840.50 Recovery/12–2349: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in France
4927. Secrep 13.1 We agree on importance of approach to Van Zeeland and Spaak as outlined Repto 8120.2 We are concerned over possibility that Consultative Group working paper may not represent acceptable basis for Spaak or any other strong European personality to consider taking position. What is meaning fol language in working paper “He must not hold any polit office, either in his own country or in any internatl org, by virtue of a legal undertaking, contractual or otherwise”. Wld this require Spaak to resign his position as member Belgian Parliament or as President the Assembly of Council of Europe? We wld be interested in your thoughts as to next steps if proposal as drafted is unacceptable to Spaak. Will there by any possibility getting support for revised and more acceptable draft by next mtg in mid January?
- Repeated to Brussels as 1499 and to London as 4587.↩
- Not found in Department of State files; however, in Repto 501 to Brussels, December 22, not printed, Katz had asked Murphy to convey to Van Zeeland and Spaak the disappointment of the United States at the outcome of the meeting of the Consultative Group on December 20. Katz also stated that OSR had reason to believe that Cripps had written three letters to Spaak that were calculated to “sabotage” Van Zeeland’s original proposal. Murphy was asked to express his surprise at the British attitude, with the hope of developing something that “might be useful to us.” (London Embassy Files, Lot 58F47, 500 Marshall Plan).↩