Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of Great Britain Sir Oliver Franks, and George W. Perkins

SECHLE 364 290 DEPARTMENT OF STATE sls 293-0 Memorandum of Conversation conf DATE: October 25, 1950 SUBJECT: French Proposal regarding European Defense Forces PARTICIPANTS: Six oliver Franks, British Ambsesador The Secretary Nr. George V. Porkins, Assistant Secretary, EUR COPIES TO: s/s d DECLASSIFIED WE 3-4 B.R. or u.s. VOL III 1950 PAGE 404 na GER BYNCT-HC NARS, Date 10-25-79 BNA, s/P 1-1493 I cold Bir that 8.9 yet there was no Government position on the Plevon proposal and therofore what I was about to tell him represented only the preliminary views of the Department. In general, our attitude wan that expressed in the proas Dtatement I had nnde this norning, I tola him I folt Sohuman found himmolf in the position where he could neither accept the UB position nor turn it down. I also thought that if wo atatod that thoir proposal cone tituted acosptance An principle of Germen participation in the European force, the French would have to deny 1t. However, we were considering whother or not, without stating it, to proceed on that banis. Thore is probably not much we could do in the Defense moeting as the governments cortninly voula not be An a position to nocept the French proposal. Ve thought that pertopa our paper on Gorman rearmement might be discussed first and after that ve might ank Kr. Mooh to explain the Prenoh position; then we pould noe if there vore any atepa that coula be taken immediately which would fit into either proposal or come other proporal hhich might be 'NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS 1 SECRET