Schuman Plan Drafted

In Paris this week, the representatives of six Western European nations (France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg) met to put their initials on a document that embodied a great hope. It was the draft treaty for the Schuman Plan, finished after nine months of negotiations that often seemed hopeless.

The draft must still be approved by the member nations' parliaments, where it faces some stiff opposition.But this week's agreement was a huge step forward. As the plan's godfather, Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, looked on happily, the plan's real father, French Economic Planner Jean Monnet, listed its potential achievements:

P: "The supranational character of the European community of coal and steel." P:"The creation of a market of 150 million consumers and the common use of coal and steel resources." P:"The elimination of restrictive cartel practices and excessive concentration of economic power . . . The Schuman Plan can [substitute] for the barriers of the past,which have divided and impoverished us until the present, common rules accepted by all... for the common good..."

Then Professor Walter Hallstein, West Germany's delegate, made a fervent plea for French-German friendship. His words were the kindest heard between Germans and Frenchmen in years. Monnet had difficulty blinking away his tears. For the former brandy salesman from Cognac (and onetime investment banker in Manhattan), it was a great moment. Monnet had worked out the plan that Schuman had presented to the world.

This week's agreement would not have been possible without U.S. pressure. The last big obstacle had been raised by German industrialists who did not want to break up Germany's coal-steel cartels. The U.S. proposed a compromise. Its chief point: let the German mills keep ownership of enough coal mines to cover 75% of their needs. When the Germans balked, U.S. High Commissioner John McCloy threatened that if the Germans scuttled the Schuman Plan, he would impose even tougher anti-cartel measures. That did it.

A European newsman covering the ceremony said: "If Europe is ever unified in our lifetime, it will be because of Washington--or Moscow."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.