850.33/2–651: Telegram
The Liaison and Political Reports Division to the Office of the United States High Commissioner for Germany, at Frankfurt1
605. From Liaison Bonn. Brentano states and Muehlenfeld confirms that at conference of Cabinet and coalition party leaders, Schuman draft letter to Adenauer on elimination of IAR and PLI for steel2 had been rejected. Muehlenfeld said that it had been understood [Page 91] a firm commitment from French to support complete elimination of IAR and PLI for steel would be forthcoming after signature of plan and prior to ratification, but that current draft letter of Schuman to Adenauer foresaw only partial elimination of IAR and PLI for steel.
Brentano maintained that unless assurances were perfectly clear on this point it would be impossible to obtain ratification of Schuman plan in Bundestag. Since Germans have come to believe IAR and PLI on steel would go with signature of plan, Liaison Bonn is inclined to agree with Brentano that ratification would be difficult if assurances contained substantial reservations. Brentano confirmed Liaison Bonn’s previous view that Hallstein has authority to initial but with proviso that satisfactory draft of Schuman letter is agreed. [Liaison Bonn.]
- Repeated to Paris, London, and the Department of State, which is the source text. McCloy’s signature was used in all telegrams from both Bonn and Frankfurt.↩
- The text of Schuman’s letter to Adenauer was cabled to the Department of State in telegram 4625, from Paris, February 5. (850.33/2–551) For further documentation on the termination of the Allied Prohibited and Limited Industries Agreement (PLI), see vol. iii, Part 2, pp. 1344 ff.↩