Office of the Historian

400.62A9/11–150

The Department of State to the British Embassy

Memorandum

The British Embassy’s aide-mémoire (Reference 1152/229/50) of November 1, 19501 relating to the laxity of West German 1–B export controls has been considered by the United States Government in the light of the recent London tripartite discussions on export controls,2 and in the light of the earlier High Commission decision to review the instructions to the Federal Republic on this matter at such time as a multilateral level of export controls was agreed by the Paris Consultative Group.

As a consequence, the United States Government withdraws the proposals submitted in its aide-mémoire of September 1. As the Embassy is doubtless aware, the High Commission has already agreed to the modification of the outstanding export control instructions to the Federal Republic to conform to the controls agreed in London by the United Kingdom, French and United States Governments.3

The United States Government is pleased to note the willingness of the United Kingdom Government to participate in an approach to the Federal Chancellor through the High Commission directing attention to the unsatisfactory enforcement of German control regulations. The United States High Commissioner, therefore, is being instructed to bear in mind this attitude of the United Kingdom Government [Page 260] and to discuss such an approach with his colleagues should he feel that recent approaches to the Federal Republic on this subject have not produced the results desired.

Washington, January 3, 1951.
  1. Not printed. It replied to the Department’s aide-mémoire of August 31 to the British Embassy (p. 182) suggesting that instead of the measures proposed by the Department, which might prejudice the ultimate cooperation of the German Federal Government, it would be preferable for the Allied High Commission in Germany to seek to persuade Chancellor Adenauer to bring about a more rigid enforcement of export security controls (400.62A9/11–150).↩
  2. See TRI/31 (Final), November 20, the Agreed Report on the Tripartite London Conversations on Security Export Controls, p. 234.↩
  3. See footnote 1, p. 248.↩