imam 1m Special 1 4 h mm 30129583993 ed-mix September 20 1954 WW ll HIDE PM SEPTEMBER 28-29 LONDON Eden- orei Minism mg September The etteohed peper is the unofficial transcript of the meeting of the Benelux foreign Ministers and Eaen held in Brussels on September 11 It was buried to Bushman Beeh who requested tint it be held in strict oonfidenoeo Initial distribution he been restricted to - Hr hon-thu- - Mr Bowie EUR - k lbrebent Dee J Start Gotta s s-uo Ext it- 155 DECLASSIFIED 21 535 AumorityaaLmim DECLASSIFIED TOP SECRET Authority 5C 9 port 011 the meeting ot II Septeml er 1954 at Brua la bet_D Mr Edell Foreign secretary aIICl the three Foreilll Ml ni8tere ot the Benelux Countries 1 Fr ' vprk of the Problem Atter the rejection ot the IOO b7 France it 18 oeces8aJ7 to eumine hov to proceed to meiDtaiD in the Weatero orbit and to have Germe Il1' participete in the deten ot IIrope It ie firet Q- a political problem the queation ot GeI'll8D 8OftZ'e1gntT' This queetion DOt coming UD er the eDoe ot the Benelux Countries vas oDlJ' touched upon the the M1niatere b7 all the Atlantic nations a a Without it the milif ar7 atructure ot llATO risk noUDder1ng GenItIIJI rearmement 18 recognised neceeaitT' o It 1a thus oeoes8arJ1' to find a 8Olutlon to haft Gerazv perticipate in the EUl Opean detense Thi eolutloD lUSt be such thet the GenIia V of todq v1ll find it acceptable But the solution IIII1at at the _ tt prevent the reDa1aaaDCtI ot GeI'blD m1lJ tar1am On the other band over it IIWIt aleo be acceptable tor Frtlnoe that 1a to aq 811cb that France cen DOt legitimately refuse it vithout rialdDc Heing herHlt accused of desiring to have a neutral1at poliqy 1'8- 2 The BrUiPh Propopl a The British GoverDMnt baa taken the 1D1t1atbe of finding enother solution Mr Eden atter haTing en the Bnelax Ml D1atera vill go to e Chancellor Adenauer then M1n1ater Pico1oD1 at R tf n 1 7 he vill et tovards the end ot the _k M Pierre Ntndea-Franoe at Parioo After haTing confronted hi 1deu with tho ot b1a ocllMgues aDd atter the queatloD' vUl have bMzI uam1ned b7 the Ctw _1ler1ea aDd their expert a p-eparatol'T Gont_ _ vill be ed 011 the 8th or 9th The pertio1penta at thl CcDt_ _ vill thea tab the q ation betore IIATO b Great Britain wiahe to lating guarantee with reprd to t brine Cle1'IaI r 1Dto IlTO Qlrazv w u atiPQ- An IOO with aupoanet1ooally re N4 haJ'dlT _ 4ea1ftbl to GNat Britain IIATO would be pertect Q- aD1tabl e -- oNr to attaiD the de ired en4 1'M Brit1ah TOP 81CII'I 216flEl DECLASSIFIED AUlhorily -n q TOP SECRET -2The British Governmellt beliovea that one could gift a Ilev subBtance to the Treat or Bru08els Gerlta T end Ital y would be adm1tted The 7 Power ot tbe Tl eJ ty of Brueaela would plaoe the lfta within tbe tramework of NATO J Advantage ot the B 'itfpb rropoe' The BeDelux Countrlee reoogtdae the edvalltapa ot tbe Britiah propoaal a PIITcbologica1ly the ettect upon public opinion eftn 111 Franoe ebould be excellent the iDit1ati ocm1ng rca Great BritaiD b Great Brit 1I1 witbin the Treat or Brueeels ae a the _ obligatioDa ae ite partners Tbie is what Franoa baa uweye requested 0 For GeJ' llall T aoo Italy the solution aPPM perfectly acceptable d The Treat ot Brue ls exists it would onl J be a atter of expanding it aDd giriDg it e military subate Jloe PoliUoau the situation ot the British GoverDBeDt via-a-ris ita Parliament aeama rather advantageous becaUBe the prinoipla ot suoh a 'l'rMt is alreed accepted e The guaranteea ot the Treat ot Brusaels Artlole IV are more ettlcient etticacloua theD thoae ot NATO 4 lntrindo Difficulties the Britiab SOlutio Faoe a The Treat ot Bru ele Is a treatT ot anhDoe IiI1 i 1daa ot sUpraDat1allalit 18 excluded The Bell81ux CoUDtris regret It hut thll1 are In agreement tor acoepting the eolution Denr abezldoD1Dc the t1nal goal ot a European integratioD M Speak would have Jreterred a vatered-dOVD EDC or perhape a litUe NATO But he aocept the idea at the Treet or BruSseloo The abendollMnt ot the ld ot aupranationalitT muat on the other bend faoUltate the aupport ot l rUloe to the pt'Opoaed aolDtloD b The text ot the Treat or Brueaels oODteiDa ill It preamble aDd ita Artiol VII rete reDO to GerIIIaD7 Which lIIISer pra Dt oiro_ stances are 1rr1tat1l1g It hould be raall ed that