ington, referred to in paragraph 2, a permanent working staff in London, composed of qualified personnel representing interested countries, to carry on the day-to-day work of the Board. The Board shall have a Secretary, with suitable assistance, to perform secretarial and administrative functions. 7. The Board shall meet at such times and places as may be required. Its secretariat and working staff shall be located in London. The Board shall decide its own rules of procedure. Chairmanship shall be held in turn by the parties according to the alphabetical order in the English language beginning with the United States. Each party shall hold the office for one year. If any party does not wish to accept the Chairmanship, it is passed to the next party in alphabetical order. 37. THIRD SESSION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL (WASHINGTON): Communiqué, January 6, 19501 The North Atlantic Council met today in Washington in its third session. The United States was represented by Secretary of State Acheson, who is chairman for the first year of the Council's operation. Representatives of the North Atlantic Treaty signatories were: for Belgium, Ambassador Silvercruys; for Canada, Ambassador Wrong; for Denmark, Ambassador de Kauffmann; for France, Ambassador Bonnet; for Iceland, Minister Thors; for Italy, Ambassador Tarchiani; for Luxembourg, Minister Le Gallais; for the Netherlands, Ambassador van Kleffens; for Norway, Ambassador Morgenstierne; for Portugal, Ambassador Pereira; for the United Kingdom, Ambassador Franks. The Council considered and approved recommendations agreed by the Defense Committee in Paris on December 1, for the integrated defense of the North Atlantic area. These recommendations embody the principles of self-help and mutual aid and will provide the basis for the common defense of the parties. 38. FOURTH SESSION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL (LONDON): Communiqué, May 19, 1950 3 3 At the fourth session of the North Atlantic Council in London the Foreign Ministers of the 12 nations of the North Atlantic Treaty considered the principles on which their association is founded and the objectives toward which they are working. They reaffirmed the adherence of their Governments to the principles which inspire the United Nations Charter and their conviction 1 Department of State Bulletin, Jan. 16, 1950, p. 104. 2 See the North Atlantic Defense Committee's communiqué of Dec. 1, 1949; ibid., Dec. 19, 1949, p. 948. Ibid., May 29, 1950, pp. 830-831. that common action under the Treaty is an integral part of the effort which all free nations are making to secure conditions of world peace and human welfare. They are determined that freedom, which is the common basis of their institutions, shall be defended against every threat of aggression or subversion, direct or indirect. Freedom means the independence of nations, the respect for spiritual values, and the dignity of man. Only a free society can guarantee to the individual the benefits of economic and social betterment. They are resolved to secure the economic progress and prosperity of the peoples of their countries and to promote the economic and social development of other peoples of the free world through close cooperation with each other and with other nations. To the immense resources of the free world and its industrial and scientific development, the peoples of the North Atlantic community bring the spiritual strength which comes from freedom. Conscious of the strength and of the will to peace of their countries, the Ministers remain ready to seize any opportunity for achieving a genuine and lasting settlement of international problems. But for so long as some nations are not willing to cooperate on a basis of equality and mutual respect, they believe that the maintenance of peace and the defense of freedom require the organization of adequate military defense. The nations of the Atlantic Council are accordingly resolved, by their united efforts, to build up a system of defense equipped with modern weapons and capable of withstanding any external threat directed against any of them. The Council throughout its deliberations recognized that only through coordinated planning and joint effort could these objectives be achieved. To this end the Council took the following decisions to improve the functioning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and to guide its future work: 1. They decided to establish, by the appointment of deputies, mechanism to permit the Council fully to discharge its role as the principal and directing body of the North Atlantic Treaty. 2. The Council in this connection agreed on principles which should guide the work of the deputies and of the other organizations of the North Atlantic Treaty. 3. The Council, having considered the reports of the Defense Committee and the Defense Financial and Economic Committee, issued directives emphasizing that the problem of adequate military forces and the necessary financial costs should be examined as one and not as separate problems. In formulating their directives the Council proceeded on the basis that the combined resources of the members of the North Atlantic Treaty are sufficient, if properly coordinated and applied, to insure the progressive and speedy development of adequate military de 1 See the Council's resolution on central machinery, May 19, 1950; ibid., p. 831. 415900-57-105 fense without impairing the social and economic progress of these countries. 4. The Council, recognizing the indispensability of self-help and mutual aid among the Treaty powers in making progress toward an integrated defense and, convinced that further mutual assistance is essential to rapid progress towards the strength required for the common security of the North Atlantic area, recommended that each party make its full contribution through mutual assistance in all practicable forms. 5. The Council unanimously agreed that if adequate military defense of the member countries is to be achieved it must be along the lines of the most economical and effective utilization of the forces and material at the disposal of the North Atlantic countries. They accordingly urged their Governments to concentrate on the creation of balanced collective forces in the progressive build-up of the defense of the North Atlantic area, taking at the same time fully into consideration the requirements for national forces which arise out of commitments external to the North Atlantic area. 6. In furtherance of article 9 of the Treaty the Council established a North Atlantic Planning Board for Ocean Shipping to be composed of representatives of the participating countries concerned. This Board will report directly to the Council and will work in close cooperation with other bodies of the Treaty organization in all matters relating to the factor of merchant shipping in defense planning. The ministers believe that the decisions they have taken here in London represent a marked advance towards the practical realization of the objectives of the North Atlantic Treaty. 