UNITED STATES DELEGATION TO THE SEVENTH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
October 30, 1952
SUBJECT: Review by M. van Zeeland of the European Situation
PARTICIPANTS: Foreign Minister van Zeeland, Belgian Delegation
The Secretary of State Homer M. Byington, Jr.
COPIES TO: U.S. Del 7th GA Mr. Ross Mr. Popper Mr. Taylor Secretary General Reference
Department Distribution to be determined by S/S.
Minister van Zeeland said that he wished to go over with the Secretary recent developments in Europe and bring to the Secretary's attention certain thoughts which he had developed during the past few months.
First, he wished to express his growing concern that the situation in Europe was deteriorating. He felt that the Western European Governments were tending to get too far out in front of their public opinion. It was all very well to be a little in front of their public opinion, but if they got too far in front it could lead to disaster. In working toward a European Community, the Western European Governments were going too fast and might find themselves in a serious predicament. He mentioned specifically his own problem with reference to ratification by the Belgian parliament of the European Defense Community agreement. He said that if he were to urge ratification before the French had already ratified EDC, he would run a risk of being defeated. Certainly, it was preferable in the interest of successfully creating the EDC that there should be no such development as failure of the Belgian parliament to ratify. Such a risk must be avoided. Therefore, it was most important that the Belgian parliament should not be requested to ratify until after the French parliament had taken action. He felt reasonably confident that once the French had ratified he would be successful, but he was sure the Secretary would not want him to
expose the EDC to the risk of Belgian rejection by presenting it prematurely to his parliament. The Secretary said that Mr. Bach had talked with him about this problem last week. He appreciated Minister van Zeeland's position and would give it serious thought. He would certainly not want to see ratification
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of the EDC exposed to serious risk, on the other hand, he had hoped that its consideration by the French might be helped by prior ratification on the part of the other signatories. M. van Zeeland said that he thought the Netherlands would be able to take action before the French because their problem was not nearly as difficult as his. In the case of Belgium, the Government had a very, very slender majority and the defection of a very few individuals would defeat the issue.
M. van Zeeland mentioned the recent tendency in public opinion in Europe to seize upon the Stalin pronouncement as a sign that the general situation had become less acute. At the same time he was concerned that European public opinion had become less favorable toward the United States. He said that a small group of Europeans had discussed this matter and had prepared a memorandum which they would send the Secretary. He also hoped that possibly a small group of American citizens might give this question their attention and might make suggestions for the Europeans to consider. He was convinced that we must all stress the North Atlantic Community concept rather than the EDC as the basis of both U.S. and European policy.
Referring to the economic situation in Europe, the Foreign Minister emphasized the problem of the dollar gap around which revolved a major portion of Europe's economic ills. He said that he fully realized this problem could not be resolved merely by additional economic aid from the United States. It would not be good for Europe in an economic sense or in a psychic sense. In a very small way Belgium understood our side of the problem because Belgium itself is a creditor nation. What was needed now was for the creditors and debtors to get together and work out a solution. This could only be achieved at the very highest level and he hoped that a conference could be arranged between the United States and the Western European countries to consider the European economic situation which has been steadily deteriorating both in terms of stability, as well as a slackening off of production, and an increase in individual tariff measures such as those taken by the British and French. The Secretary said he would like to give further thought to this suggestion. He pointed out we now had observers at the diverse European international economic organizations, but agreed that these observers could not speak with the authority of principals.
The Foreign Minister then discussed the development of what he termed the European building and described the Schuman Plan, the EDC Community, and the OEEC, as essential floors to the building topped by the North Atlantic Community. He believed that the original Five-Power Brussels Agreement was an important element in the development of European unity, particularly since it included England. The military provisions of that agreement were now incorporated in the NATO but the political and cultural arrangements were being kept going and should be nurtured among the five nations. He expressed his pleasure that Mr. Eden had presided at the OEEC and the interest the British now showed in the OEEC as contrasted with their attitude last year. Leading from this he developed the theory that the Six- Power Agreement on
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the European Defense Community must necessarily lead to the inclusion of Great Britain and other European states or else it would not be effective. The reason for this was that the basic elements of balance could not exist among the six countries. The German recovery was proceeding at such a rapid pace that the strength of Germany, together with Italian manpower, would soon be stronger than France and the Benelux countries. Recently, the Benelux and France had been given some concern by the Italian talks with Germany and they were worried. The Secretary inquired whether M. van Zeeland had specifically in mind the necessity of the inclusion of principally Great Britain or whether he was thinking of a number of other countries such as the Scandinavian countries. M. van Zeeland replied that he had in mind principally the U.K. but if there were British participation it would be a certainty that other Western European democracies would join also. The Secretary asked whether in M. van Zeeland's opinion the inclusion of Great Britain would make the French agreeable not to insist on absolute equality of military force with Germany. M. van Zeeland avoided an answer to this question but he discussed at some length his personal conversations with Pinay, whom he regarded as certain to remain in the French scene, and M. Schuman, and said that both had expressed to him their desire that Great Britain should, in the future, join the EDC.
HMByington, Jr.:bw