Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Austrian State Treaty; Summit and Foreign Ministers Meetings, 1955, Volume V

91. Telegram From the Embassy in France to the Department of State ¹

Paris , April 14, 1955—2 p.m.

4449. Faure asked me to come and see him at noon today and when I arrived I found Massigli in his office representing Pinay, who is absent from Paris. Faure handed me a note answering the aide-mémoire which I left with Massigli on April 8,² and setting up a timetable for deposit of ratifications and meetings regarding four power conference with Soviets. Original text follows in separate telegram.³

In note French Government renews pledge to carry out Paris Accords and after citing problems regarding deposit of ratification proposes following time schedule.

1. Meeting as soon as possible, in any event during month of April, of expert working group.

2. Deposit of instruments of ratification on May 7.

3. Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Paris on May 11 in the afternoon after the conclusion of the NATO meeting that day.

Faure then told me he was handling this matter personally in order to emphasize its importance, and the importance which France attached to making progress on the preparations for a four power conference. He said that it would be impossible to deposit the instruments of ratification prior to the date proposed, because it would take that long to assure completion and settlement of the Roechling problem in the Saar. He said he hoped that in view of France’s willingness to set a date for deposit of instruments of ratification, we would now be agreeable to proceeding with the working group. He said if this was not agreeable it would cause real embarrassment to him at the congress of the Radical-Socialist Party which has now been officially set for May 4. If France deposited the instruments of ratification on May 7, without any prior meeting of a working group, Faure said it would also probably mean he would have to answer interpellations on the subject in Parliament. He said he did not fear such interpellations but that he much preferred not to have this subject reopened on the floor of the National Assembly.

I told Faure that I would transmit his message immediately to Washington and would hope for an early reply.

Massigli then mentioned the British aide-mémoire which had been received yesterday,⁴ and said that the date which had been suggested in that aide-mémoire for deposit of ratifications, namely April 25, was absolutely out of the question. Faure was receiving the British Minister immediately after me to give him the same, or a similar, note.⁵

Comment: I am certain that insistence by the U.S. on deposit of ratification instruments prior to a meeting of the working group will have no effect in speeding up the date for deposit of ratifications. It will merely cause ill will here and will cause some embarrassment to Faure personally, although I do not believe that this will be serious. I believe it might be possible to move up the date of deposit of ratifications by a few days, but I imagine that Faure would much prefer the 7th in order not to have the deposit take place immediately before or during the congress of the Radical-Socialist Party. For these reasons and reasons I have previously outlined, I hope the Dept can find some basis for allowing the working group to meet toward the end of April, prior to actual deposit of the instruments of ratification.

Dillon

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 740.5/4–1455. Secret; Niact. Repeated to Bonn and London.
2. See footnote 7, supra .
3. Telegram 4454 from Paris, April 15. (Department of State, Central Files, 740.5/4–1455) For text, see Documents Diplomatiques Français, 1955, Tome 1, pp. 444–446.
4. On April 13, Dillon reported that the British Minister had delivered an aide-mémoire to the Foreign Ministry concerning the timetable for the working group and deposit of ratifications. (Telegram 4432 from Paris; Department of State, Central Files, 396.1/4–1355)
5. In telegram 4450, May 14, Dillon reported that Faure took a much firmer line with the British Minister, stressing that he would not deposit the French instruments of ratification until the working group met. (Ibid., 740.5/4–1455)