Office of the Historian

230. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Federal Republic of Germany1

Washington, June 5, 1957—11:56 p.m.

3456. Eyes Only O’Shaughnessy from Secretary. Eyes Only Perkins. FYI only from Secretary. Reference Bonn’s 4710.2 Deliver following message to Chancellor immediately:

My Dear Chancellor: I have your personal message.3 The memorandum which Mr. Stassen gave the Soviet Delegate was unauthorized and unknown to us in Washington. It exceeded his authority and as soon as the President and I learned of it we instructed Mr. Stassen to inform Mr. Zorin that it was not authorized or approved by the President or me and that its return was requested. Mr. Stassen has done this [Page 609] and tells us that he has Mr. Zorin’s agreement to treat the memorandum as non-existent.4

I also immediately instructed our NAC representative not to advocate any measures which you might deem detrimental to German reunification.5

I can assure you that neither the Federal Republic nor the NATO Council are presented with any fait accompli. Their judgment is being sought as to whether or not the first phase of disarmament proposals should include any measures geographically applicable to Europe. If this is not desired by you and other continental members of NATO, we have no slightest desire or intention to propose this.

I regret what has happened but believe we have acted firmly and promptly to correct situation.6

Faithfully yours, Foster Dulles.

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.62A/6–557. Secret; Niact. Drafted by Dulles and repeated to Paris.↩
  2. Supra.↩
  3. Transmitted in telegram 4710, Supra.↩
  4. The memorandum of conversation is not printed. (Department of State, Central Files, 600.0012/6–557)↩
  5. Telegram 4868, June 4; see footnote 3, Document 228.↩
  6. President Eisenhower also sent assurances to Adenauer. In response to a commercial telegram from Adenauer, May 30, not found in the Eisenhower Library or Department of State files, thanking him for his reception in Washington, Eisenhower replied to Adenauer on June 6 in telegram 3470 to Bonn, June 7, which reads in part: “Permit me to take this opportunity of repeating my assurance given to you in Washington that it is our purpose not to make to other countries governmental proposals involving Germany on which we have not first consulted your government. We shall seek better assurances of coordination, which will avoid the risk of unintentional lapses.” (Department of State, Central Files, 611.62A/6–757) A note from Fisher Howe to Murphy, Reinhardt, Bowie, and Elbrick, June 7, indicates that Secretary Dulles approved the quoted paragraph. (Ibid.) See also Document 239.↩