Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Berlin Crisis, 1958–1959, Volume VIII

106. Telegram From the Delegation to the North Atlantic Council Ministerial Meeting to the Department of State⁰

Paris, December 14, 1958, 1 a.m.

Secto 4. Quadripartite working level group met morning and afternoon today, Dec. 13, at FonOff to consider questions of procedure and substance in connection with handling of Soviet note on Berlin. Delegations of France, Germany, UK, US headed respectively by Laloy, Grewe, Rumboldt, Hillenbrand. Ambassadors to Bonn of France, UK, US joined group in afternoon.

Working group attempted to provide answers to questions posed in questionnaire prepared by French along lines of FedRep questionnaire given to three Ambassadors in Bonn last week by Brentano.¹ Group decided that following points should be left for consideration by four FonMins Dec. 14:

1. Should communiqué to be issued after quadripartite FonMin meeting Dec. 14 be substantive or non-committal? Germans are pressing for firm, substantive language in communiqué.

2. Can Western replies to Soviet note of Nov. 27 suggest counterproposals or should we refuse to suggest any counter-proposals until Soviets withdraw ultimative character of their note? Grewe indicated Germans preferred latter.

3. Group agreed that, if counter-proposals made, they should not be limited to Berlin directly but should refer to German problem as whole. There was no discussion of substance of possible counter-proposals, however.²

Dulles

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/12–1458. Confidential. Repeated to Berlin, Bonn, and London.
1. The French questionnaire had three parts: 1) procedure in responding to the Soviet note, 2) substance of the response, and 3) substantive questions about Berlin that would not be dealt with in the reply. A copy of the French text of the questionnaire is attached to a memorandum of conversation, dated December 11. (Ibid., 762.00/12–1158) An annotated English translation is ibid., Conference Files: Lot 64 D 560, CF 1174. Regarding the German questionnaire, see Document 88.
2. Following the discussions reported in this telegram Dulles, Bruce, McElroy, Twining, Norstad, Merchant, and other U.S. officials met at the Embassy residence where they “all announced for a firm stand on Berlin.” (Department of State, Bruce Diaries: Lot 64 D 327)