Editorial Note

As a result of the special meeting held in Paris on October 5, as described in telegram Polto 566 (page 1371), three working groups were created to continue the work of the Nine-Power and Four-Power Conferences. The Brussels Treaty Working Party, comprised of representatives from the nine powers, SGLO, and SHAPE, held their meetings in Paris beginning on October 6. It was their responsibility to deal with the problems of armament control, the definition of conventional weapons to be controlled, and the drafting of an agreement specifying the maximum defense contributions of Brussels Pact members as well as an agreement in principle regarding forces not committed to SACEUR and police forces. (Telegram Polto 572, October 6; 740.5/10–654)

The second group, the Working Party on NATO Arrangements, was made up of representatives of the 14 NATO members and Germany. The members of this group, which also held its meetings in Paris beginning October 6, were faced with the task of drafting a protocol for the entry of Germany into NATO and a protocol embodying section IV of the Final Act of the London Conference regarding forces committed to SACEUR; they also had responsibility for devising a formula for the association of other states of NATO with the tripartite declaration of the United States, United Kingdom, and France, which was issued in reply to the German declaration renouncing the achievement of unification by force. (Telegram Polto 579, October 7; 740.5/10–754)

A NATO Steering Group, comprised of representatives of the 14 NATO members and Germany, had the overall responsibility for coordinating the work of the two Working Parties and for reviewing their final recommendations The United States representative on the NATO Steering Group was Hughes, Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council. Documentation concerning the meetings of these three groups is in Department of State file 740.5.