Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Germany and Austria, Volume VII, Part 2

762.022/5–1054: Telegram

No. 684
The United States High Commissioner for Germany (Conant) to the Department of State¹

secret
priority

Bonn, May 10, 1954—7 p.m.

3452. Re: Department’s 5905 May 6 to London repeated Bonn 3113 Paris 3970 Geneva 706 and Department’s 5962 May 8 to London repeated Bonn 3129 Paris 4000.²

Following meeting with Hoyer Millar this morning who urged Chancellor on Saturday (when calling on him with Butler³) to accept Schumann procedure in specifying acceptable and unacceptable articles van Naters’ plan, I have made representations in similar sense. Blankenhorn called on me at Hallstein’s request because Chancellor unavailable. I requested him to inform Chancellor that we fully supported British position in urging that Franco-German Saar discussions (a) proceed definitely on basis van Naters’ revised plan,⁴ (b) that Hallstein–Schumann negotiations concentrate on reduction of disagreed articles and I added (c) that British and we very much hoped that Hallstein–Schumann meeting beginning tomorrow in Paris would not be perfunctory and would last long enough for them to obtain maximum possible agreement.

Blankenhorn replied that he thought the Chancellor’s intentions were in entire accord with Hoyer Millar’s and my representations.

Hoyer Millar was still without instructions regarding proposed Paris working group but agreed that our Saar experts should prepare at once joint British–US High Commission draft for use in Paris. This being done today. I believe we are in close accord.

Subsequently, Hoyer Millar has talked with London and was informed the British could not meet in Paris before Wednesday. We are therefore proceeding on that basis and I am sending Lampson and the British McKenzie-Johnson and possibly Jackling⁵ (economic) or an officer from British delegation in Geneva.

Conant

1. Repeated to Paris, London, and Geneva.
2. Telegram 5905, supra. Telegram 5962 suggested that a working group consisting of representatives from Bonn and Paris be established at Paris to expedite the development of an updated joint U.S.–U.K. brief on the Saar. (762.022/5–754)
3. Richard A. Butler, British Chancellor of the Exchequer.
4. Regarding van Naters’ report on the Saar, see Document 640.
5. Edward T. Lampson, Political Officer at HICOG, and Henry B. McKenzie-Johnson. Political Officer, and Roger W. Jackling, Economic and Financial Adviser, British HICOG.