Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Germany and Austria, Volume VII, Part 1

396.1 BE/1–754

No. 324
Foreign Minister Bidault to the Secretary of State ¹

confidential

Paris , January 7, 1954.

I am in complete agreement with your proposal for a meeting in Paris of the three Foreign Ministers, Friday, the twenty-second, and Saturday, the twenty-third of January.² It is, in fact, essential that we proceed, before the opening of the conference in Berlin, to a last adjustment of our common attitude and to the examination of the questions on which our experts could not reach unanimous agreement.

I do not consider it less important than you to establish a complete agreement with the Government of Bonn before our meeting with the representatives of the Soviet Union; but I feel strongly that we would compromise this agreement itself by asking the Chancellor to come to Paris, and in thus allowing all the adversaries of European unification to accuse us, even before the beginning of our work of having [garble] ourselves to the views of the German Federal Government. I can tell you advisedly that such would be the reaction of those Western circles which it is essential to convince by means of the Berlin meeting. As to Soviet propaganda, it would not miss taking advantage of a public talk from which it would inevitably draw the conclusion that the three powers were not acting in full liberty.

In these conditions, I definitely consider that the necessary contact with the Government of the Federal Republic must be effected with the required discretion in conformity with the usual procedure followed, that is to say, through the High Commissioners. If, however, it seems to you absolutely necessary that we have a talk with a representative of Dr. Adenauer before going to Berlin, I could, if need be, agree that the contact be made with his personal representative, State Secretary Hallstein, for example, whom we each could see on our own part during our conference. But for all the reasons I have indicated to you above, and in view of the difficulty of keeping such a journey secret, I urge very strongly that preference should be given to the first solution, since the problem of public opinion which I have pointed out to you is of overriding importance.

I am looking forward to the opportunity I soon shall have of conferring with yourself and Mr. Eden, and I do not need to tell you that I consider it more necessary than ever, in the present circumstances, that complete and frank accord of views be reached among us three.

1. The translated text was transmitted in telegram 2528 from Paris, Jan. 7 and repeated to London, Moscow, Bonn, and Berlin. In a subsequent telegram the Embassy in Paris reported that de Margerie, when he had delivered Bidault’s message, stated that he could not emphasize too strongly the adverse effect of Adenauer being invited. (Telegram 2529 from Paris, Jan. 7, 396.1 BE/1–754)
2. Document 321.