Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, Western Europe, Volume III

Conference Files: Lot 59 D 95: CF 20

Paper Agreed Upon by the Foreign Ministers ¹

secret

London , May 22, 1950.

MIN/TRI/P/14 Final²

Berlin

The three Foreign Ministers are invited to agree that:—

1. The Three Western Powers must continue to maintain their position in Berlin.

2. To achieve this objective it will become increasingly necessary for the three Allied Governments and the German Federal Government to consider exceptional economic measures in order to deal with the special problems of the Western sectors.

3. The Allied Authorities in Germany should take prompt and affirmative measures in consultation with the competent German authorities to improve the life of Western Berlin in the economic, political and cultural fields. The three Allied Governments have determined to support their authorities in this regard. These measures should be undertaken with particular regard to the importance of reducing unemployment in West Berlin and improving its financial and economic position by facilitating increased production and facilities for export both to Western Germany and elsewhere and by increasing the commercial air transport facilities to and from Berlin.³

4. The maintenance of free communications between Berlin and the Western Zones will be essential to the fulfilment of this programme and the three Allied Governments must therefore rely on the Allied High Commission to be prepared to take, in conjunction with the German authorities, effective and appropriate counter-measures if the Russians should seek once again to disrupt Berlin’s communications with the West. They are requested urgently to examine the whole position as regards appropriate counter-measures together with the possibility of ensuring that any future Interzonal Trade Agreement does not preclude their application.

5. Advantage should be taken by the Allies, acting in consultation, of any suitable propaganda and other opportunity to fix upon the Russians responsibility for the continued division of the city, to maintain the prestige of the Western City Assembly as the only truly representative German authority in Berlin and to sustain the morale of the West Berliners and the interest of the West Germans in their welfare.⁴

1. Attached to the source text was a cover sheet, not printed, which stated that this paper was agreed upon by the Foreign Ministers at their fourth meeting on May 12. Regarding this meeting, see editorial note, p. 1051.
2. The first draft of this paper was agreed upon by Subcommittee B on May 5 (see Secto 160, May 5, p. 927, for text). It was subsequently revised with the addition of two new paragraphs and the attachment of a draft declaration on Berlin (text in paragraph 3 of Secto 160). The revised draft was designated TRI/P/24, not printed, and it is the same in substance as MIN/TRI/P/14, considered by the Foreign Ministers at their fourth meeting on May 12, the text of which is indicated in the following footnotes.
3. Paragraph 3 of MIN/TRI/P/14 read:

   “The Allied authorities in Germany should continue, in consultation with competent German authorities, to study the measures to be taken in the economic, political and cultural fields, by the three Allied Governments and the German authorities with particular reference to the importance of reducing unemployment in West Berlin and improving its financial and economic position by facilitating increased production and facilities for export both to Western Germany and elsewhere.”

4. MIN/TRI/P/14 included a numbered paragraph 6 which read:

   “6. A statement on the lines of the attached draft should be included in the final communiqué issued by the Foreign Ministers after the end of the talks.” For text of the statement attached to MIN/TRI/P/14, which was not present in MIN/TRI/P/14 Final, see editorial note, p. 1051.