Editorial Note
On October 23, 1954, the Soviet Government replied to the United States note of September 10 regarding the impossibility of convening an all-European security conference (see editorial note, page 521). The Soviet note reiterated earlier Soviet proposals for the eventual conference on European security to be preceded by a four-power preparatory conference and recalled the salient provisions of a draft all-European collective security treaty. It then asserted that “No state which is actually striving for the strengthening of peace in Europe can have an unfavorable attitude toward cooperation with other European States in the creation of an effective system of all-European security”. It condemned the United States for again coming to the defense “of the North Atlantic military bloc, which is alleged to have defensive purposes, although numerous facts bear witness to the aggressive character of this grouping in its present form”. The note then stated the willingness of the Soviet Government to help sponsor all-German elections and condemned the agreements reached at London and Paris that incorporated Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany into the Brussels Treaty Organization, provided for the admission of the Federal Republic to NATO, and provided for restoration of sovereignty to the Federal Republic. “The London decisions foresee the inclusion of a remilitarized West Germany in the military grouping of the West European States, set off against other European States,” The note charged that the London decisions thus reversed prior obligations assumed by the Soviet Union, United States, United Kingdom, and France to jointly prevent the restoration of German militarism. In conclusion, the Soviet note again proposed for the consideration of the Governments of the United States, United Kingdom, and France the convocation “this November” of a four-power conference to consider reestablishment of German unity through “free all-German elections”, the withdrawal of all occupation forces from both East and West Germany, and the convocation of an all-European security conference.
The Soviet note is printed in the Department of State Bulletin, December 13, 1954, pages 902–905.