Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Western European Security, Volume V, Part 1

Conference files, lot 59 D 95, CF 105

Report by the Committee on the North Atlantic Community to the North Atlantic Council ¹

confidential
C9–D/8

Lisbon , 19th February, 1952.

Report by the Committee on the North Atlantic Community to the Ninth Session of the North Atlantic Council

i. introduction

1. At its Eighth Session, the North Atlantic Council considered and adopted a report by the Committee on the North Atlantic Community, C8–D/6,² and accepted the recommendations set out therein at paragraph 40, page 21. It invited the Committee to continue its work with the same terms of reference and membership, and, in particular, to study the question of the movement of labour (discussed in paragraphs 24 and 25 of the report), taking care not to duplicate the efforts of other international organisations in this field (C8–R/5, paragraph 46³).

2. The Committee set up a working Group, which held a series of meetings between 10th January, 1952, and 5th February, 1952, and prepared a draft report for consideration by the Committee. The Committee met in Lisbon on 18th February, 1952, and approved this report in its present form.

3. In view of the short interval which has elapsed since the Eighth Session of the Council at Rome, it has only been possible for the committee to make progress in a limited field in the continuation of the work outlined in its previous report. As indicated below, the Committee is now ready to propose to the Council the adoption of more specific programmes of action in the fields of movement of labour, and the exchange of persons in the educational field, and to report continuing study of informational needs. The Committee wishes to emphasize that the process of achieving cohesive relationships among the countries of the North Atlantic Community is necessarily a slow one, and that it would be a mistake to expect rapid or spectacular achievements. In this field it is necessary to build carefully on a solid foundation. The immediate and urgent aim of the North Atlantic Treaty is the common defence. The degree of success which is attained in defence cooperation will in large part determine the progress which can be made in strengthening the Atlantic Community in its wider aspects. The sense of community, the experience, and the habits of cooperation which the development of collective defence has engendered form the essential basis for the growth of collaboration in fields other than defence.

4. For this reason the Committee wishes to call to the attention of the Council certain positive steps which have been taken since the Eighth Session of the Council which represent substantial progress in establishing closer relationships between the countries which are members of the Treaty Organisation:

• First, a collective examination of the capabilities of member governments in relation to defence programmes has been completed by the Temporary Council Committee and is reflected in its report to this session of the Council. The results of this consultation, and the experience gained in the process, can have an important bearing on further cooperation in all of the fields covered by the Treaty, military, economic, social, and political.
• Second, the Council Deputies have proposed a reorganisation of the civilian agencies of the Treaty Organisation, which, if approved by the Council, will strengthen the institutions of the Treaty and provide for much closer coordination of the efforts of member governments, and for clarifying the relations between NATO and other international organisations.
• Third, five of the member governments together with representatives of the German Federal Republic meeting in the Paris Conference on the European Defence Community, are negotiating agreements which provide for extremely close coordination in the defence field. The establishment of the European Defence Community within the North Atlantic Treaty framework would be a significant step towards the long-term goal of developing the Atlantic Community.

5. The Committee feels that the long-term development of the North Atlantic Community is essential not only for our present purposes, but also for the purpose of consolidating and strengthening the coalition against the day when the threat to our security, which gave it birth, itself diminishes. The existence of close ties among the members of the Community will be most important for dealing with the many problems of adjustment—economic, political and social—which can be expected to appear at that time.

6. The enduring nature of the North Atlantic Community must rest on something broader and deeper than military co-operation alone. Indeed, this is explicit in the Atlantic Pact itself, through Article 2, and is reflected in the growing habit of consultation and feeling of community within the group. This concept of the “North Atlantic Community” cannot easily be defined. Nor does it necessarily have to express itself always and immediately in institutional terms. But the idea itself is of vital importance and advantage should be taken of every opportunity to transform it into reality.

7. The Committee feels, however, that this transformation, though essential, will not be easy, indeed, it may not even be possible if economic collaboration does not develop and increase; if the members of the North Atlantic Community do not take early and concrete steps to liberalise and expand trade between them and with other friendly countries. They must give their peoples the hope of greater human welfare by increased production and exchange of goods on an easier and wider basis than is now possible.

