740.5/12–3051: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bruce) to the Secretary of State
3886. From MacArthur. As host at EDC conf1 Schuman invited Gens Eisenhower and Gruenther to meet with the six EDC FonMins and DefMins at 6:30 last evening during a break in the conf.
Gen Eisenhower gave the mins a good and inspirational pep talk stressing urgency and vital importance to Eur and NATO to reach agreement on EDC prior to Lisbon. He suggested that if mins cld not reach final agreement at this mtg they not adjourn but rather simply recess till after New Year and then rapidly reconvene and finish their work.
The mins then told Gen Eisenhower they had reached agreement to call a Eur constitutional convention. They did not say where or when it wld be called but emphasized they were all in agreement. Gen Eisenhower congratulated them warmly on this initiative.
In the course of the discussion Schuman again lamented UK failure to make unequivocably clear that it really favored and wld warmly support EDF concept.
[Page 985]Stikker felt EDC must fit integrally into a much more closely knit Atlantic community and asked if Gen Eisenhower cld support some form of Atlantic federation. Gen Eisenhower said that he cld not speak to this question since it was beyond the scope of his activity. He wld like to observe, however, that he believed in first things first. In this case the first thing was the EDF which is essential if there is to be any adequate def for WE. Therefore WE countries shld now Concentrate all their energies on reaching agreement on EDC.
Bruce