Office of the Historian

Conference files, lot 59 D 95, CF 96

United States Minutes of the Tripartite Foreign Ministers Meeting at the French Foreign Office, Tuesday, November 6, 1951, 10:30 a.m.1
[Extract]
top secret
[Paris, November 6, 1951.]

Present

  • France
  • Foreign Minister Schuman
  • M. Parodi
  • M. de la Tournelle
  • Ambassador Bonnet
  • Ambassador Massigli
  • Ambassador Chauvel
  • M. Maurice Schumann
  • M. Broustra
  • M. de Bourbon Busset
  • M. Lacoste (for part of the meeting)
  • United Kingdom
  • Foreign Secretary Eden
  • Mr. Lloyd
  • Mr. Dixon
  • Mr. Shuckburgh
  • Mr. Bowker
  • Mr. Jebb
  • Mr. Parrott
  • Ambassador Harvey
[Page 702]
  • United States
  • Secretary of State Acheson
  • Ambassador Bruce
  • Ambassador Gifford
  • Ambassador Jessup
  • Mr. Perkins
  • Mr. Raynor
  • Mr. Knight (for part of the meeting)
  • Mr. Lewis Jones (for part of the meeting)
  • Mr. Wainhouse (for part of the meeting)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rome Meeting

Mr. Acheson said that he had been in touch with Washington on this matter and the opinion in the US Government was strongly in favor of proceeding with the meeting on the 24th as scheduled. He said Secretaries Lovett and Snyder would not be able to come over for a meeting in December and that he himself had to be back in Washington by about December 1. He said all of the Cabinet would need to be there in connection with the preparation of the Budget Message which had to be completed before Christmas. He said he had to be there because of the foreign aid part of the message. He said he understood Mr. Harriman felt that there would be very little difference between a meeting on the 24th and a meeting a week or so later because he felt that the main points which would be set forth in a report would be known by the 24th and could be discussed then. Mr. McCloy generally felt the same way with respect to Germany; that a delay of two weeks would not make any substantial difference. The Secretary indicated that he felt a further meeting would be needed in January for decisions after the Governments had studied the TCC report, and that he hoped also that in January it would be possible to take definitive action with respect to Germany and EDF.

Mr. Eden indicated that this proposal was quite agreeable to him but he wanted to point out that the UK “Wise Man” was not optimistic about much being ready on the TCC by November 24th.

M. Schuman asked if the meeting should not be held in Paris. Mr. Eden seemed attracted to this idea. Mr. Acheson told M. Schuman that he had been deserted by him on this question in Ottawa when the decision had been taken to meet in Rome. The Secretary said he thought it was very important not to injure the sensitivity of the Italians by making a change. Mr. Schuman said he thought that the January meeting would be more attractive to the Italians than the November one. Mr. Acheson said that he thought this matter of location was one that Mr. Pearson as Chairman should work out. This was the way the matter was left.2

  1. In the records of the U.S. Delegation that accompanied the Secretary of State, these minutes were designated as Nov T M–l.↩
  2. Shortly after Spofford was informed that the three Foreign Ministers had agreed on November 24 as the opening date for the Eighth Session of the Council, he advised the Council Deputies of this decision. Although their reaction was one of skepticism initially, they finally agreed to firmly set the date for the 24th (telegrams Depto 575 and Depto 578, November 6, 740.5/11–651 and 740.5/11–751, respectively).↩