Editorial Note

The Permanent Commission of the Brussels Treaty Organization invited representatives from Germany and Italy to join representatives from its member countries to form a Working Group on the Brussels Treaty. The Permanent Commission, comprised of the Ambassadors of the member countries under the chairmanship of René Massigli, also invited W. Walton Butterworth to serve as an observer for the United States. This Working Group, which began its meetings at the headquarters of the Brussels Treaty Organization in London on October 7, had the task of drafting a protocol inviting Germany and Italy to join its organization and resolving problems related to that change in membership. A liaison was also appointed to serve as a contact with the NATO Working Parties in Paris; for information on the NATO Working Parties, see the editorial note, supra. Documentation on the meetings of the Working Group on the Brussels Treaty, which was occasionally referred to as the London Brussels Treaty Working Group, is in Department of State file 740.5.