Editorial Note

At the end of April and the beginning of May, the Foreign Ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France and their deputies met in London to discuss the world situation and problems of mutual concern. With regard to Germany, a series of bipartite and tripartite committees and subcommittees were established which reported to the Foreign Ministers. Based on these reports the Foreign Ministers issued a joint declaration on Germany on May 13, which embodied the following four points as the lines of their future policy: 1) an expression of confidence in the progress of the Federal Republic under the influence of the High Commissioners, 2) reaffirmation that Germany should reenter “the community of free peoples of Europe,” [Page 638] based on the degree of cooperation displayed by the Federal Republic, 3) agreement to set up in London a tripartite study group to review the occupation statute, and 4) a reaffirmation of their intention to allow Germany to develop freely. At the same time the Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their intention to work for the unification of Germany and, endorsing the resolution of the Federal Republic, invited “free all-German elections for a national assembly empowered to frame an all-German constitution.” For the texts of the joint declaration and the statement on unification, see MIN/TRI/P/13 Final, May 22, 1950, volume III, page 1089; or the Department of State Bulletin, May 22, 1950, page 787, and June 5, 1950, page 885.