Office of the Historian

CFM files, lot M–88, box 157, Paris—official Secretariat documents

Revised Draft Agenda Proposed by the Delegations of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States at the Four-Power Exploratory Talks1

secret
[Paris, May 2, 1951.]

Alternative A

I. Examination of the causes and effects of present international tensions in Europe and of the means to secure a real and lasting improvement in the relations between the Soviet Union, the United States, United Kingdom and France, including the following questions relating to: the demilitarization of Germany; the existing level of armaments and armed forces and measures to be proposed jointly by the U.S.S.R., United States, United Kingdom and France for the international control and reduction of armaments and armed forces; fulfillment of present treaty obligations and agreements; the elimination of the threat of war and fear of aggression.

II. Completion of the treaty for the re-establishment of an independent and democratic Austria.

III. Problems relating to the re-establishment of German unity and the preparation of a Treaty of Peace.

IV. Fulfillment of the treaties of peace with Italy, Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary and of agreements of the four powers concerning Germany and Austria.

V. Fulfillment of the treaty of peace with Italy in the part concerning Trieste.

Alternative B

Examination of the causes and effects of present international tensions in Europe and of the means to secure a real and lasting improvement [Page 1134] in the relations between the Soviet Union, the U.S., the U.K. and France, including the following questions relating to:

(u.s., u.k. and france) (u.s.s.r.)
the existing level of armaments and armed forces and measures to be proposed jointly by the USSR, U.S., U.K. and France for the international control and reduction of armaments and armed forces, the demilitarization of Germany; the demilitarization of Germany; measures for the reduction of armaments and armed forces of the U.S.S.R., the U.K., the U.S. and France, the existing level of armaments and armed forces and the establishment of an appropriate international control;
fulfillment of present treaty obligations and agreements; the elimination of the threat of war and fear of aggression.

Completion of the treaty for the reestablishment of an independent and democratic Austria.

Problems relating to the reestablishment of German unity and the preparation of a Treaty of Peace.

Fulfillment of the treaties of peace with Italy, Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary and of agreements of the four powers concerning Germany and Austria.

Fulfillment of the treaty of peace with Italy in the part concerning Trieste.

Alternative C

I. Examination of measures for the elimination of the present international tensions in Europe, of the threat of war and of the fear of aggression.

II. Questions concerning armaments and armed forces.

III. Questions concerning Austria.

IV. Questions concerning Germany.

V. Fulfillment of Treaties and Agreements.

  1. The sessions at the end of April having brought no change in the Soviet position, the Western Representatives on April 28 agreed on the need for introducing the “triple play” (first proposed by Jessup in telegram 6048, April 9, p. 1122, and approved by the Department of State in telegram 5430, April 13, p. 1124). An initial draft was transmitted from Paris in telegram 6600, April 30 (396.1–PA/4–3051). The text presented here is the same as that draft except for minor textual differences.

    Jessup introduced the agreed tripartite proposal on May 2 at the 42d meeting of the Representatives. The three alternatives, presented here as one document, were designated SUP/P/51 D/20(A), (B), and (C), respectively, in the records of the official Secretariat. In presenting the “triple play,” Jessup traced the course of the Four-Power Exploratory Talks since March 5, indicated that the Soviet Delegation had not submitted a new proposal for a full agenda since that date, and stressed that the three Western Governments were prepared to hold a meeting of the four Foreign Ministers on the basis of any one of the three alternatives.

    Documentation relating to the drafting of the “triple play,” its presentation, and purpose is in file 396.1–PA. For the full text of Jessup’s statement in presenting the “triple play,” see Department of State Bulletin, May 21, 1951, pp. 803–805.

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