740.00/12–151: Telegram
The Consul at Strasbourg ( Andrews) to the Acting Secretary of State 1
75. Highlights of this week’s Consultative Assembly discussions were as follows:
Visit of US Congressmen spurred Assembly to efforts to find acceptable method to unite Europe further. Net effect of their visit [Page 76] was beneficial in focusing attention on need to advance. French and Belgians took initiative in calling for action to meet American suggestions. British official policy statement by Maxwell-Fyfe reiterated well-known Conservative as well as Socialist opposition to federation by rejecting it, but showed more cooperative attitude towards Schuman Plan. However, in view fact that Churchill was original proposer Eur Army concept before Assembly Aug 19502 and that federalists hoped for change in UK attitude after his assumption power, Maxwell-Fyfe’s failure promise actual Brit participation came as great disappointment. Effect to Brit statement was cold shower but helped clarify whole situation. Hence, Maxwell-Fyfe speech and Reynaud’s reply constituted most dramatic event of week.
Because of continued UK and Scandinavian refusal participate in any form of Eur federation and because of reluctance thus far shown by many federalists to push “little Continental federation” (reluctance arising largely from fear of eventual German domination in such federation), Fr and Belgians redoubled their efforts to find some acceptable compromise which wld use functional approach but wld also serve ideas of federalists, to achieve greater unity. At end of week most promising proposals were Jacquet plan for specialized authorities in all vital factors in European life controlled by single parliament elected by universal suffrage and De Menthon–Teitgen amendment to statute setting up “high commissioners constituting executive council to deal with special subjects.
While some observers thought these proposals had good chance of acceptance, both Spaak and Layton expressed to us today doubts of any real progress toward European unity because of weight of opposition among delegates and lack of clear views of what degree and kind of unity they really wish to achieve. Spaak went further than Layton by saying that many delegates had no interest in the European idea and that present session cld be considered as failure unless at least Jacquet motion and Menthon–Teitgen amendment were approved.
- Repeated to all NATO missions except Lisbon, and to Bonn, Vienna, and Wellington.↩
- For documentation on the proposal by Winston Churchill for the establishment of a European army, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. iii, pp. 767 ff.↩