740.5/10–1251: Telegram
The United States Delegation on the Temporary Council Committee to the Secretary of State 1
priority
Repsec 30. From USDel TCC. Re Repsec 29, rptd London Repna 88 and NATO missions.2 Fol is final text terms of ref Executive Bureau:
- “1. In accordance with Council resolution on C7–D/19, 1951, there shall be an executive bureau of the NATO temporary Council Comite. This bureau is composed of the chairman and the two vice chairmen of the comite. The comite may subsequently appoint any other members of the comite to the Executive Bureau if necessary according to circumstances, with a view to expediting the work of the comite.
- “2. The Executive Bureau will in all phases of its work be under the general guidance and direction of the comite.
- “3. The Executive Bureau is empowered in the name of the comite to call upon member govts and mil and civilian NATO agencies for info, advice and assistance in accordance with paras 3 and 4 of the Council resolution. It will be the task of the Executive Bureau and the secretariat to keep the members of the comite informed as fully as possible of the requests for info being made to the various agencies of their govts.
- “4. The Executive Bureau shall prepare for the consideration of the comite a proposed general course of action. It shall be responsible for all necessary preparatory work to permit final appraisal by the comite: (a) of the ‘requirements of external security, in particular of fufilling a mil acceptable NATO plan for the defense of Western Eur’, and (b) of the ‘realistic politico-economic capabilities of member countries’.
- “5. To this end, in the consideration of the capabilities or programs of any member country not represented in the Executive Bureau, [Page 315] that country’s member of the comite shall for this purpose be a member of the Executive Bureau. In the consideration of the capabilities or programs of each of the countries represented in the Executive Bureau, there shall be appointed as a member of the Executive Bureau for this purpose one other member of the comite.
- “6. The Executive Bureau shall be responsible for preparing for the consideration of the comite, draft findings, and the basis therefor, including courses of action.
- “7. The Executive Bureau shall meet with the full comite to report progress on its work whenever the comite shall determine or at the call of the chairman.
- “8. The Executive Bureau will arrange to keep other member govts fully informed of the progress of the work.” (End Text)
Fol is text communiqué mentioned reftel:
“The NATO temporary Council Comite, created at the recent Ottawa conference, completed this afternoon its first series of meetings. The comite has started immediately on the task set for it by the North Atlantic Council, which is to analyse the problem of reconciling the requirements of fulfilling a mil acceptable NATO defense plan with the realistic politico-economic capabilities of member countries. After meeting yesterday with Gen Eisenhower at SHAPE for a general review of the mil aspects of the problem, the comite met today to complete its organization and to lay out a general plan of work.
“At its first meeting on Tuesday the comite elected as its chairman Mr. Averell Harriman, of the US, and as its vice-chairmen, Mr. Hugh Gaitskell, of the United Kingdom, and M. Jean Monnet of Fr. The comite designated as its secretary Mr. Sigurd Nielsen of Norway, a member of the international secretariat of NATO previously assigned to the Council deputies.
“As envisaged by the North Atlantic Council at Ottawa, the comite has formed an Executive Bureau composed of its chairman its two vice-chairmen. Acting under the guidance and direction of the comite, the Executive Bureau will organize the necessary preparatory work to permit the comite to make its appraisals of defense requirements and economic capabilities and to develop its recommendations. During the consideration of each country’s program, the rep of that country on the comite will also serve as a member of the Executive Bureau. In addition, the comite will add other members to the bureau as needed, in particular when the bureau is considering the programs of the United States, the United Kingdom and Fr.
“Arrangements are being made to keep all members of the comite fully informed at all times of the bureau’s work. The comite will be assisted in its work by all the permanent NATO agencies.
“The comite was in unanimous agreement that these arrangements wld provide an efficient working method to carry out in the limited time available the heavy responsibilities laid upon it. The spirit of close solidarity and of complete participation on the part of all the member countries on a footing of equality in the common task of the comite agreed by all to be the basis on which the comite wld carry on its work.”