Editorial Note
The Thirteenth Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council was held April 23 to 24, 1954 at Paris. The United States Delegation to the Ministerial Meeting was headed by Secretary of State Dulles, and also included John Hughes, the Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council; Livingston T. Merchant, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs; Carl W. McCardle, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs; Douglas MacArthur II, Counselor of the Department of State; Edwin M. Martin, Deputy Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council; and Vice Admiral Arthur C. Davis and Captain Jerald L. Huff of the Department of Defense.
The other delegations to the Ministerial meeting were headed by their respective Foreign Ministers: Lester Pearson for Canada, H. C. Hansen for Denmark, Georges Bidault for France, S.E.M.S. Stephanopoulos for Greece, Hans Andersen for Iceland, Attilio Piccioni for Italy, Joseph Bech for Luxembourg, J. W. Beyen for the Netherlands, Halvard Lange for Norway, Paulo Cunha for Portugal, Fatin Zorlu for Turkey, and Anthony Eden for the United Kingdom.
The Thirteenth Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council comprised three sessions in all. Two “open” sessions were held at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., April 23. Georges Bidault of France was chairman and five formal agenda items were considered and discussed: (1) Progress of NATO (oral statement by Lord Ismay); (2) Consideration of the International Political Situation; (3) Date and Place of the next Ministerial meeting; (4) Other business, which included favorable consideration of a Canadian resolution urging the broadest extension of political consultation within NATO, consideration of the Soviet announcement of a grant of “full sovereignty” to East Germany and acceptance by the Council of the general principle of nonrecognition, and “warm welcome” by the Council of recent statements by Eden and President Eisenhower that NATO was of unlimited duration; (5) the final communiqué. In addition, a closed session of the Meeting was held at 6 p.m. on April 23 to hear Secretary Dulles’ statement clarifying the United States position on atomic and hydrogen weapons. Telegraphic summaries of the open and closed sessions were sent to the Department in telegrams Polto 1707 and 1708, April 24, printed on pages 515 and 516. Secretary Dulles’ statement is printed infra.
The largest collection of documents relating to the Thirteenth Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council may be found in the Conference files, lot 60 D 627. Folder CF 239 contains the Secto and Dulte telegrams relating to the meeting. Folder CF 240 contains a complete list of delegates and the following NATO documents: “Draft Resolution on Soviet Grant of ‘full sovereignty’ to East Germany” [Page 509] (C–M (54) 37 (revised)) which became an agreed Council document following discussion of this topic; “Current Appraisal of Soviet Strength” (C–M (54) 36) and “Report on Trends and Implications of Soviet Policy (C–M (54) 33) which served as the basis of discussion on the international political situation; the Final Communiqué (Press Release No. 16–54M) released on April 23, and the “Resolution on Political Consultation” which was released to the press as No. 15–54M, April 23. Copies of the five United States preparatory papers for the Council session are also in folder CF 240 as are the summary and verbatim records of the “open” meetings during morning and afternoon of April 23 and a brief “Record” of the restricted evening session.
The CFM files, lot M 88, box 168 contain a single small folder of documents on the Thirteenth North Atlantic Council Session including a schedule of meetings, a list of United States Delegates, a copy of the formal agenda, the five preparatory papers, and, as “Tab A”, a five-page paper on the current status of the EDC with a background paper on procedures for providing aid to the EDC once it came into being.
The 740.5 file contains copies of telegrams Polto 1707 and 1708 as well as the final version of Secretary Dulles’ statement printed infra. with various supporting documents.