Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE WASHINGTON P DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 March 5, 1951 By DEB NLT, Date 9-4-85 SECRET SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS FOUR-POWER Discussions between the US, UK and France EXPLORATORY TALKS in Paris yesterday resulted in agreement on the following agenda proposal which it was planned to introduce at the opening session of the Four-Power exploratory meeting today: 1) Examination of the cause of the present international tensions in Europe and of the means to secure a real and lasting improvement in relations between the Soviet Union and the US, UK and France. (The following four possible specifications will be intro- duced later only if the tactical situation requires: a) the fear of aggres - sion; b) existing level of armaments; c) non-fulfillment of treaty obli- gations; d) barriers to official and unofficial intercourse between govenment and peoples. ) 2) Completion of a treaty for the re-establishment of an independent and democratic Austria. 3) Problems relating to re-establishment of German unity and to preparation of a peace treaty. It was further agreed that France, as the host country, will occupy the chairmanship of the meetings but that if the Soviets insist on a rotation system the three western powers will not press the point. No consultations by the three powers with other governments will be held at this time and any information made available to other governments will be communicated informally. In this connection, agreement was reached on a communication to the German Federal Chancellor stressing the procedural and non-substantive aspect of the preliminary Four-Power meetings and emphasizing the intent of the three powers to insist that any general agenda heading relating to German political problems be preceded by a more general item such as to make possible prior dis- cussion of the overall causes of European tension. SECREP