Conference files, lot 59 D 95, CF 102

Draft British Declaration1
secret

H.M.G. in the United Kingdom have been greatly encouraged by the progress made by the Governments of France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the German Federal Republic towards agreeing on the establishment of a European Defence Community, and they wish once more to make clear, after consultation with those Governments, what their attitude to the Defence Community will be when it is established.

H.M.G. do not consider that the establishment of the E.D.C. will relieve them of their present commitments in Europe for the maintenance of peace. The defence of Western Europe is an enterprise in which the United Kingdom is already a partner by virtue of the Dunkirk Treaty, the Brussels Treaty and the North Atlantic Treaty. H.M.G. believe that the E.D.C. will help to consolidate peace and to ensure that the principles laid down in the Preamble of the North Atlantic Treaty are upheld. They thus have an abiding interest in the [Page 251] strength and continuing integrity of the Community and will afford its institutions their cooperation and support. They declare that they would consider any action which threatened the integrity of the Community as a matter of the gravest concern to them calling for consultation under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty in order to agree on measures to meet the situation thus created.

  1. This draft declaration was discussed by Acheson and Eden during their meeting on the morning of Feb. 22; see Battle’s memorandum of that meeting, p. 131.