.
This authority might be called NATO Commissioner for the Defense of Europe. The Commissioner would be a civilian, and would be appointed by, and responsible to, the Atlantic Council, from whom he would receive the necessary directives.
The Commissioner could also act in an advisory capacity to the Allied High Commission in Germany in their supervision of the German agency or agencies entrusted with the administration of the German defense effort. When the time came for the Allied High Commission to relinquish these supervisory powers, the latter could be transferred to the NATO Commissioner, thus ensuring unbroken supervision over the German defense contribution.
The deputies agreed that these suggestions were a valuable contribution to their examination of the political aspects of a German contribution to the defense of Europe and required further study.
Suggested new recommendation 4:
(4) The deputies be authorized to continue their study of the proposals in paragraph 9 of this report.”
Have just learned from Dutch that Burin de Rosiers did not seem unhappy with above draft2 when it was shown to him short while ago.3
Sent Department Depto 276; repeated info Paris 1098, Frankfort 531.
- Not printed.↩
- It is not clear whether this draft reflected the changes made by the Council Deputies drafting committee in paragraphs 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, and 13 on the morning of December 5. These changes are itemized, without comment, in Depto 272, December 5, 2 p. m.; not printed. (740.5/12–550) For final text, see Council Deputies Document D–D/196 (Final), December 9, 1950, p. 531.↩
- Spofford received the following answer from Acheson in Todep 136, December 5, not printed: “… we have just received ur Depto 276, Dec. 5. We cannot agree to proposed para 9. Detailed suggestions contained in paras 2 thru 5 inclusive have far-reaching implications which have not even been considered here and would require extensive study. We wld agree to first and last paras as set forth in reftel. This would permit further study by Deps. For above reasons your suggested recommendation 4 is inappropriate and shld not be included.” (740.5/12–550)↩