662A.00/4–752: Telegram
No. 14
The United States High Commissioner
for Germany (McCloy) to the Department of
State
1
2278. Re urtel 2420 to Bonn April 5.2 Due slowness complete contractuals, I made strong reps last week to Chancellor, Kirkpatrick and Poncet in which I demanded we adopt a conf procedure whereby all wld work continuously at the job until completed and that particularly we must not let Easter holidays interfere. Result was last Thurs mtg which went from 3 o’clock until midnight, where we cleaned up about half of all questions,3 agreeing to dispose of remainder beginning 10 a.m. Wed this week with no let-up until finished.4 I am confident that most remaining items can be finally disposed of then, exclusive of financial agreements with one or two subsequent mtgs in April to dispose of all dregs.
Recent delays have in my judgment been due to (1) no set date for completion, (2) tendency of certain of our colleagues to linger over points, and the introduction of Schaeffer in the negots who acts as Bavarian cow trader over the taxes he wld like to collect from Allied personnel. The resolution of tripartite positions frequently takes as long as the Ger negot. Apart from financial aspects, there is nothing here that cld not be resolved, with a reasonable give and take, within two weeks. I propose, unless instructed to the contrary, to cut corners in the negots rather than face further delays.
Last Sat Blank reported his complete unwillingness accept Fr formula on propellants and I believe Chancellor finds equal difficulty as its implications become clearer. I warn that this aspect of the contractuals and the EDC negots will cause trouble.
As for site of mtg, Chancellor has made strong plea to me for Bonn. He urges his position as firm upholder of Western integration with Ger as a partner justifies this step, and moreover indicates that it is necessary in order to consolidate Ger opinion in strong support of the concept. Strasbourg, he says, has no symbolic [Page 24] importance. In fact he feels it has a poor connotation because thus far its debates and decisions have been so equivocal, he feels Strasbourg might weaken rather than strengthen movement. In short, he urges Bonn or other Ger site as a matter of need for the success of the policy that is something more than mere prestige. I will communicate your views at once to Chancellor though I know he feels strongly on the subj. He wld strongly oppose Paris. My idea of date wld be the first half of May but staff suggest middle of month largely because of substantial time needed for clearing texts, translations, etc, and the concern they have of likely snags in the financial aspects over which we do not have full control.
- Repeated to Paris and London.↩
- Document 12.↩
- Regarding this meeting, see footnote 1, supra.↩
- On Apr. 9 McCloy reported that excellent progress had been made at the Wednesday meeting and that two more meetings with the Chancellor were planned for Apr. 21 and 24. (Telegram 2320 from Bonn, 662A.00/4–952) Telegrams 2322 and 2360, Apr. 9 and 10, both from Bonn, reported in detail on particular aspects of the meeting. (762A.0221/4–952 and 662A.00/4–1052)↩