43. Message From Foreign Secretary Lloyd to Secretary of State Herter0
Dear Chris: I send you the same sort of confidential account of our talks with the Germans as I sent to you about my visit to Paris.1 It was a [Page 114] fairly satisfactory meeting: the Chancellor’s two preoccupations were disengagement and concessions over Germany and/or Berlin. We went carefully over our position on disengagement, i.e. the United Kingdom Government did not believe in it, but we did favor the idea of geographical areas where there could be inspection and limitation of armaments, for example, the Arctic, or indeed Antarctica where we are near a treaty involving certain restrictions. The only schemes of that nature which we favored in Europe were the 1957 anti-surprise attack proposals2 and the Western peace plan of May 1959,3 with both of which the Germans had agreed.
On Germany and Berlin, we stated that our position was as it was at the end of the Geneva talks last summer. At one state the Chancellor seemed to think that this was going too far but he was altogether very confused about Berlin. At one time he seemed to want it as a separate item for the Summit, but Brentano was very helpful in keeping him straight.
There was some plain speaking about this constant distrust suspicion and unpleasant remarks and innuendos about the Prime Minister. Harold was pretty tough with him, and Adenauer’s entourage said that it was a good thing. I have the feeling that no one in Germany speaks out to him any longer.
On our side, we said that we welcomed the Six coming closer together in everything, but we stressed the danger if the Six became an exclusive organization, politically or economically. If that happens, there will be a split in N.A.T.O., and the W.E.U. treaties cannot survive. Adenauer professed to accept this, and his press conference was good on this point. The Chancellor had no suggestion to make about disarmament. On the date and preparations for the Summit his views seemed to coincide with yours and mine.
The public and the press behaved well, and I think the visit can be judged to have been as successful as we could reasonably expect.4
With warm personal regards,
- Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204. Secret. Transmitted to Herter under cover of a brief note from Caccia, November 23.↩
- Document 42. Adenauer visited London November 17–19.↩
- The proposal was made by Secretary Dulles to the U.N. Disarmament Subcommittee on August 2, 1957; see Documents on Disarmament, 1945–1959, vol. II, pp. 839–845.↩
- For text of the Western Peace Plan, May 14, see Documents on Germany, 1944–1985, pp. 624–629.↩
- Additional details on Adenauer’s visit to London were provided in telegrams 2671 and 2683 from London, November 20 (Department of State, Central Files, 033.62A41/11–2059), and telegrams 2691 from London and 989 from Bonn, November 21 (ibid., 033.62A41/11–2159).↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