8. The Committee is conscious of the fact that questions of economic co-operation are already being examined by numerous international agencies, many of them with wider membership than NATO; and that duplication and unnecessary over-lapping should be avoided. The Committee is also conscious of the difficulty and even the danger of attempting to liberalise trading policies and practices within a group, the members of which have important trading relations with other countries and, in some cases, have already developed special and constructive arrangements with countries outside this group.

9. Nevertheless, NATO has an important interest in the expansion and freeing of trade, and its members should study what role they might play in this respect. This may require working out co-operative arrangements with other bodies, of which the OEEC might be particularly mentioned. The initiative in proposing such arrangements might come from the OEEC itself, but if and when this is taken, NATO should be quick to take advantage of it. Possibly some form of joint consultation and joint action with OEEC in the purely economic field, could be agreed on. If so, it would certainly prove of the greatest value to both organisations.

10. The Committee calls attention to the urgency of this problem of economic co-operation without which other forms of co-operation are not likely, in the long run, to prove effective. A committee, however, representing only five of the countries of NATO, and not including the most important economically, is not the best agency to make recommendations for a specific programme of action in this field. For this—and for other reasons—the responsibilities of the Committee should be transferred to the Council itself where the views of all members can be obtained. This recommendation is all the more appropriate because of the proposal to maintain the Council in continuous session by which it would be possible to give this whole question of non-military co-operation the active consideration it should have on the highest level.

11. Therefore, the Committee recommends that, if and when the Council is established in continuous session, the functions of the Committee shall be transferred to the new Council. A draft of a resolution for consideration by the Council is attached as Annex A.

ii. coordination and consultation on foreign policy

12. In reviewing the report adopted at the Eighth Session of the Council (C8–D/6) the Committee stresses the importance which it attaches to the provisions of Section A of the report dealing with coordination and consultation on foreign policy.

13. It is felt that this section of the report does not require elaboration but rather practical application. The attention of the Council is drawn to the continuing need for effective consultation at an early stage on current political questions of common concern. This is essential in order that national policies may be developed and action taken on the basis of an awareness of the attitudes and interests of all the members of NATO.

14. The proposals for reorganisation referred to in paragraph 4 above will have an important bearing on the field of coordination and consultation on foreign policy. It is the hope of the Committee that the new procedures will be utilised by member governments to the fullest extent for frequent exchanges of information and views on urgent and important issues. Such procedures will be effective to the extent to which North Atlantic Treaty Governments are prepared to grant their representatives the necessary measure of authority and discretion to participate fully in such discussions.

iii. the movement of labor

15. In the report of the Committee adopted at the Eighth Session of the Council, it was stated in paragraph 25 that:

“The Committee believes that further consideration should be given to the possibilities and problems of movements of labour within the North Atlantic area (including a review of legislative difficulties) with a view to proposing practical measures to facilitate such movements from North Atlantic countries with excess manpower to North Atlantic countries where manpower could be effectively utilised. Such consideration might involve a meeting of experts in the field, and should take into account the results of the conference on the subject that has very recently been convened in Brussels.”

16. The Committee has reviewed the action being taken by other organisations in this field, and is now ready to propose certain practical measures to the Council for action by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and by member governments.

(a) Action taken by other organisations

17. The International Labour Office: The concern of the ILO with migration has been of long standing. A permanent Migration Committee exists, but its most useful practical work has been in the field of technical assistance. In 1949 the ILO adopted a “Migration for Employment Convention” which has been ratified by the United Kingdom and New Zealand. In October 1951 the ILO held a conference on migration in Naples which adopted plans for a Consultative Council on European Migration.⁴

18. The OEEC Manpower Committee: This Committee, established in 1948, and numerous working parties established by it, have considered the complex of problems relating to manpower, unemployment, migration and labour mobility, and have prepared a considerable volume of reports which have been accepted by the OEEC Council and which provide valuable information in this field.⁵

