740.5 MAP/10–351: Telegram
The United States Deputy Representative on the North Atlantic Council (Spofford) to the Secretary of State
priority
Depto 397. Eyes only for Harriman from Spofford. Reftel London 1753, Sept 30.1
1. I had long session this p. m. with Hoyer-Millar and Compton of Brit Treas on TCC. They first showed me Brit reply to Alphand memo, text of which has been cabled by Holmes.2 I gave them substance reftel. We agreed positions were entirely in line. Brit had not gotten impression from Alphand that Monnet conditioned his acceptance of appointment upon acceptance of terms of Alphand memo, as [Page 293] indicated in Paris 1896, Sept 27.3 Plowden is seeing Monnet this afternoon, which may clarify this point.
2. Hoyer-Millar confirmed that while Gaitskell will take part in opening mtgs UK election will require him to leave great deal of work to Plowden. Brit believe it would be desirable to have “unobtrusive” tripartite mtg between Harriman, Monnet and Gaitskell or Plowden on Monday eighth.
Brit team supporting Gaitskell and Plowden will be Roll, Coleridge and Rumbold on econ, mil and polit aspects respectively. Interministerial group has been set up here under chairmanship of Treas, with Compton acting as secty, to back stop operation.
3. Brit concerned about delay in SG allocation of forces gap and were considering requesting deps to obtain govt auth to accept SG recommendations for purposes of prelim costing. I suggested that little time wld be gained by approach to this problem through deps and that TCC might make this one of first orders of business. After discussion Hoyer-Millar and Compton agreed.
Brit have tentatively set up fol timetable for TCC exercise. This working level paper. On basis of this timetable they suggest later date for Rome mtg wld be desirable, although will not press this point. Generally they have considered that Rome mtg shld come after TCC report is finalized. I suggested utility of council mtg during TCC operation, which they will consider. Fol is suggested timetable:
- “(a) First mtg of the Comite of Twelve and of the Executive Bureau: October 10;
- “(b) Examination of screened defense costs of current programs and of forces for the full MTDP: October 16 to 18;
- “(c) Assessment of the military risks involved if defense efforts are not increased: October 20 to 21;
- “(d) Submission of countries memoranda on the economics consequences of present and required defense programs: October 27;
- “(e) Examination of the memoranda at (d) above: October 29 to 31;
- “(f) Drafting report: November 1 to 5;
- “(g) Completion of draft report and submission to Comite of Twelve: November 10;
- “(h) Examination by Comite of Twelve of the report by the Executive Bureau: 11 to 18.”
4. Brit view thus far is that secretariat shld be drawn largely from personnel existing NATO agencies and shld be administrative rather [Page 294] than substantive in character and that first “formative work” wld be done by supporting national staffs of UK, US and Fr.
5. Nominations recd today from Ice, Bjorn Olafsson, Minister of Commerce; and from Neth, Dr. H. M. Hirschfeld.
- Not printed.↩
- Not further identified.↩
- Not printed; it transmitted the translation of Alphand’s memorandum to the Department of State and added that the memorandum represented an understanding on which Monnet accepted the appointment. This understanding, as outlined in Alphand’s memorandum, was that the work of the TCC would be confided to an executive board of three members (representatives of the United States, United Kingdom, and France) who would keep the committee of 12 informed of its progress. (740.5/9–2751)↩