Reference: Our telegram No. 1139 of September 26, 1955.?

Repeat London No. 156; Washington No. 68; Bonn No. 55.

The Council met in restricted session this morning to hear a report from the Three Powers on the New York Foreign Ministers' meeting.

2. A memorandum was distributed to the permanent representatives with the request that it be returned after the Council meeting. The United States and French representatives explained that this procedure was necessary in order to ensure the strictest secrecy. In my immediately following telegram, I shall, therefore, send a summary which, under the circumstances had to be prepared very quickly, of the Three Powers' memorandum.

3. During the short discussion which took place, both Dutch and Belgian representatives raised the question of membership to the proposed security pact. The Dutch representative wished to have reassurances to the effect that no decision had yet been reached on Western European membership. He was mainly concerned with press reports which seemed to take for granted that the parties to the proposed security pact would be all NATO countries on the Western side and the Soviet Union and her European satellites on the other. Both Parodi and Perkins said that the question of membership was a highly delicate one and that no firm decision had been taken by the Three Powers. It was obvious that no decision could be reached on this point without consultation with the interested countries. The Norwegian representative interjected that any decision to participate in the proposed security pact would, of course, have wide military implications and he felt that consultations would be essential. The Dutch representative wished to stress his own understanding that not only had the Three Powers not yet reached any firm decision as to membership, but that no decision had been taken regarding the suggestions that might be put forward by the Western Powers in Geneva on this point. Mr. Parodi said that his personal understanding was that no such suggestions would be put forward in Geneva without the matter having been thoroughly discussed between the interested countries.

4. The Belgian representative asked whether the proposed agenda for the Geneva meeting was absolutely firm. He had read press reports, for instance, that Molotov had expressed his intention to introduce new items, which were not covered by the directives received by the Foreign Ministers in Geneva. Mr. Perkins was not in a position to elaborate on this point although he said that it is conceivable that once the agreed-upon agenda had been covered, there might be an opportunity for the Soviets to raise additional points if they so desire.

5. The German representative was asked by his Norwegian colleague whether he had any comments to make on the paper presented by the Three Powers. Mr. Blankenhorn, in reply, said that he had received very scant information from New York on the results of the Foreign Ministers' talks and that he was not prepared, at this stage, to add to what was contained in the Three Powers paper. He explained, however, the meaning of the word "reunification" as applied to Germany. He said that the word "reunification" as used in the memorandum of the Three Powers, relates to the reunification of East and West Germany but leaves entirely open the question of the German territories that have been annexed either by Poland or by Soviet Russia.

6. The question of the procedure of consultation during the Foreign Ministers' Conference in Geneva was briefly mentioned and it was agreed that there should be periodical reports to the North Atlantic Council during the Conference on the occasion of the weekly meeting of the Council, plus whatever special meetings that might have to be called according to developments.

7. It was agreed that a press release on today's consultation in Council would be issued. The text of this press release reads as follows: "The North Atlantic Council met today. They were informed of the results of meetings, in preparation for the Geneva Conference, held in New York between the Foreign Ministers of France, the United Kingdom and the United States on 27th September and between these three ministers and the Foreign Minister of the German Federal Republic on 28th September. Consultations between the Three Powers concerned and their NATO partners will continue."

8. The Council will meet again on Wednesday, October 5th, at which time the Permanent Representatives will have the opportunity of making additional observations on the paper submitted by the Three Powers.⁸⁹