740.5/5–2452: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Department of State
niact
3048. From the Secretary for Bruce and Matthews. I wld much appreciate the President’s auth to change the second sentence of the fifth para of the tripartite declaration, beginning “Accordingly, if any action from whatever quarter threatens the integrity or unity of the community, the two govts will regard such action as a threat to their own security and will institute action in accordance with Art 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.”
It may not be necessary to use this auth but the reason for asking it is as follows. As reported in Bonn’s 3038 to Wash, May 24,1 the French have asked for an addl sentence in the declaration which we turned down immediately. Later in the day, as reported in Bonn’s 3042 of May 24,2 they asked for another sentence which was similarly rejected. We gather that they are now in a position where it may be necessary to have some change in order to meet the problems which they have created for themselves even if the change has no particular significance. The sentence that I now suggest has been devised in order [Page 680] to take from Art 4 of the NAT the reason for action under that Art which wld be here applicable, that is, a threat to the security of any of the nations involved. It omits reference in terms to consultation and says instead that we would take action in accordance with the Art which of course means consultation. The purpose of the sentence as we have devised it is first to make a change and second to make a change which although not altering the meaning expresses the meaning in more vigorous phraseology.
Since we are trying to close all outstanding matters tonight it would be helpful to have an immediate reply by fastest means.3
- Ante, p. 677.↩
- Supra.↩
- Source text indicates that this message was received in the Department at 4:29 p.m. At approximately 6:00 p.m. the Department received a request from Bonn for a telecon with Matthews and Bruce, the purpose of which was to get a rapid answer to telegram 3048. After conferring some time with Perkins, Knight, Calhoun, and Pollack at Bonn, Bruce placed a call to President Truman aboard the yacht Williamsburg and informed him of the message contained in telegram 3048. “The President approved the request of Secretary Acheson and the word was sent back to Bonn on the telecon.” (Conference files, lot 59 D 95, CF 108) In telegram 7299 from Paris received at 2:16 p.m., May 24, in the Department of State, Dunn reported that the French Cabinet had met in emergency session that afternoon and Maurice Schumann had told Dunn it adjourned without reaching any decision on signature of the EDC Treaty since negotiations were still in progress at Bonn and what progress had been made was considered insufficient. Schumann added that there would be no more Cabinet meetings but that the Cabinet had authorized a smaller group including Antoine Pinay, Pleven, Robert Schuman, and Maurice Schumann to decide what was acceptable (740.5/5–2452). In a memorandum to the Acting Secretary later on May 24, Ridgway Knight reported that Dunn had called from Paris at 6:00 p.m. to say that Maurice Schumann had informed him that a second Cabinet meeting had been held that afternoon “which again ended on an inconclusive note”. Dunn added that Schumann had stressed two points. First, it was “absolutely essential” to obtain what the French Government considered acceptable minimum guarantees regarding the treaty, and second, the Cabinet had given the power of approval to a triumvirate consisting of Pinay, Pleven, “and one other (whose name Ambassador Dunn did not get)” (740.5/5–2452). The final version of the “Declaration by the Governments of the U.S.A., the United Kingdom and France on their interest in the strength and integrity of the European Defense Community” issued at Paris on May 27 in conjunction with the signing of the EDC Treaty is printed on p. 686.↩