Office of the Historian
No. 565

663.001/10–551: Telegram

The Ambassador in France ( Bruce) to the Secretary of State 1

secret
Paris, October 5, 1951—2 p.m.

2026. Deptels 1803, Sept 26 and 1941 October 2 (sent London 1680 and 1788, rptd Vienna 780 and 837).2 Proposed procedure and underlying reasoning with respect to abbreviated Austrian treaty were discussed at length today with Sauvagnargues (chief, FonOff central Eur div), d’Aumale (his deputy) and Koenig (Aust desk officer).

Although agreement was registered on Dept’s estimate of over-all conditions under which Austrian settlement can be expected and on substantive merits of abbreviated treaty, and although FonOff far from sanguine about chances obtaining any Austrian treaty in foreseeable future, wide divergence still exists in estimate of psychological consequences introduction of abbreviated treaty draft. FonOffs appraisal of these psychological aspects will be contained in aide-memoire, essential points of which will apparently be following:

(1)
Regardless of intrinsic merits of abbreviated treaty, its introduction at this time will in FonOffs view be widely interpreted as evidence of lessened interest on our part in agreement with Soviets on Austrian settlement. Fr think Austrians will share such impression.
(2)
While Soviet policy toward Austria may not be immediately affected, and while time when Soviets become ready to settle the issue will continue to be dependent upon other factors, we would be introducing new heavy prestige factor militating against conclusion of treaty even when conditions otherwise might be propitious.
(3)
Pressure which we can exert on Soviets will be substantially less than that which we can exert at present, since world opinion cannot help but note that “whereas at present only very narrow [Page 1149] gap needs to be closed for treaty to be completed, area of disagreement will have been widened tremendously by our initiative”.

Fr have no information yet on Austrian Govt attitude toward abbreviated treaty, and will probably not attempt to influence such attitude. It appears doubtful, however, whether Austrian endorsement of our proposal would materially change Fr attitude, which seems to have been coordinated with Brit, since Sauvagnargues repeatedly referred to adverse effect on “Fr and Brit public opinion”, if abbreviated treaty were to be introduced.3

Bruce
  1. Repeated to London, Vienna, and Frankfurt.↩
  2. Documents 558 and 563.↩
  3. For a more detailed account of this meeting, see the letter by Martin F. Herz, Document 567.↩