Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, European Security and the German Question, Volume III, Part 2

601.5162/11–2051: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State ¹ to the Embassy in France ²

secret priority

Washington , November 20, 1951—6:43 p. m.

3062. Deptel 3008 to Paris Nov 19, rptd info London 2574, Bonn 338, Fkft 3056.³ While we hope action taken pursuant reftel will forestall Adenauer raising Saar issue in talks with Fon Mins, fol is Depts thinking re handling in case this eventuality shld occur:

• 1. Our objective shld be to keep Saar question from becoming connected with present negots.
• 2. We shld avoid making any commitment to Adenauer about timing or manner of reaching final settlement, since he wld then be obliged to ask that Gers be allowed participate in deliberations.
• 3. We shld impress upon Fr importance avoiding any action which might prejudice final Saar settlement or embarrass Adenauer in Ger during present critical period. Any tripartite assurances which cld be given him on this score wld be helpful.

For ur background, while Art 6 of Fr–Saar Gen Convention⁴ provides for Fr Rep in Saar with dipl privileges and immunity and Art 11 for Saar mission in Paris with dipl privileges and immunity, Grandval is apparently source of present demand that Embs be estabd and Grandval and Hoffmann are pressing for early exchange Ambs. So far as we know, Fr under no other pressure to advance position re Saar at this time.

Adenauer, on other hand, is under strong domestic pressure to do something about Saar and has made statement that it will be settled (favorably to Ger) in near future (Bonn’s 42, Jul 9 sent Fkft, rpt info Dept 25, Paris 13, London, Strasbourg, unn⁵). He is also committed to bring subject up in comite of Mins of Council of Europe at next mtg, late 1951 or early 1952. Meanwhile, SPD is reportedly planning raise issue in Consultative Assembly, which convenes next week, which may force CDU del to take similar action.

Inform Laukhuff.⁶

Webb

1. Secretary Acheson was in Paris for discussions with Foreign Ministers Schuman and Eden on German participation in European defense; for documentation on these discussions, see pp. 1312 ff.
2. Repeated to London, Bonn, and Frankfurt.
3. Not printed; it stated that the Department of State shared the concern, reported by High Commissioner McCloy in telegram 421, November 17, from Bonn, not printed (762A.00/11–1751), over the consequences which would arise from an exchange of Ambassadors between France and the Saar. Telegram 3008 stated further that it would be “highly desirable” for Secretary Acheson to discuss the question with Schuman, “pointing out exchange at this time wld be most inopportune.” (601.5162/11–1751)
4. For the text of the Franco-Saar General Convention of March 3, 1950, see Ruhm von Oppen, Documents on Germany, pp. 468–473 or Folliot, Documents on International Affairs, 1951, pp. 231–234.
5. Not printed.
6. Laukhuff was in Paris for the Foreign Ministers discussion of German participation in Western defense.