396.1 LO/10–354
Telegraphic Summary by the United States Delegation 1
Final four-power and nine-power sessions held today with agreement reached all points, final act signed, and general satisfaction over achievements of conference. These include British association and commitment to maintain troops on continent, assurances of US Government’s continued support to extent feasible, agreement on German [Page 1330] membership in NATO with reasonable limitations, workable Brussels pact organization, and program for rapid liquidation of occupation and restoration German sovereignty.
Off-hand impression: (1) That Britain, Benelux and Federal Republic made impressive concessions to French. (2) Mendes-France did not obtain quite as strong a control organism in Brussels pact as he wished, nor able retain as many vestiges of occupation rights or other discriminations against Germany as he might have wished. (3) With agreed plans for Federal Republic membership in NATO, revision of Bonn conventions, and restoration sovereignty, Adenauer has in effect received a larger promissory note but smaller cash payment than he may have expected from conference. Everyone aware of latent opportunities for upsetting program (particularly by Saar issue, difficulties in working out Brussels armament controls on non-discriminatory basis, and possible Soviet moves) in intervening period between now and March 15 which Mendes-France considered realistic date for completion necessary French Parliamentary action. But all hopeful that with so much solid accomplishment to build on, Mendes-France will fully engage his ingenuity in getting program through Assembly.
Papers approved today include (1) final report of four-power working party on termination of occupation.2 This amounts to program for revision of Bonn conventions and interim arrangements re disarmament and demilitarization controls. This will not be made public. (2) Final report by working group on control of armaments,3 which was incorporated in (3) final act of conference.4 Latter includes (I) declaration of intent on Germany, (II) arrangements for Brussels treaty organization and establishment thereunder of agency for control of armaments, (III) text of US, UK, and Canadian assurances, (IV) NATO arrangements, (V) security declaration by Federal Republic and joint tripartite declaration, (VI) instructions on future procedure, with annexed documents.
- Transmitted to the Department of State in telegram Secto 24, Oct. 3, and repeated to Bonn, Rome, Ottawa, Luxembourg, The Hague, Brussels, Berlin, and Paris for USRO, CINCEUR, and Reinhardt. A 24-page verbatim record of this meeting is in the Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 368. The list of principal participants, not provided in the source text, was taken from the verbatim record.↩
- For the text of the Final Report of the Working Party on the Termination of the Occupation, which was circulated as NPC (54) 50 of Oct. 2, see p. 1339. An earlier draft of this report, circulated as document NPC (54) 45, is in the Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 365.↩
- The text of the Second Report by the Working Group on the Control of Armaments, which was circulated as document NPC (54) 51 of Oct. 2, was incorporated into Part II of the Final Act of the Nine-Power Conference, which is printed on p. 1346.↩
- For the text of the Final Act of the Nine-Power Conference, see p. 1345.↩