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

740.5/3–152: Telegram

The United States High Commissioner for Germany (McCloy) to the Embassy in Portugal ¹

secret

[Bonn, February 26, 1952—3 p.m.]

20. For three Foreign Ministers Lisbon.

Chancellor accepts all documents submitted by three Foreign Ministers with fol minor amendments.

First, in ltr from Chancellor to the three Foreign Ministers delete sentence reading “these payments will cover its contribution to the EDC and the support of Allied forces in the FedRep” and substitute the fol “these payments will include the support of Allied forces in the Fed Rep”.

Second, in ltr of reply to Chancellor by three Foreign Ministers delete phrase “and will be used exclusively for the Fed Rep’s contribution to EDC and the support of Allied forces in the Fed Rep” and substitute the fol “and will include the support of Allied forces in the Fed Rep”.

The above two changes are necessary to safeguard the Fed Rep position as fols: The Fed Rep proceeds on the assumption that in the sense of the EDC treaty the payments for the support of the Allied forces in the Fed Rep are reckoned as part of the Fed Rep contribution to EDC. In case you are not in a position to accept the above two amendments the Chancellor wld be willing to accept the documents as they stand with footnotes which safeguards Fed Rep position in the exact words set forth above.

Unless we hear to the contrary from you will proceed to publish the communiqué in Bonn at 1800 GMT (1900 Bonn time).

Mccloy

1. The source text was transmitted in an unnumbered telegram, Mar. 1, from Bonn to the Department of State in response to the Department’s request for this text. This message was discussed at the Acheson–Eden–Schuman meeting of Feb. 26, 5 p.m.; see pp. 167–174, for reports on that meeting.