Office of the Historian

435. Telegram From the Embassy in France to the Department of State1

Paris, July 23, 1960—1 p.m.

363. From Dillon. Law of the Sea. In private meeting with Couve I raised law of the sea problem in accordance U/LS memo July 8.2Couve said this was new idea and France had been thinking of fishery convention to cover Atlantic area so as to solve this particular problem. He said that in North Atlantic Fishery Convention France would be prepared to accept something along lines of Canadian-US proposal. He said France would also wish to have a separate fishery convention for the North Sea and the channel which would allow continuance of the present fishing rights for sole and lobster off coast of England. Couve also said he doubted strategic value of going ahead with treaty since countries in whose waters we would be primarily interested in time of emergency would in all probability not sign up. He fully agreed that situation would get progressively worse as new countries came into being.

I gather from this that France would be prepared to sign treaty embodying Canadian-US proposal but only on consideration that there be a prior and satisfactory agreement with UK regarding North Sea and channel fishing rights. I assume this would also be Belgian position. When I reported this to Amory3 he said he was not prepared to talk with Couve and in any event had no intention of giving away part of North Sea. Gore-Booth4 who arrived later told us he was instructed to follow this matter and we are passing this information on to him and suggesting he follow up with French.

Until progress is made on bilateral Franco-British problem I see no possibility of further progress on treaty.

Houghton
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 399.731/7–2360. Confidential. Repeated to London and Ottawa.↩
  2. Supra.↩
  3. Derick H. Amory, British Chancellor of the Exchequer.↩
  4. Paul H. Gore-Booth, British Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.↩