No. 38
Editorial Note
The Deputies of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe met in Strasbourg May 16–21 to discuss, among other things, the Eden proposal. The meetings ended after days of what an American official described as “fruitless discussion” which left all the important questions in abeyance. (Telegram 144 from Strasbourg, May 22; 740.00/5–2252) The Deputies were able to agree, however, on an agenda for the Eleventh Session of the Committee of Ministers which was to follow in Strasbourg beginning on May 22. Unlike the Deputies, the Committee of Ministers was able to reach agreement on the general principles of the Eden proposal and adopted a resolution outlining that agreement during its meeting on May 23. The text of this resolution was transmitted to the Department of State in telegram 151 from Strasbourg, May 23. (740.00/5–2352) Documentation concerning the meetings of the Deputies and the Eleventh Session of the Committee of Ministers is in Department of State file 740.00.
Following these preparatory meetings, the Fourth Ordinary Session (First Part) of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe met in Strasbourg May 26–30. Among the resolutions adopted by the Assembly were Resolution 11, which requested from the Committee of Ministers their opinion on the best means of giving effect to the Eden proposal, and Resolution 14, which concerned the means of drafting the statute of the European Political Community, both approved on May 30. For a record of these meetings and the text of statements made by the delegates during the discussions, see the Council of Europe, Consultative Assembly, Fourth Ordinary Session (First Part), May 26–30, Minutes of Proceedings [Page 76] (Strasbourg, 1952) and Official Report of Debates (Strasbourg, 1952), respectively. For a brief summary of this Fourth Session, including the texts of the recommendations, resolutions, and opinions approved during the meetings, see Great Britain, Foreign Office, Report on the Proceedings of the Fourth Session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe (Command Paper 8701) (London, 1952).