Office of the Historian

Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 370

Memorandum of Conversation, by the United States Acting Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council (Martin)1

secret
[London,] September 27, 1954.

Participants:

  • The Secretary
  • General Gruenther
  • Ambassador Aldrich
  • Mr. Merchant
  • Mr. McCardle
  • Mr. Bowie
  • Mr. Martin
  • Colonel Silver
  • Colonel Richardson
  • Mr. O’Connor

Subject:

  • SACEUR Assistance in Alternative Arrangements to EDC

General Gruenther called attention to the fact that during the morning meeting2 he had not had an opportunity to answer the question asked by the Secretary about the feasibility of establishing a strategic [Page 1289] zone in which it would be militarily unwise to produce certain types of munitions.

General Gruenther stated that establishment of such a zone was feasible, and his Headquarters would be willing to assist in it. However, they would prefer not to get involved, and he suggested that it might be possible to utilize, at least as a solution for the present, the arrangements in this regard agreed to in connection with the EDC negotiations.

General Gruenther expressed the opinion that the Germans were apparently willing to accept the EDC solution although he doubted the prohibition of the production in Germany of military aircraft could be maintained for long.

  1. The source text was circulated to members of the U.S. Delegation to the Nine-Power Conference as document NPT Memo 30.↩
  2. For a record of this morning meeting, see the memorandum of conversation by Moore, Sept. 27, p. 1281.↩