the pbruaa ware lcllerted in the Brue 1a Treat to - t U S S R lII uEltlb1l1t1ea 0 JI'roIII the taoh l1cal point of nev there are aq _ 4ittloultles raqu1r1Dg st 1d T Thu DOtabl r the n at tba 'tnatJ' at Brulllleb haft traDlferred their 1I1l1tal7 attribution to MfO o BDt all at th cW't1oult1e' are DOt at a tan to lead to a -eJ ctioD or the British propoaal Tba trM cW't1oul tloo are tOWld ill tba poUttoll lIftl I ' 21667 fOP S CRlf lOP spREr DECI ASSIFIF O Authoril y tq5G q J -3- ' Germer lnoUeQ9 ' Ge1'lllal T ot todq 11 the DC DO 10llier that vith vhlob ba ne tl tecl The I1tuatioD baa nolftd GeI'1llan7 dAlIteZlde it o relent ' _pt From the military polnt or rlev QeraJ1r do DOt iD prinoiplo o that ona iJIpo d l1 -1tatlOD UPOD It Manauer baa daolarad tbat Qe q ' ould er to con at itealt to l1II1taUolI 8Ilt vbat vould be tha ftJ ue or wob o deolANtloD b7 t be etw_llor 01' hla COTOMlIINIt It vould be neo I7 tint tbat tbe Qa Pvu -ut tit ' uoh o d al ration oo t leut that ODa oould arrtw - vtuab v1ll h dltt10ult no 1ill - to tix it OOllwrrtionallT Ad Dlluar ilia to be aillOOI'A I he 1 o o ooDY1Jlaecl rlll OpND But hat vould be tba I1tuatloD iD GaraIV' and vi la1D hi -UtiOD' IJlIlt voald happen the dq VheD Adanalln'v1ll DO loDpr be 1 pewr B tter to proo lld oo aIdDs a 01utioD vith him o Tha Ift t danpr tbat h the rena1 _ of Qenaa III lltarla AdaDlluer b 1uelt h worri d out thi lJI oo 1 tacratecl mopee UIIII1 Gal'Dl D 1d11tarla could ha bew ut1 avtahed It 1 to ba r reeI t hat Qe lI1litariam doea not OI7atalU- U'OIIIId utoocaJaa Garman diYieioD oo I AdAuuer Iwo played th o P'UrOpeu oard Be baa a1cl that i t t be DlrOp an Id 1 C000e nothiDi but tbe idA OUWD zatJ oow a onlT re_ID Pr rrt lT Gal'MD 'OUth 1 1 lta aJorit t the Z uro D idA One an Dot throw the 'Oath buk 1Jrt o nat 1 ltatl0 or end IdlltarhUo ideoloi ' A Gan q ' 11 viDi uublda the m'OpNII a ' t ' pertl pe weald vbh plq the pM ot balanoe betVe D t be lIlA 114 tbe IISS It t heretore an be done vllUe then U atoW ts tbat w dAt1 ltiwl r tix QeraJU' 1n the lIaat en orIIlt 6 lr PC2h lpo 141DO ' Tba great Dipa 11 lID the P'1UOb a2de What cIoe the n-eDOh Parlt deain lupraDaUOJILl aolutioa or vW it up a oo 0 I hat doe P1arra o e I U 0 cnalT bNtUa to o t nab viah' UkPtM tOP I I C l i t 2166B to TO P SECRET -4After the Conference of Brueseb aDd notab Q' after the UM ot it ' Dade betore the French Parliament it is perm18e1ble to doubt hi f iooerit y Pierre ItIndee-France wears a malk So long he does not l et it tall negotiationa are ditncult beoaUH thq are not carried out in an atmosphere of confida_ t o 1s81on It 1e neeaaaal7 to eq without ambisu1t y to the French and abo aU t o Frenoh public opinion that it Prance does not wiab to acoept e rClasoll4ble solution the aolution wW ba _a vitbout her L l Iio one dee1res the isolation ot Prance It vOuld be agonhing f or the Benelux Countriea to 1IILke tin 8 1 1' a eboiea tor Gara and against Fl anea But it is to Fnnea and to ber Ghiat nf Go r nt to cboe If pierre M lndaa-Fnnoe w1llhes the bolation of l'raDoe it he wisbes t o install a neutrallst pollc y he auat CUJ7 all the respon81bWt 7 Pierre Mendes-Fl Inoe h repeatedl r deolared that ha viahas to attaoh to the present question tbe liqu1dation or that vb1ch he calls 11 the Fl anoo-Qerman contentions The Three Benelux MlniBtera art1rlD that the y or these two question oo caD not a_pt the 1nt rdependenea The question ot the SUr baa graat Q' e'ftllftd siDea the reJaoUon ot the EDC The LIIXBmboorpouie Oo'le t i not 111 ap_1It with French plan tor tha canalliation ot the MDMUa 7 Pop sible Q 'T ptHC While adm1tting GermaJI Y into the Bru ela Pact aDd UTO seek guaranteea againat the dalliers ot GerlaD 1IU1tar1 ODe _at Theae guarantees can be toUlld 111 o l1Jd tat1on or the Ger_ ClODtribution in e oontl'Ol ot the a or 0enID torces 111 a oontrol or the produntion ot araa etc ate m- But 0l1li _ t ek t lf' UII1tatloDi 1dI1ch vb1l be1n tul Q' elent vould not appear dberial JlatorT tward aDd wul4 be aeOllptad b7 it o It d081 not iapoI ibla to arriw at o 801ntlca 111 W re gard with ths aaeiataDea ot teoba101aDa CIOIIIIt 1 nC on the _opeu spirit or Adell8l18l' h1a 2 16 9 tOP S l C l l t DECLASSIFIED 6 AuthOrily '01 I This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu