Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

and OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE DECLASSIFIED, WASHINGTON E.O. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 12065, Sec. 3-402 May 7, 1952 State Dept. DEB NLT, Date 7-26-85 SEGRET SECURITY INF ORMATION By SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS SOVIET NOTE The tripartite working group on the reply to the Soviet note on Germany has submitted from London a new tentative draft text. M. Crouy-Chanel, the French member of the group, reported yesterday that he had spent several hours the previous day with Foreign Minister Schuman analyzing the problems involved in the reply. Schuman considers that the growing difficulties in Germany, may, unless checked, be the beginning of success for the Soviet move. The greatest danger is that the Germans may be tempted to seek unity at all costs. Schuman thinks the Western reply must preserve the possibility of man- euver against the contingency that the Germans may be further seduced by this hope. The Western reply must not encourage it. It would, there- fore, be a mistake for the reply to concentrate too much on free, all- German elections. The Soviets might well be ready to concede much or most of what we would demand. But if elections were held and an all- - German Government set up, and meanwhile four-power control were maintained, the Soviets would be in a position to feed out concessions bit by bit, thus maintaining themselves for years in a strong bargaining position. M. Schuman feels that in order to prevent this situation the Western reply must be directed toward bringing out the fact that it is the Soviets! purpose to keep Germany under the closest four-power control possible, and to show the Germans that their interests require not only free elections and a united Germany but free elections for a free Germany. The new draft differs from the earlier US draft which would have accepted a meeting of the four High Commissioners for Germany to study the possibilities for free elections; the new draft repeats our preference for using the UN Commission for this purpose, but it says that we would be willing to examine any other precise proposals which would permit of a really impartial investigation. It also insists that agreement should be reached, prior to the elections, that the all-German Government formed as a result of these free elections shall enjoy freedom of action during the period before the peace treaty. The latest draft is being studied on a priority basis, but it is now clear that we will not be able to meet our previous deadline for delivery of the note on this weekend. SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION