304. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State1
Dulte 23. Eyes only for Acting Secretary from Secretary for President.
“Dear Mr. President:
We had yesterday first round of substantive discussion on German reunification and European security. The three Western Ministers each made effective presentations. Molotov merely put in the proposal for all European security which Bulganin had put in when you were here and which in turn was a close replica of the proposal made at earlier Berlin conference. Their proposal wholly ignored the problem of German unification but contemplated that the two Germanies should be party to the European security treaty and that this relationship would continue for an indefinite period of time. Molotov did however say that he might subsequently make a proposal on German reunification.
The initial Soviet position was thus precisely what we had confronted at Geneva last July and there was a tendency to ignore our hard-won gains in having the directive provide that German unification and European security were closely linked problems.
This is not surprising and not necessarily discouraging because if there is any ‘give’ at all in the Soviet position on German unity it would not be expected to be divulged until the last moment.
We shall keep plugging ahead along present plans and hope at the end to get a break.
I expect to see Molotov on Sunday to discuss Near Eastern matters in accordance with your message to Bulganin2 that I would do so.
[Page 645]Faithfully yours,
Foster”
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1–GE/10–2955. Secret. Received in Washington at 9:06 a.m., October 29, and relayed to the Denver White House at 3:53 p.m.↩
- On October 20, Bulganin wrote to President Eisenhower concerning arms sales to Egypt. The President replied on October 24 that Secretary of State Dulles would take the matter up with Molotov in Geneva. (Ibid., Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, Eisenhower–Bulganin)↩