Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Western European Security and Integration, Volume IV

95. Telegram From the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Italy¹

Washington, May 30, 1955—1:43 p.m.

3849. Ref Rome 4430² and 4431³ May 29 rptd Paris, London, Luxembourg, Brussels, Bonn, The Hague unnumbered.

1. Details German proposal not known Dept. However Dept looks with interest and sympathy on European initiatives of this sort to maintain or accelerate momentum development or integration based on Community of Six.

2. At same time, Dept desires encourage European efforts maintain and strengthen cooperative arrangements developed by OEEC.

3. Dept does not believe advances by Community of Six towards further functional or overall integration will prejudice continued value of OEEC. OEEC is institution designed maximize effective cooperative arrangements, and only over very extended period of time, if ever, is it apt to become framework for arrangements involving waivers of sovereignty in favor of authority such as now exists for CSC.

4. Supranational aspect of CSC distinguishes it, in kind, from OEEC and while not diminishing capacity of participating countries to play active and constructive role in OEEC, it paves way for the truly integrated association, politically, economically, and otherwise, of member countries, and especially Germany and France, upon which long term welfare, strength, and security of Atlantic Community may well depend. WEU does not appear to Dept to offer promise of accelerating integration in this sense.

5. However Dept considers it vital that choice of institutional means for achieving European unification should be decision by European countries themselves. Thus, Dept’s basic position is that in indicating friendly interest and support growth CSC no invidious comment is proper re OEEC, WEU, or other European arrangements for achieving effective cooperation.

6. Recommend you convey substance of foregoing to Italians informally.

7. FOA concurs.⁴

Hoover

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 850.33/5–2955. Secret; Priority. Drafted and approved by Barnett. Repeated for information to London, Luxembourg, Brussels, Bonn, The Hague, Paris, and USRO.
2. Supra.
3. Not printed, but see footnote 4, supra.
4. In telegram 4452 from Rome, May 31, the Embassy reported that it conveyed the substance of telegram 3849 to the Italian Foreign Office that day. The telegram reads in part, “In expressing appreciation for US views, Foreign Office official confirmed that Italian position at present favors OEEC approach to integration.” The official also stated that the “pro-Europeans” in the Italian Foreign Office doubted the wisdom of this position, favoring instead “building up CSC and forgiving [forging] even stronger supra-national European links with Germany.” He explained that the Italian position was still “somewhat flexible” and that they would discuss the question at Messina with an open mind. (Department of State, Central Files, 850.33/5–3155)