39. FIRST PART OF THE FIFTH SESSION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL (NEW YORK): Communiqué, September 18, 1950 1 The North Atlantic Council has devoted its three-day meeting to a thorough discussion of the major questions presented by the urgent need to strengthen collective defense. The Council was determined to proceed with the necessary measures to this end. The discussions dealt with matters of far-reaching importance and related principally to the creation, in the shortest possible time, of an integrated military force adequate for the defense of freedom in Europe, and to the related questions of the character of participation in the force, its military organization, and matters of supply, finance, and raw materials. The proposal for such a force supported by appropriate supply and financial arrangements, based on collective effort, was warmly welcomed, and it was decided that the Ministers should promptly consult their Governments as to the way in which such a plan could be put into effect. Many of the problems involved considerations of a 1 Department of State Bulletin, Oct. 2, 1950, p. 533. character which make such consultations necessary so as to enable definite decisions to be taken promptly. To permit these consultations to take place, the Council has recessed subject to call by the chairman during the next two weeks.1 40. FIFTH SESSION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL (NEW YORK): Communiqué, September 26, 1950 2 The North Atlantic Council reconvened today to resume discussions. The Council has been in recess since Monday, September 18.3 During the interval of this recess, the Foreign Ministers have been in consultation with their Governments. The Council agreed upon the establishment, at the earliest possible date, of an integrated force under centralized command, which shall be adequate to deter aggression and to ensure the defense of Western Europe. The concept of the integrated force approved by the Council is based upon the following principles: 1. The force will be organized under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and will be subject to political and strategic guidance. exercised by the appropriate agencies of that organization. 2. The force will be under a Supreme Commander who will have sufficient delegated authority to ensure that national units allocated to his command are organized and trained into an effective integrated force in time of peace as well as in the event of war. 3. The Supreme Commander will be supported by an international staff representing all nations contributing to the force. 4. Pending the appointment of a Supreme Commander, there is to be appointed a Chief of Staff who will have responsibility for training and organization. 4 5. The Standing Group of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will be responsible for higher strategic direction of the integrated force. The finalization by the Council of the arrangements for the integrated force must await the recommendations of the Defense Committee on the following points: 5 The Council has requested the Defense Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to work out the organization of the integrated force and to recommend the steps necessary to bring this force into being at the earliest possible time. The Council has also requested the Defense Committee to consider changes and simplifi 1 See the Council's communiqué of Sept. 26, 1950, infra. 2 Department of State Bulletin, Oct. 9, 1950, p. 588. For the terms of reference of the Standing Group, see Section V of the Final Communiqué of the First Session of the North Atlantic Council, supra, doc. 35. For the terms of reference of the Defense Committee, see Section IV, ibid. cations required in the military structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and related military organizations and to consider how best to ensure the necessary close working relationship between the Standing Group and the member governments not represented on it. The Council agreed that, in order to bring the integrated force into effective being, all available manpower and productive resources should be fully utilized for the defense of Western Europe. To this end, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will consider the precise character and composition of the forces to be allocated to the integrated force by member Governments. Decisions regarding the allocation of such forces will be sought from member governments at an early date. The utilization of German manpower and resources was discussed in the light of views recently expressed by democratic leaders in Germany and elsewhere. The Council was in agreement that Germany should be enabled to contribute to the build-up of the defense of Western Europe and, noting that the occupying powers were studying the matter, requested the Defense Committee to make recommendations at the earliest possible date as to the methods by which Germany could most usefully make its contribution. In accordance with the policy of annual rotation of the chairmanship, the Foreign Minister of Belgium, Paul Van Zeeland, has assumed the chairmanship of the Council for the coming year. In adjourning their meeting, the Ministers reaffirmed the unity of the free peoples which they represent in their common determination to preserve the peace, the security, and the freedom of the Atlantic community. 41. SIXTH SESSION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL (BRUSSELS): Communiqué, December 19, 19501 The North Atlantic Council acting on recommendations of the Defense Committee today completed the arrangements initiated in September last for the establishment in Europe of an integrated force under centralized control and command. This force is to be composed of contingents contributed by the participating governments. The Council yesterday unanimously decided to ask the President of the United States to make available General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower to serve as Supreme Commander. Following receipt this morning of a message from the President of the United States that he had made General Eisenhower available, the Council appointed him. He will assume his command and establish his headquarters in Europe early in the New Year. He will have the authority to train the national units assigned to his command and to organize them into an effective integrated defense force. He will be supported by |