HC Deb 20 March 1950 vol 472 cc1549-52
55 and 56. Mr. John Hynd

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether His Majesty's Government was consulted by the French authorities concerning the new Saar Convention prior to that instrument being signed; and whether the French authorities were informed of the view of His Majesty's Government that this matter should not be further prejudiced prior to its proper settlement in a peace treaty;

(2) what representations have been received by His Majesty's Government from the West German authorities concerning the recent Convention signed between France and the Saar; and what reply has been made to such representations.

Mr. Ernest Davies

His Majesty's Government were kept fully informed by the French Government of their intentions in regard to the five Conventions which they recently signed with the Government of the Saar. His Majesty's Government are satisfied that the Conventions, the effect of which is to place the existing state of affairs provisionally on a contractual basis, do not prejudge the final settlement of the Saar question in the peace treaty. This view was conveyed by the British High Commissioner to the German Federal Chancellor in reply to a letter in which Dr. Adenauer had expressed his misgivings on this point. I am arranging to circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the texts of the exchange of letters between General Robertson and Dr. Adenauer on the subject of the Saar.

Mr. Hynd

Is it not quite clear that the effect of this is to prejudice the peace treaty, just as the effect of the Russian activities in the East have prejudiced the peace treaty? Is it not also a fact that the existing state of affairs which has been brought into practical effect by these Conventions has been in itself a step leading towards this situation? How does this contribute towards the reconciliation and co-operation in Western Europe which is so ardently desired?

Mr. Davies

My right hon. Friend does not agree that this has prejudiced the settlement of the Saar question. In our view this is a provisional decision and it is the peace treaty itself which will make a final decision.

Mr. Nutting

Will the hon. Gentleman assure the House that his right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will in future reciprocate when the French Government does us the honour and courtesy of consulting us about matters which affect this country, for, if he will recall, we failed to consult the French on many occasions, in particular on devaluation.

Following are the letters:

9th March, 1950

MY DEAR GENERAL,

I acknowledge with my special thanks the receipt of your kind letter of today which has just reached me through your A.D.C.

I have learned with great interest of the substance of Lord Henderson's speech in the House of Lords yesterday. I venture, however, once more to draw attention to the fact that the view of the British Government that the Saar Conventions have been concluded without prejudice to some later and final arrangement in the Peace Treaty does not correspond with the facts as shown in the text of the Conventions which I have before me. As I have already told you yesterday in the General Convention between France and the Saar, which is the agreement which determines the political status of the Saar, there is no mention whatever of the Peace Treaty with Germany. From this I am obliged to draw the conclusion that this General Convention, which separates the Saar territory from Germany has been concluded without any reservation about later alterations as a result of the Peace Treaty, and for that reason is intended to have a definitive character.

I would be greatly obliged to you if you could draw the attention of your government to this fact which in my view is decisive, and if you could move your government to make clear their attitude as soon as possible on this question.

(Signed) Dr. ADENAUER.

9th M arch, 1950.

MY DEAR CHANCELLOR,

I am sorry to learn from your letter of today that the statement made by Lord Henderson yesterday does not meet your difficulty.

I appreciate that there is no mention of the Peace Treaty in the text of the General Convention. I feel safe in saying that the point has not escaped the attention of my government. However, my government has, in Lord Henderson's statement, declared that it is specifically laid down that the final status of the Saar can be determined only by the Peace Treaty. In this sense the agreements are only provisional, and are valid only until the Peace Treaty. That seems to me to be quite a clear statement of my government's attitude towards these conventions and you will note that it applies to all the conventions, making no distinction between them in this respect. It is quite certain that my government would sustain this attitude at the time of the Peace Treaty. You interpret the absence of a direct reference to the Peace Treaty in the General Convention as meaning that this particular convention is not valid only until the Peace Treaty. My government has by its statement shown clearly that it does not take this view. In any case in the General Convention it is merely stated that the Saar is autonomous in legislative, administrative and jurisdictional matters, which is not the same thing as stating that it is an independent country. I find it difficult to know what more could be done by my government to make their attitude clearer. However, I am telegraphing to them the text of your letter and of this my reply.

(Signed) BRIAN H. ROBERTSON (General).

10th March, 1950.

MY DEAR GENERAL,

Your second letter of yesterday reached me in sufficiently good time to enable me to take your statements into account in the preparation of the government declaration. I should like to tell you that the definition of your government's attitude to the Saar question which you have conveyed to me in this letter has been of great value to the Federal Government and has greatly facilitated my statements to the Bundestag on the Saar problem. May I express my sincere gratitude for this letter. With the expression of my profound esteem.

(Signed) Dr. ADENAUER.