740.5/9–1951: Telegram
The United States Delegation at the Seventh Session of the North Atlantic Council to the Acting Secretary of State 1
Secto 20. Dept pass Paris, London. Secy, Schuman and Morrison met with De Gasperi for an hour and outlined to him the procedure agreed between the three with a view to revising the Italian peace treaty.2 De Gasperi expressed his deep appreciation for our initiative and expressed full agreement with the procedure. As to details he could not comment until texts had been studied and particularly proposed Italian note. Contents of declaration given to Italians as draft. De Gasperi particularly concerned by reservation re “without prejudice to rights of third parties”. Thought it too loose and feared result might be to leave Italy alone in regard to USSR.
Secy explained that we were not only providing for “unfriendly states,” but also for other friendly signatory powers for whom Big Three not entitled to speak.
In course discussion Schuman stressed that French had particularly in mind rights of French nationals under peace treaty and public reaction in France if these waived by govt. De Gasperi said Italy of course did not wish to denounce principle of reparations, but had to draw line somewhere. Schuman reassured him by saying French Govt had already taken steps establish Oct first as deadline by which French nationals had to register their claims for Italian reparations.
Re timing, it was explained to De Gasperi that we would be ready release declaration immediately upon agreement Italian note to follow. Hoped this would be possible while De Gasperi Washington.3 [Page 673] It was decided drafting work on declaration and note would be done in Washington between Dept and Emb reps.4
Aside from substantive points “as far as concerns itself” in fifth para unclear as possibly referring to Italian Govt instead of three govts. Please draft alternate language.
- Repeated to Paris, Rome, and London.↩
- Regarding the course of action adopted by the three Foreign Ministers during their meeting of September 13, see the memorandum of conversation by Byington, Document 305. Immediately following the Washington Foreign Ministers meetings, representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France began a concentrated effort of drafting and revising a tripartite declaration on the revision of the Treaty of Peace with Italy. Using a British draft as the basis for negotiations, these representatives agreed to a text after a series of meetings in Washington. The proposed text was sent to Ottawa in telegram Tosec 11, September 18, for consideration by the Foreign Ministers who were there to attend the Seventh Session of the North Atlantic Council which met from September 15 to 20. The memoranda of the conversations concerned with drafting the declaration are in file 665.001.↩
- Regarding De Gasperi’s visit to Washington, September 24–27, see Document 309.↩
- Representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy held a series of meetings, September 21–24, in Washington in order to reach an agreement on the wording of a tripartite declaration. Documentation on these meetings is in file 665.001.↩