740.5/9–254: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in France 1
920. Believe views expressed by Mendes-France reported your 9382 require some comments on our part. On possibility his meeting with Adenauer, it should be conveyed to him by appropriate means that we have given it serious consideration but we believe that at this juncture the common meeting ground between two situations faced by himself and Adenauer has not been sufficiently clarified and early face-to-face meeting should it fail would have very adverse repercussions, Rather we believe we should all work through diplomatic channels to clarify broad lines of that meeting ground first.
On his general approach to problem expressed reftel, believe it should also be conveyed to him our view that he misjudges difficulties of Adenauer’s situation which we see roughly as follows:
- 1.
- Adenauer has suffered defeat his major policy on which he based entire personal prestige.
- 2.
- Now three years after Japan’s status settled and two years after West intended similarly to settle status of FedRep and several months [Page 1162] after Soviets have ostensibly done so for propaganda purposes in East Germany.
- 3.
- In terms of West Germany’s real not juridical situation, parts of Bonn contractuals were already out of date. Adenauer has maintained reasonable and patient attitude among his people with regard contractuals only with difficulty during last two years. With rejection EDC it should not be expected that he would accept contractuals without any determination of that key element sovereignty—right to carry out or participate in one’s own defense.
- 4.
- In spite of his personal disappointment and his need act in such a way as to carry his people with him, we believe Adenauer will be reasonable if others are in turn reasonable with him. But this requires an appreciation of his position and realization that time and events have changed political facts of life since 1952.