19. Council of Europe: The Consultative Assembly in 1950 adopted a recommendation to establish a European Manpower Board to coordinate the study of manpower problems, including migration. The Assembly also adopted a recommendation that the Council of Ministers should establish a European organisation to deal with refugees. A committee of experts on refugees and surplus population is studying these matters and has written a report recommending, inter alia, that a special committee within the Assembly be established, consisting both of members of governments and parliamentarians.⁵

20. The Brussels Migration Conference: The conference of sixteen nations, which met at Brussels in December 1951, agreed to form a “provisional intra-governmental committee for the movement of migrants from Europe”, and established a budget to finance the movement of approximately 116,000 migrants from Europe to North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. Tentative quotas were established for the countries receiving migrants. The conference did not discuss the question of intra-European migration of labour, since this question was not regarded as being within its frame of reference.

21. The Temporary Council Committee: The TCC report⁶ draws attention to the serious surplus of manpower in Italy, and to the fact that manpower limitations in other areas may act as a hindrance to production, particularly the production of coal.

(b) Summary of the general manpower situation in the North Atlantic Community

22. The following is a highly summary estimate of the current manpower situation. A more detailed picture could be developed from available information, but, since there are many gaps in the information available from any one source, it is believed that the elaboration of such details should be left to the expert study recommended below.

23. Whereas prior to 1951 the manpower problem in Europe consisted almost exclusively of surpluses (with the exception of chronic shortages in almost all mining areas and prevalent but manageable agricultural shortages) the steady increase in total employment from 1947 onwards has served to change the problem from one of simple surplus to one of surplus in some areas and shortage in others. The surpluses, highly concentrated in Italy and West Germany, greatly exceed in magnitude and as a social and political problem, the present shortages and any which may be reasonably expected even if the maximum increase in European production is brought about. The need for continuing migration from Europe to overseas territories is thus apparent.

24. Certain general manpower facts and predictions can be positively stated:

(a) There will continue to be a great shortage of miners.

(b) Building trades labour will be in generally short supply.

(c) Shortages will grow and new shortages appear in engineering, metal trades and steel.

(d) Housing will be a severe limitation upon full labour utilisation in virtually every shortage area.

(e) Shortages will generally be critical in direct proportion to degree of skill.

25. It can be stated that Norway and the United Kingdom will be increasingly characterised by full employment; Belgium, Canada and the United States, while experiencing unemployment in some sectors, will have some degree of shortage in others: France will experience some shortages and the degree to which domestic readjustments will compensate for them is problematical; the Netherlands while characterised by a growing over-all population in younger age groups, may have shortages in some sectors of the population; Italy will continue to have very large and pressing surpluses in a significant range of skilled and unskilled workers; West Germany will have coexisting shortages and large surpluses; Denmark and Luxembourg will be relatively stable, with spot shortages. If production output in Europe reaches the 25% increase goal set by the OEEC Council, all the shortage aspects in European countries of these predictions will be aggravated.

26. A study conducted by the DPB staff for the TCC included a survey of the manpower needs of the North Atlantic Treaty countries on the continent of Europe under the impact of a programme of near capacity utilisation of defence industry in the nine major materiel categories. It showed that, at the peak production year (1953–1954) over half a million additional workers would be required. The manpower needs for other equipment and services for augmented military personnel, and the requirements of the infrastructure programme would be in addition, as would any needs of the other North Atlantic Treaty countries. The conclusion which may be drawn from this study is that, even after allowance is made for internal measures in each country, these additional manpower requirements could only be met by movement of labour among the North Atlantic Treaty countries.

27. It is apparent that the general approach to this problem described in paragraph 17, 18 and 19 above has produced little effective action by Governments, although it has produced much valuable information. The Brussels Conference has devoted its attention to the overseas movement of labour from Europe. However, without duplicating the work of other agencies, there remains an area in which it should be possible for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to take effective action, since the manpower shortages which may be expected as a result of the steadily increasing needs of defence production should provide a direct stimulus for action by member governments. In thus attempting to increase productivity by the fullest utilisation of the manpower resources of member governments, a first step can be taken in solving the broader social problem which was referred to in paragraph 15 of this report, and which should continue to concern the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as other agencies acting in this field.

