DEPARTMENT OF STATE Memorandum of Conversation
Date: April 1, 1949 Subject: Mr. Joseph Bech, Foreign Minister of Luxembourg
Participants: The Secretary of State Mr. Bech Mr. Gallais, Minister of Luxembourg EUR - Mr. Hickerson WE - Mr. Galloway
Copies to: U, C, H, G, S/P, EUR, GA
Mr. Joseph Bech, Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, called today. He said that he wished to report the fact that the Chief of the Polish Military Mission in Berlin had, some time ago, called on the Luxembourg representative in Berlin and suggested that the Soviet Government in reality wished to conduct conversations with the United States, Great Britain, and France with a view toward reconciling differences existing between the Soviet Union and the Western powers. Mr. Bech was convinced that this was an approach by the Soviet Government through the Poles for a rapprochement with the West. He had heard that the same approach had been made to representatives in Berlin of Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The substance of the Poles' comments had been outlined briefly to the other governments, but the Polish representative had spent an hour-and-a- half with the Luxembourg representative.
The Luxembourg representative had stated that in his opinion such conversations would not be feasible until the Soviet Union had made known the concessions it was willing to make, that is, a different attitude in the United Nations, relaxation of the blockade of Berlin, and acceptance of the fact that nothing could be initiated until after the Atlantic Pact had come into force. The Polish Representative replied that the Soviet Union was cognizant of these conditions and thought that they would be acceptable. Mr. Bech thought that this episode was past history, but said he had wanted to bring it to my attention.
I said that I had heard briefly of this approach but that I appreciated the information he had reported.
Mr. Bech then addressed himself to the question of Germany. He was worried and somewhat alarmed by the fact that there seemed to be on the part of the German people a growing insolence toward the Western powers and toward the East. It seemed that the Germans had convinced themselves, not without some foundation, that the Soviet Union was desirous of doing anything it could to gain their allegiance and that the Western powers likewise were desirous of gaining wholehearted support in Germany. The result, corroborated by many of his own citizens who had traveled in Germany, was that the German people had developed an extremely insolent and demanding attitude.
I stated that Mr. Kennan, who had just returned from a trip to Germany, had noticed this sentiment and was quite alarmed by the attitude of the Germans.
Mr. Bech doubted that there was danger of revolution in Germany. He thought that the Germans were courageous only when in uniform but cowards as citizens. He thought that as long as there was "visible occupation" in Germany with continued American participation, there was no real danger of German resurgence. On the other hand, he expressed the belief that his country as well as the rest of Europe needed German industrial rehabilitation. His idea was that the Western European nations would be benefited by a reintegration of the German economy, producing for the benefit of Western Europe, but he thought that the German Government should be decentralized.
I observed that such an arrangement seemed to be almost impossible in the modern world. The idea of economic integration with political decentralization had proved impractical. I cited the United States as an example and observed that this Government had been founded on the principle of decentralization of political authority, but noted that with the progress in modern times, economic integration had brought about a greater degree of centralized authority in government.
Mr. Bech drew a historic example from the fact that Luxembourg had existed as a grand duchy for some 75 years, during most of which time it had been in economic union with Germany. He cited the fact that Germany had prospered since about 1865 and that this prosperity had, at the end of the 19th century, brought Germany to the heights of its existence as a nation. During all this time Germany had been a federation without any real centralized authority. Mr. Bech did not exclude the possibility that this concept was outmoded in modern times. Nevertheless, he attached importance to the fact that it had proved to be an efficient form of government.
Mr. Bech evidently saw real danger in the possibility of Germany joining as a unit in the Council of Europe. He thought that if Germany were included as an entity it would exert a magnetic power which would attract all the other nations of Western Europe. France, being weak, would be drawn to Germany and the others would follow suit. The Western world would be confronted with somewhat the same situation as in the early 19th century.
I stated that as a result of Mr. Kennan's trip to Germany we had been trying to think of something that could be done in order to solve the German problem. I asked if Mr. Bech agreed with the concept that the Germans themselves should be given more responsibility as to administration and conduct of internal affairs, but that occupation controls should be relaxed to the extent that there was obtained, as Mr. Bech had described it, "visible occupation." Mr. Bech stated that he was entirely in agreement.
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