Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Western European Integration and Security, Canada, Volume VII, Part 1

216. Telegram From the Mission at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Regional Organizations to the Department of State⁰

Paris, July 17, 1959, 5 p.m.¹

Polto 135. Geneva for Merchant.² Reference: Polto 132 and 133.³ Spaak gave me this morning a more complete rundown of his conversations with De Gaulle.⁴

After Spaak had indicated his desire to explore questions relating to present French blockages of NATO operations, De Gaulle indicated he was not opposed to NATO and did not want to do anything to hurt it. He felt it had a useful function to perform within its area.

He said he was troubled by three things about NATO: Its relation to their pressing African problem; the problem of atomic capability and operations; and integration.

With respect to last point, integration, he said he did not think it represented a realistic and desirable program but he was in favor of cooperation. This was not discussed at any length. Though Spaak indicated that he thought this was partly a question of words.

With respect to Africa, De Gaulle said this was a central problem for them upon which they needed the help of other countries. He did not see how NATO as such could help them effectively.

Atomic questions then became major topic of conversation. The General recognized that with respect to secrets there were legal limitations which he deplored but understood. He laid special emphasis on the desire for assuring adequate consultation before the initiation of atomic war. In reply to Spaak’s questioning as to the mechanism for carrying this out, [2-1/2 lines of source text not declassified]. He put forward no clearcut ideas as to the mechanism which might be used for this purpose.

Spaak reviewed with him some of the ideas in his memo (Polto 133) and left the memo with De Gaulle, asking him to review it and indicated what things he thought were sound and what he did not. He hopes this will lead to further conversations.

I commented the conversation opened interesting channels. [3 lines of source text not declassified] Before leaving I handed him a full copy of the text of Secretary Herter’s statement yesterday at Geneva so that he would be sure to read it.⁵

Burgess

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 740.5/7–1859. Secret; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Geneva.
1. The date on the source text, July 18, is incorrect, since the telegram was received in the Department of State on July 18 at 9:03 a.m., or, even with the time difference between Paris and Washington, before it could have been transmitted. The telegram is also numbered in sequence with other Poltos for July 17, not July 18. See also footnote 3 below.
2. Merchant was in Geneva as a member of the Delegation to the Foreign Ministers Meeting May 11-August 5.
3. Polto 132 from Paris, July 16, transmitted Spaak’s oral report to Burgess of his conversation with De Gaulle that afternoon, at which Spaak left his memorandum on relations between France and NATO. (Department of State, Central Files, 740.5/7–1659) Polto 133 from Paris, July 16, transmitted the text of Spaak’s memorandum. (ibid.) Extracts of this memorandum are printed in Spaak, Memoirs, pp. 320–322.
4. Another account of this conversation is printed ibid., pp. 323–324.
5. There was no meeting of the Foreign Ministers Conference in Geneva on July 17, nor has there been found a record of a statement by Herter on that date. The reference is probably to Herter’s statement on Berlin at the 21st plenary session of the Foreign Ministers Conference in Geneva on July 16.