740.5/12–1751: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Dunn) to the Secretary of State 1
2682. Zoppi informs us Itals believe there is a good possibility of completing treaty on EDC at next meeting or at least to make real progress before NATO meeting in Lisbon. He outlined situation as follows: Benelux countries wish to do the absolute minimum necessary to satisfy Eisenhower and the US. They are not prepared for real European federation but, on the other hand, are not greatly concerned over Ger in contrast to Fr whose chief preoccupation is to prevent any possibility of creation of Ger army and Defense Ministry. Differences center chiefly on problem of common budget on which Germans and Fr agree, but for quite different reasons. Itals, who really want European unity, are opposed to any in-between solution which wld mean derogation of a large measure of sovereignty without compensating advantages for them, since they are neither concerned over possibility of creation of Ger army nor with enabling Ger quickly to re-establish herself on basis of equality, with other European powers.
Meeting at Strasbourg nearly broke up in failure, but De Gasperi was able at last moment to bring about sufficient reconciliation of views to give hope of solution at next meeting in Paris. Chief point was his insistence that if national Parliaments were to be asked to give up such large measure of sovereignty, could not delegate it to a commissioner, who wld in effect be a dictator, but wld only transfer basic powers to a central democratic body. Since small states fear they wld have little influence in an Assembly chosen on basis population, solution appears to be an organization resembling US Congress with states having equal representation in one of its two parts. Delegates to assembly wld probably be chosen by national Parliaments which wld mean they wld represent the governmental majority, and the problem of having Communist representation could be avoided. Although the problem is chiefly political, it was agreed that Finance Ministers wld attend the Paris meeting in effort to work out budgetary question.2
- This telegram was repeated for information to Paris, London, The Hague, Brussels, and Frankfurt.↩
- Telegram 3680, December 20, from Paris, not printed, reported that Lombardo, the Italian representative to the European Defense Community Conference, had called on General Eisenhower and reviewed recent developments relating to the EDC. He indicated that the Italian Government believed it imperative that a treaty be concluded by mid-January 1952. (740.5/12–2051)↩