Editorial Note

At his press conference on January 18, Secretary Acheson made the following statement on the Saar:

“We have taken the position under three Secretaries of State—Mr. Byrnes, Mr. Marshall, and myself—with the approval of the President in each case that the United States supports and will support the French position which is that the Saar should be detached from Germany and that it should be financially and economically integrated with France. The political future of the Saar is a matter which should be determined by the peace treaty which concludes the war with Germany. The American view on that has been that we would again support the French view which is that the Saar should have a certain degree of autonomy, and under that position, we have in the past supported the various actions which the French Government has taken. We all agree that the Saar should not be under the High Commission and that it is to be administered by the French Commissioner to the Saar. The French customs has included the Saar and it has been dealt with financially as part of the French financial system. The railways are operated in conjunction with French railways, and economically and financially, the Saar has been more or less integrated with the French financial system and the French economy. Now, so far as any particular moves such as leasing the mines are concerned, that is a matter which, whatever is done about it, would not prejudice questions which would await a peace settlement. In our view, of course, it would be very wise for the French, whatever action they take, not to take any action which would make difficult the relations between France and Germany or the [Page 930] general integration of western Europe. I think our attitude toward the Germans would be that they must not take positions which rest upon the German view that they have no responsibility for the war, or that no consequences flow from the war. A great many do, of course.”

McCloy reported the reaction of various leading Federal officials to this statement which indicated that West Germans generally and members of the SPD in particular would have no part in the Council of Europe. Telegrams 8 and unnumbered, January 20, from Bonn, neither printed. (762A.022/1–2050)