462A.62B31/12–2151: Telegram
The United States High Commissioner for Germany (McCloy) to the Secretary of State 1
845. AGSec from Slater. Fol is summary of report council mtg held Fr hqrs Berlin 20 December 1951 with Poncet (Fr) Kirkpatrick (UK) and McCloy (US).
(1) Interzonal trade and airlift (ref: Dept to London 2955 Paris 3535 rptd Bonn 685 Berlin 221, Moscow 420; air despatch to Dept 1556, 29 November 19512).
Kirkpatrick and Poncet pressed hard for my agmt on 2 points:
- (a)
- That to keep up “trickle of trade” during present period, HICOM shld agree to issue of new Warenbegleitscheine for nonessential commodities with Western negotiators obtaining goods in exchange to an equal amount, and in particular, to an exchange of Kaolin against feldspar to help Bavarian porcelain industry:
- (b)
- Auth of W Gers to use promise of re-validation of WBS rolling mill spare parts and on certain other machine tools and equipment which have already been partially paid for as bargaining point in obtaining satis solution of whole WBS problem. Kirkpatrick insisted that such action was consistent with HICOM ltr to Chancellor of 8 November (AGSec (51)16673) and said that in any case E Zone wld obtain rolling mill parts from other sources if prevented from obtaining them from W Zone.
I said I absolutely cld not agree to any such departure or concession in present position. US had reluctantly agreed to signature of IZT agmt. At that time Br, Fr and Ger had agreed that, if trade restrictions and particularly WBS problems were not cleared up satis trade agmt wld not be implemented. Since then further concessions had been made and Allies were now in danger of finding their whole position whittled away. My govt, I said, was alarmed over the equivocation on and continual moderation of Allied stand on E/W trade issues and had made or wld make reps to UK and Fr Govts. Experience had shown that vis-á-vis Sovs Allies were better off when they took firm position and adhered to it.
Kirkpatrick and Poncet said they wld have to raise matter with their govts. Council agreed to inform Ger auths that HICOM cld not at this time auth 2 concessions set out in (a) and (b) above and that matter was still under consideration. (Econ Comm report on disagreement this problem being air pouched4).
Council then heard Commandants status report on Berlin trade and communications. (BK/AHC(51)122, being air pouched4) commandants had recommended that commercial airlift shld be maintained [Page 1892] and that HICOM shld attempt to obtain few military aircraft of sufficient size to lift in single operation backlog of heavy goods which cannot be moved by normal commercial aircraft. I pointed out that sum now allocated from JEIA funds to finance lift wld be exhausted by Feb. In view of difficulty in obtaining reliable figures as to backlog of commodities awaiting shipment and fact that many Ger firms were ignoring Allied policy and giving certificates of origin or equivalents, I proposed instead we shld inform Gers that, if they wish lift to continue after Feb, they wld have to finance it themselves. At same time I said, we might, without making commitment, offer to do what we cld to obtain limited number of military aircraft to move some of heavier items in single operation. Neither Kirkpatrick nor Poncet reacted to this proposal, however it was made clear to them that as matters stand US will not agree further expenditures of JEIA funds for this purpose or undertake cost of lift itself.
[Here follow numbered paragraphs 2–6 which reported on the High Commissioners discussion of Military Government Law No. 15 on the German Civil Service, the joint administration of Kehl, possession of sporting weapons, manufacture of ammunition for Germany’s internal requirements, and the date of the next meeting.]
McCloy