(c) Recommendations

28. The Committee endorses paragraph 14 of the resolution put forward by the TCC and, in support thereof, recommends that the permanent North Atlantic Treaty Organisation should:

(a) Keep the general problems relating to the freedom of movement of labour between member countries under review and devote, in particular, its attention to the problem of eliminating general or specific manpower shortages which may hinder present or planned defence production by:

(i) providing effective manpower planning through the necessary action by the Treaty Organisation and by member governments, and

(ii) member governments taking such steps as are necessary and practicable, including the admission of foreign labour, to eliminate such shortages whenever they are shown to exist or to be imminent.

(b) Make recommendations for eliminating such manpower shortages, its consideration to include the following elements:

(i) an assessment of the resources and facilities of existing organisations for providing analyses of shortages and for assisting Governments in the solution of problems of housing, training, transportation and administrative questions;

(ii) consideration of the most effective manner of presenting data on present and prospective shortages of manpower;

(iii) an analysis of the legislative and other difficulties which impede the movement of labour;

(iv) Steps which should be taken to obtain the views of organised labour within member countries.

iv. social cooperation

29. After reviewing the various possibilities suggested in the report to the Eighth Session, and after obtaining further information on the Council of Europe’s activities in the social field, the Committee has reached the following conclusions. To a large extent, cooperation in the social field between the European members of the North Atlantic Community is already the subject of active consideration by the Brussels Treaty Organisation, the Council of Europe, and the Nordic countries. There would appear to be little that could be done by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation which would not duplicate the work of these other organisations, unless there were an opportunity for trans-Atlantic collaboration between members of NATO. However, in view of the differences in the development of social legislation and practices on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and particularly because of the effect of the federal systems of the United States and Canada, where responsibility for social legislation is divided between federal governments on the one hand and state and provincial governments on the other, there do not appear at this stage to be any significant areas for such trans-Atlantic cooperation.

30. The Committee recommends that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation keep this subject under review so that action might be taken as soon as specific opportunities appear. Meanwhile, the meeting of experts referred to in paragraph 31 of the first report of the Committee need not be held at this time.

v. cultural cooperation

31. The long-term project for cultural co-operation mentioned in the Committee’s interim report, should be further considered and put into effect as soon as the Council feels it is desirable to do so. Meanwhile, the Committee recommends for immediate attention a limited number of experimental practical projects with the understanding that this should not prejudice later consideration of and action on the other longer range projects.

32. Such immediate projects would include the following:

(1) A scheme of educational exchange which would give to university students in the various North Atlantic Treaty countries the opportunity of taking a semester or year of their chosen course of studies at a university in another North Atlantic Treaty country: This is a long-term objective. As a first stage it is proposed that experimental projects should be undertaken by pairs of countries which would provide for the exchange of students across the Atlantic. The studies taken abroad by these students should be credited toward their degrees by their home universities. Arrangements should be worked out for an exchange of a small number of qualified students and comparable qualifications should be established for the particular courses in which these students would be exchanged.

(2) Encouragement of travel by groups of young people: Young people in the North Atlantic Treaty countries should be given the opportunity of using their vacation to travel across the Atlantic in order to gain a knowledge of the life and problems in other North Atlantic Treaty countries and to develop a consciousness of the reality of the North Atlantic Community. A study should be made of the problems involved in the provision of administrative facilities, facilities for group travel at low cost, and the planning of specific tours with a definite educational aim. The cooperation of existing youth and exchange organisations should be enlisted. The Committee recognised the importance of the establishment of leave centres for service personnel in the NAT countries, and the possibilities which they afford for educational purposes.

(3) Seminars of teachers: Such seminars could be organized along the lines of those sponsored by the Brussels Treaty Organisation for the teachers of the five Treaty nations. Subjects of study might include the definition of those aspects of the culture and ideals common to the civilizations of the North Atlantic Treaty countries which could be introduced into teaching practice. The seminars might aim at collating the results of the studies in such a form that they could be widely distributed among interested authorities.

