762.022/3–1354: Telegram
No. 670
The Ambassador in France (Dillon) to the Department of State1
3347. Limit distribution. At meeting this afternoon with Bidault, Schumann, and Alphand, I took occasion to raise question of Saar. I said that we were particularly concerned over one aspect of new French paper2 on Saar that we felt might constitute real breaking point with Germans. This was the giving of a vote to the Saar in the Council of Ministers as described in paragraph “first” of Bonn’s 2822 to Department.3 I further said that while there were naturally many other points that would require serious negotiation and compromise between Bonn and Paris, this one point could cause failure of whole negotiation. Bidault then, to Maurice Schumann’s obvious surprise, said that this point was not serious and we should not worry that France would cause a break on this issue.
Given this willingness of French to back down on this point and willingness of French as indicated in Embassy telegram 33194 to compromise economic question on basis of a reasonable upset figure for German-Saar trade it would appear that an eventual Saar solution is now coming into view.
Request Conant take greatest care to guard subject matter this telegram. If knowledge this French attitude should reach Germans my position with Bidault would be hopelessly compromised.
- Repeated to Bonn and London eyes only for the Ambassadors.↩
- Regarding this French paper, see footnote 3, Document 667.↩
- Telegram 2822 reported on a conversation with Blankenhorn on Mar. 11 during which he had stated that the new French proposal contained three demands that were completely unacceptable to the Federal Republic: (1) that the Saar should have full voting rights in European organs, (2) the maintenance of Franco-Saar economic unity, and (3) Federal Republic agreement to the U.S.–U.K. guarantee of the Saar settlement. (762.022/3–1254)↩
- Not printed. (740.5/3–1254)↩