Office of the Historian

No. 64
The Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Secretary of State1

[Translation]

Paris, May 27, 1952.

Mr. Secretary: In the name of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, I have the honor to inform you of the following:

As no effective control of atomic weapons can be accomplished without the overall control of the atomic energy field, the Federal Government undertakes to maintain controls in this field beyond production of such weapons. Therefore, the Federal Government will, by legislation, prohibit:

(a)
the development, production and possession of atomic weapons as defined in Annex II to Article 107 of the European Defense Community Treaty;2
(b)
the import or production, by whatever process, of nuclear fuel in quantities exceeding 500 grams in any one year for the whole of the Federal Republic;
(c)
the development, construction or possession of nuclear reactors or other instruments or installations capable either of producing atomic weapons or of producing nuclear fuel in quantities exceeding 500 grams in any year for the whole of the Federal Republic, the capability of producing 500 grams of nuclear reactor [fuel] as corresponding to a heat output equivalent of 1.5 megawatts;
(d)
the production or import in the whole of the Federal Republic of uranium in any chemical form in quantities greater than nine tons of uranium element equivalent per year. During an interim period, however, the Federal Republic is entitled to produce a quantity of uranium not to exceed thirty tons of uranium element equivalent for the initial requirements of a reactor;
(e)
the storage of uranium in any chemical form other than in non-processed ores in quantities exceeding eighteen tons of uranium element equivalent in the whole of the Federal Republic, in addition to the initial reactor requirements.

The Federal Republic will, legislation comparable to that in force in your countries, control: [Page 168]

(a)
the export from the Federal Republic of all articles and products useful in the development of atomic energy in accordance with a list to be mutually agreed amongst the four countries, and
(b)
activities including export and import with respect to uranium, thorium and materials containing uranium and thorium.

The Federal Republic will also take all necessary steps to ensure that information of a security nature in the field of atomic energy is not divulged to unauthorized persons.

The Federal Republic understands that your Governments are agreeable to reviewing the limitation stated above on the production and acquisition of nuclear fuel at the end of a period of two years from the date of entry into force of the Conventions signed between your Governments and mine on 26 May 1952.

I take this occasion, Mr. Secretary, to assure you [etc.]

Adenauer
  1. Source: Reprinted from Senate Q and R, pp. 161–162. Secretary Acheson replied to this letter on the same day, quoting the body of the letter verbatim and stating that the U.S. Government had noted the Chancellor’s assurances with satisfaction. For the full text of Acheson’s letter, see ibid., pp. 162–163.↩
  2. For complete text, see ibid., pp. 167–206, or AFP, vol. I, pp. 1107–1150.↩