33. The Committee recommends that the Council Deputies consider and make recommendations concerning the projects listed in the preceding paragraph and the additional objectives described in paragraph 35 of the Committee’s report to the Eighth Session.

vi. information activities

34. In paragraph 37 of its report to the Eighth Session, the Committee referred to a programme which the NAT Information Service had under consideration. The Committee has reviewed the preliminary recommendations of the Information Service concerning this programme. It is apparent that much more needs to be done, both by member governments and by the Treaty Organisation itself, to increase public knowledge of NATO objectives and activities, and to encourage awareness of the community of interest among North Atlantic Treaty countries. The Committee wishes to endorse the following comment on this subject which was made by the Chairman of the Council Deputies in his report to the Seventh Session of the Council (C7–D/3⁷):

“I believe that too little is known of the growing effectiveness of the common defence forces. This is primarily a matter for national action, but national information services can, through the NATO Information Service, be provided with more effective materials to assist in the problem of developing strong public support. The NAT Information Service, has made a good beginning, but its scope and effectiveness must be increased. If this is properly done, increased public understanding should be of the strongest possible support to governments in working towards adequate defence measures.

“It may be that the presentation of NATO to the public has tended to over-stress the burdens of defence. This may have given the impression that military strength was the end and not the means to an end chosen by the North Atlantic Community. Therefore, ways and means should be found to emphasize to public opinion in each country that military strength provides the shield behind which the Atlantic community can continue its progress, with closer cooperation toward peaceful objectives as the basis of the policies of each member and of the common effort.”

35. The preliminary studies of this subject made by the Committee have revealed major problems as regards basic policy, financial support, and form of organisation, which can be resolved only by agreement between all member governments. The Committee has taken note of proposals for the setting up under the reorganized Council of an Information Advisory Committee (see D–D(51)277⁸) or Information Policy Committee (see D–D (52) 448).

36. Such a committee, if and when it is set up, should also make recommendations to the Council on methods of encouraging voluntary bodies whose aim is to foster public interest in the Atlantic Community and the work of NATO.

37. The Committee has noted that the Information Service is reviewing its programme in detail with a view to indicating the relative priority of possible projects designed to accomplish the following objectives:

(a) Increased awareness of the work of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the contribution of each individual country towards achieving the solidarity of the North Atlantic Community;

(b) The promotion by educational and other means, of a sense of participation in the North Atlantic Community.

(c) The increase of knowledge of each other’s countries and of their common civilization.

38. The Council may also wish to consider, through the Permanent Representatives or otherwise, how parliamentary interest in the North Atlantic Community and its problems may be developed along the most constructive lines.

draft resolution on committee on the north atlantic community

The North Atlantic Council

Having considered the report by the Committee on the North Atlantic Community (C9–D/8);

1. Approves the report;

2. Recommends that the functions and terms of reference of the Committee shall be transferred to the full Council as soon as that Council is established in continuous session.

1. This document was presented, discussed, and approved by the North Atlantic Council at its third meeting, Feb. 22; see telegram Secto 49, Feb. 22, from Lisbon, p. 136 for a report on that meeting.
2. This document is not printed; the record of the Eighth Session of the North Atlantic Council in November 1952 at which C8–D/6 was adopted is printed in Foreign Relations, 1951, vol. iii, Part 1, pp. 693 ff.
3. Under reference here is the official NATO Summary Record of the fifth meeting of the North Atlantic Council, Nov. 27, 1951; the record is not printed.
4. For documentation on the conference under reference here, see Foreign Relations, 1951, volume iv .
5. For documentation on the interest of the United States in the Organization for European Economic Cooperation and the Council of Europe, see volume vi .
5. For documentation on the interest of the United States in the Organization for European Economic Cooperation and the Council of Europe, see volume vi .
6. Presumably the reference here is to the Temporary Council Committee’s report of Dec. 18, 1951; for documentation regarding the preparation of that report, see Foreign Relations, 1951, vol. iii, Part 1, pp. 379 ff.
7. Not printed.
8. Not printed.