740.5/2–852: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bruce) to the Department of State
4883. USDel TCC 89. The following background material on the current meetings of the Temporary Council Committee of the North Atlantic Council1 was prepared by the NATO information service and [Page 210] released to the press at 5 p.m. GMT Feb. 8, 1952. It is not a formal communiqué of the TCC, but the information it contains is authoritative and is released in this form for the convenience of the press.
“The Temporary Council Committee reassembled in Paris on Wednesday, February 6, to draft a supplementary report and a resolution to be presented to the North Atlantic Council in Lisbon. These meetings of the TCC reached agreement on both the supplementary report and a resolution to be presented to the council for action.
“The committee cannot take final action on these papers, however, until it meets again in Lisbon just prior to the council meeting, after staff consultation with the Military Committee of NATO (composed of the chiefs of staff of the member countries). The consultation is required to obtain the views of the Military Committee on certain military aspects of the TCC report, which were forwarded to the Military Committee for review. The North Atlantic Council at Rome assigned to the Council Deputies the task of working out details and to make recommendations to the council for a reorganization to strengthen NATO along the lines recommended by the TCC.
“The resolution provides for a realistic over-all plan of action to carry forward the building of the defensive strength of the North Atlantic community, based on the report that the TCC submitted for the consideration of NATO governments last December 18. The supplementary report is based on country replies received from governments after they had examined the TCC report and its recommendations.
“In all the country comments that were received by the TCC, there is a strong, general agreement on the value of the TCC work and on the imperative need for the continuation of this type of analysis on a permanent basis by NATO. Supplementary replies received this week from several countries helped to affirm an atmosphere of basic agreement on objectives, on the principles involved, and on the courses of action to be followed.
“The country reports, furthermore, indicated that many governments were proceeding to carry out TCC recommendations without waiting for the formal action of the TCC report by the North Atlantic Council. The following are examples:
“The Belgian Government has indicated that it was giving consideration to additional measures to contribute to the common defense. In the course of the meetings this week the Canadian delegate advised the committee that his government was prepared to recommend to its Parliament additional mutual aid in excess of the figure previously provided for, but within the framework of its original defense budget for the coming year, without impairing Canada’s own defense program.
“The Norwegian Government has not only increased substantially its defense expenditures, but also agreed to the extension of its military service from 12 to 18 months, to establish a program for the expansion of regular long-term personnel, and to provide the additional accommodation required.
“The Danish Government has increased its defense expenditures and reported that it has already taken measures to increase its national service from 12 to 18 months.
“The United States Government has agreed to give the highest [Page 211] possible priority to deliveries of arms to NATO forces, subject to the requirements of combat areas, and to a system of equipment priorities adjusted to the forces build-up in Europe, and has assured that the deliveries of arms to NATO forces in Europe urged by the TCC report will be accomplished, subject to developments in actual combat areas. In addition, the United States Government declared that it was giving fullest consideration to the recommendations of the TCC regarding ‘off-shore’ procurement and was in the process of accelerating its ‘off-shore’ procurement programs.
“The TCC will meet again in Lisbon on the afternoon of Sunday, February 17.”
- Regarding the meetings of the Temporary Council Committee of Feb. 6–8 referred to here and the documents adopted there, see the editorial note, supra.↩