662.001/3–1852
No. 74
The Secretary of
State to Foreign Minister Schuman
1
Since it is impossible for me to join with you, Mr. Eden and Chancellor Adenauer in discussing the Western reply to the Sov note on Ger, I hope that it will cause you no embarrassment for me to have Amb Dunn represent me in those discussions despite the fact that there will not have been time for him to present the letters formally accrediting him to Fr.
I am sure we all agree on the importance of the problem posed by this Sov note and the desirability that our concerted reply be formulated and dispatched at the earliest possible moment. I feel strongly that our main purpose shld be to drive ahead with the signature and ratification of the EDC and the contractual relations with Ger and that we shld not permit the Russians to accomplish their obvious purpose of frustrating both by delay. It seems to me that we shld to this end make the reply as simple as possible and, in particular, I believe we shld not get into questions about the status of a united Ger Govt if one shld be created nor into arguments about the substance of the Russian proposal for a treaty with Ger. Both of these questions in my judgment are calculated to bring about a conference, or discussions looking to a conference, which would slow up the two matters we are anxious to hasten.
I feel that the discussions concerning the reply, which have already taken place in London, have shown a considerable measure of tripartite agreement and in the interest of avoiding indefinite delay we shld center on those points of agreement leaving disputed matters to a later stage in the correspondence, if such a correspondence develops.
These are my basic views in summary and Amb Dunn will be in a position to expand thereon on my behalf.
I am sending copy of this msg to Mr. Eden for his info.
- Transmitted in telegram 5482 to Paris (repeated to London and Bonn), Mar. 18. Drafted by Barbour, cleared by Laukhuff and Matthews, and signed by Secretary Acheson.↩