740.5/3–2752: Telegram
No. 25
The United States Deputy Representative
on the North Atlantic Council (Spofford) to the Department of State1
niact
Depto 1124. Pass Harriman, Lincoln Gordon, Kenney. Limit distribution. I have been following the exchange of cables on the OEEC prob from the standpoint of its effect on the org of the NATO internatl staff. I think the line taken by the original Wash instruction (Todep 560, rptd Paris 47232) was sensible and raised no probs.
One of the difficulties of the present situation lies in trying to generalize on what can only be settled by somewhat detailed distribution of a number of interrelated econ functions. As gen propositions, however, I shld think that everyone wld agree that OEEC shld be commissioned to perform econ staff work to the maximum. This wld be particularly important in the case of the annual capabilities review, where OEEC wld contribute (a) by assuming certain tasks on a “farm out” basis, and (b) by lending key personnel to [Page 49] assist during the heavy period, as was done last fall. The direction of the TCC exercise must obviously, however, be in the SecGen, operating through an asst SecGen of high stature and competence in the field, who wld have a small but expert staff to asst in directing the capabilities review and in the miscellaneous grouping of other econ probs of a non-TCC character which will have to be dealt with in the NATO framework. My suggestion wld be that the asst SecGen for Econ Aff shld be someone with full OEEC background, for example, Hirschfeld, or Snoy, who will be equipped and inclined to see that the econ activities of the two orgs are closely correlated and that NATO duplicates no function which can under circumstances of each case be performed by OEEC. Drawing this line will not be easy, but in the hands of the right people and in an atmosphere of a calm shld be perfectly feasible. I do not see how there cld be serious opposition to such a course from the Brit.
The prob I see in the more extreme approach of some of the recent cables is that in an effort to serve OEEC we will repeat the experience of last spring, when the same consideration dominated in the Feb planning, and that the SecGen will be caught between an ineffective NATO econ agency and the inherent impossibility of OEEC operating as a branch of NATO. This should be avoided at all costs.
I hope that the discussion at the OEEC council mtg will not prejudice a solution along the lines above mentioned.
- Repeated to Paris for Draper and Porter.↩
- Document 3.↩