Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, the Ambassador of Belgium, the Foreign Minister of Belgium, and George Kennan

sts CONFIDENTIAL 7000 5. DECLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT OF STATE E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E) ARCHIVES RECORDS 'NATIONAL AND 689 Dept. of State letter, 22 Memorandum of Conversation By NLT- HL NARS Date 6.1.26 DATE: January 19, 1950 SUBJECT: PARTICIPANTS: Secretary of State Acheson The Honorable Paul Henri Spaak Baron Silvercruys, Belgian Ambassador COPIES TO: George F. Kennan S/S,EUR,E 1-1493 The discussion began on the subject of European integration. Mr. Spaak stated that the word 'integration" was foreign to European usage, and that he liked to con- ceive of it as the 'organization" of Europe. It was his view that the U.S. had to assert real pressure on the Europeans to improve their international collaboration. The central problem in all this, he felt, was the attitude of the British He thought it essential that the British reluctance to enter into continental arrangements be over- come. He was not able to specify just what concrete projects of closer organization we should press upon the Europeans but was sure that a firmer U.S. influence was required. With regard to the Saar, he thought that Mr. Schumann was trying to improve his position in the French Government by taking a tough line with the Germans in this instance. He felt that some day the principles of the Ruhr Authority might conceivably be applied to all of the mining and heavy industries of the Rhine Valley, and that the problem of the mines and industries of the Saar could be solved in this way. He hoped GONFIDENTIAL