740.5/9–2551
Memorandum by Ridgway B. Knight of the Office of European Regional Affairs to the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Perkins)1
Subject: Possible British Support for a Reorganization of the Standing Group
After the close of the Ottawa session of the North Atlantic Council, I had an hour’s conversation with Air Marshal Elliot alone.
In the course of our talk the subject of the Standing Group came up and, in particular, the chronic dissatisfaction of smaller countries not represented thereon.
Marshal Elliot mentioned that he had met privately that morning (September 20) with the Belgians and the Canadians and had obtained that the Belgians agree to withdraw their proposal for reorganization of the Standing Group.
It will be recalled that there are now two current proposals for such reorganization: (a) Belgian proposal—the chairman of the Military Representatives Committee to be of the same nationality as the chairman of the Council and to sit with the Standing Group as a full fledged member, thus enlarging the Standard Group to four members; (b) Canadian proposal—while the Military Committee is not in session, the Military Representatives Committee would act as the Military Committee. Furthermore, political guidance to the Standing Group from the Deputy would be channeled through the MRC.
According to Air Marshal Elliot, the Belgian proposal is “obviously unthinkable” as the Big Three could not discharge their responsibilities with another and rotating member participating in all Standing Group activities. On the other hand, he thought the Canadian proposal was quite acceptable and said that he himself would [Page 288] have no doubts as to his ability to handle the MRC when acting as its chairman, and thought that it would give legitimate satisfaction to the aspirations of the non-Standing Group members without unduly complicating the work of the Standing Group.
During the conversation Marshal Elliot expressed himself in very categoric terms about the need for placating the non-Standing Group nations and expressed the feeling that many of us have, that face-saving devices added to a more tactful manner of handling these countries were all that was required.
I was left with the very definite impression that the UK was on the point of assuming the role of “protector of the non-Standing Group nations” and of supporting action on their behalf which in this instance would be support of the Canadian proposal.
Should this be the case, it would be unfortunate if the United States was cast in the opposite role and permitted our British friends to steal a march on us.
- Copies were also sent to Jessup (S/A), Matthews (G), and Martin and Parsons of RA.↩