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

9. Telegram From the Embassy in France to the Department of State⁰

Paris, February 18, 1958, 7 p.m.

3847. For Secretary and Chairman Strauss from Butterworth. On basis instructions Deptel 2886 February 10,¹ which cited Presidential approval of January 28 joint Department–AEC proposals for United States–EURATOM program, we have met today with new European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) commission assembled yesterday and today for first time with full membership. In preparation for today’s meeting, I had private talk yesterday with President Armand.

Discussions today went exceedingly well. In view favorable atmosphere and fact commission dispersing end of day, decided advisable take advantage this situation to press ahead with United States ideas.

Results of our discussions amounted to approval in principle by EURATOM commission to embark upon one million KW nuclear power prototype program and to this end establish joint United States–EURATOM working party to examine in detail nature and means of implementation of such program. Working party will thus prepare ad referendum for visit Armand to United States in April so that his visit Washington can be occasion, if all goes well, to approve along with United States officials program to be developed during March by United States–EURATOM experts.

Consensus of EURATOM commission was such that it became opportune to develop communiqué (text in immediately following telegram)² which was in main jointly drafted. After minor changes draft communiqué accepted by full commission with caveat that it would need to be presented to Council of Ministers on February 25. Therefore, while interval would permit United States suggest changes I strongly urge that text be accepted by United States as set forth, particularly as it is inferential commitment on part EURATOM to undertake kind of program we hoped they would endorse.

Due consultative procedure with Council of Ministers foregoing should be held in confidence until after February 25 with release communiqué coordinated with EURATOM commission. Discussion embodied in communiqué assume issuance receipt formal invitation Armand to visit Washington prior release communiqué.³

Vander Weyden and Schaetzel returning over week-end, prepared give full report proceedings. I wish to take this opportunity to say that they were indispensably helpful and deserved the greatest credit in the achievement of the results thus far obtained.

I assume Department will repeat in whole or in part to other community countries as desired.

Houghton

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 840.1901/2–1858. Confidential. Repeated to Luxembourg.
1. In telegram 2886 to Paris, the Department informed the Embassy and USRO of the President’s approval of the joint State-AEC memorandum of January 28 (Document 3) and noted that every effort should be made during a forthcoming visit by Schaetzel and Vander Weyden to Europe to develop a statement of EURATOM program objectives and an estimate of the prospect of U.S.-EURATOM cooperative efforts for use in upcoming Congressional hearings. The Department noted that it was important to give Congress a sense of “European activity” and some idea of the “specifics and potentialities” of U.S.-EURATOM cooperation. (Department of State, Central Files, 840.1901/2–1058)
2. Telegram 3848 from Luxembourg, February 18. (ibid., 840.1901/2–1858)

3. On February 28, the EURATOM Commission issued a communiqué stating that Commission President Armand had accepted Secretary Dulles’ February 24 invitation to visit the United States and that it had been agreed to establish a joint U.S.-EURATOM working group to prepare for this visit. For text of the communiqué, as well as Dulles’ letter of February 24 to Armand, see Department of State Bulletin, March 17, 1958, pp. 425–426.

   Also on February 28, the White House announced the appointment of W. Walton Butterworth as Representative to the European Economic Community and to the European Atomic Energy Community. The announcement said that, since Butterworth would continue to serve as Representative to the European Coal and Steel Community, he would head a combined mission to provide representation to the three European Communities. For text of the White House announcement, see ibid., pp. 445–446.