200. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State1
Dulte 24. Eyes only Acting Secretary from Secretary. The second day was one of initial hope and subsequent deflation of that hope. At the morning session of the Foreign Ministers,2 we were able fairly quickly to get agreement that the topics to be discussed by the Heads of Government would be those we desired and in the order we desired; namely, reunification of Germany, European security, disarmament and improved intercourse. We had expected the Soviets to insist on following the reverse order at least as regards the first three points.
However, at the afternoon meeting of the Heads of Government,3 the Soviets showed no “give” in their initial position that it would be necessary to work out the European security system which would replace NATO, Brussels and Warsaw before it would be possible to consider the unification of Germany and that in the meantime the two Germanys would participate in the respective East and West security systems.
I had a private talk with Molotov at the buffet following the formal conference4 at which he indicated that the Soviets were not disposed to remit the problem of German unification within a framework of European security to a future meeting of Foreign Ministers. My present guess is that they want this conference to be a “success” from social standpoint but a total “failure” as regards Germany unification, so that Adenauer will go to Moscow knowing that his only hope is such hope as the Soviets may give him and that the Western powers cannot help him.
[Page 404]I believe all three Western Powers are in agreement to try thwart this maneuver and we are now trying to get the agreement of the Three Powers on a proposed directive for presentation to the Soviets.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1–GE/7–2055. Secret.↩
- See Document 193.↩
- See Document 197.↩
- See Document 198.↩