Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "245256488",
    "label": "Department of State, Report on the Conference on German External Debts, London, February-August 1952",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/245256488"
}

{
    "id": "245256488",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/245256488",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Department of State, Report on the Conference on German External Debts, London, February-August 1952",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/245256488",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "Subject Files"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750288/750288-048-001.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750288/750288-048-001.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750288/750288-048-001.jpg",
    "imageCount": 61,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/245256488",
    "naId": 245256488,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "logicalDate": "1952-01-01",
            "year": 1952
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750288/750288-048-004.jpg",
    "mediaId": "ab94feefc78f2505",
    "ocrText": "REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE ON GERMAN\nEXTERNAL DEBTS\nLondon, February-August 1952\nI.-Introduction\n1. The International Conference on German External Debts was called\nby the Governments of the Republic of France, the United Kingdom of\nGreat Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America in\norder to work out a general agreement for the settlement of German external\ndebts. The Conference presents to the Governments of the participating\ncountries this Report describing its work and setting forth its recommenda-\ntions relating to the settlement of these debts. The Conference suggests that\ncopies of the Report should be made available to other interested\nGovernments.\n2. Prior to calling the Conference, the Governments of France, the\nUnited Kingdom and the United States of America and the Government of\nthe Federal Republic of Germany concluded, on 6th March, 1951, an agree-\nment in which the latter confirmed its liability for the pre-war external debts\nof the German Reich, acknowledged in principle its debts for post-war\neconomic assistance furnished to Germany by the three Governments, and\ndeclared its willingness to resume payments on the German external debts\nin accordance with a plan to be worked out by all interested parties. A copy\nof the exchange of letters embodying this Agreement is contained in\nAppendix 1.\n3. In May 1951 the three Governments set up the Tripartite Com-\nmission on German Debts to represent them in the negotiations relating to\nthe settlement of German external debts and to organise the work of the\nConference. The three Governments were represented on the Tripartite\nCommission by M. François-Didier Gregh (France), Sir George Rendel\n(United Kingdom), and Ambassador Warren Lee Pierson (United States);\ntheir alternates were M. René Sergent (France), who was later replaced by\nM. A. Rodocanachi and M. H. Davost, Sir David Waley (United Kingdom)\nand Minister J. W. Gunter (United States).\n4. The Commission held preliminary discussions in June and July 1951\nwith the German Delegation on External Debts, appointed by the Govern-\nment of the Federal Republic of Germany, and with representatives from\nsome of the principal creditor countries. The German Delegation was headed\nby Herr Hermann J. Abs, with alternate Dr. W. Kriege.\n5. In December 1951 the Tripartite Commission informed the German\nDelegation of the amounts and terms of payment which the three Govern-\nments were prepared to accept in full settlement of their claims in respect\nof\npost-war economic assistance, on condition that a satisfactory and\nequitable settlement of Germany's pre-war debts were achieved. During\nthe Conference the United States of America further offered to defer collection\nof the principal of its claim for a period of five years and amended its offer\nof December 1951 accordingly. The amounts and terms are outlined in\nAppendix 2 of this report.\nII.-Organisation of the Conference\n6. The Conference held its first plenary meeting at Lancaster House,\nLondon, on 28th February, 1952. The Governments of France, the United\nKingdom and the United States of America were represented by the Tripartite\nCommission on German Debts; the private creditors of these three countries\nwere represented by separate delegations; 22 creditor countries sent national\ndelegations composed of governmental and, in many cases, private creditor\nrepresentatives; 3 countries sent observers; the Bank for International Settle-\nments was represented as a creditor in its own right; the Delegation of\nthe Federal Republic of Germany included governmental representatives\nand representatives of private debtors. A list of the delegates is attached as\na Final Appendix.\n7. In accordance with the decisions of the Conference, there were set\nup\n(a) The Steering Committee, composed of the three members of the\nTripartite Commission, 13 representatives of creditor interests from\nBelgium, Brazil, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland,\nthe United Kingdom and the United States, and 5 members represent-\ning public and private debtor interests. Its duty was to organise the\nwork of the Conference and to ensure that all recommendations sub-\nmitted to plenary meetings were such as to achieve an equitable overall\nsettlement and equal treatment for all creditors within each category.\n17743-1 42528-1\nB 2"
}