Page 156
IS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
SECRET
C. P. (49) 56
8TH MARCH, 1949
CABINET
31
COPY NO.
THE NORTH ATLANTIC PACT
Memorandum by the Secretary of State
أو
for Foreign Affairs
I submit for the approval of my colleagues the final text of the North Atlantic Pact, as it has now been agreed in Washington between Mr. Acheson and the representatives of the United Kingdom, Canada, France and the Benelux countries, and remitted to Governments for approval.
The plan is that when the Governments concerned have indicated their approval (and if possible on Friday) the text shall be sent to the Governments of Norway, Italy, Denmark, Portugal and Iceland with an invitation to become associated with the Pact. Whether this association is to be by accession or by signature is not yet finally cleared up. The text will then be published on Tuesday, 15th March, having previously been communicated by ourselves to the other Commonwealth Governments and by the United States Government to the signatories of the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro, that is to say, to all the Central and South American Powers. Signature would take place about a fortnight later, and the Pact would enter into force on ratification by the seven original signatories, say two months after that.
Recommendation
I recommend that the Cabinet approve the text of the North Atlantic Pact and authorise me to inform the other Governments concerned that His Majesty's Government are willing to sign it.
Observations
My colleagues will observe that Article 5 (mutual assistance), which is the key article of the Treaty, has emerged in a form which can be regarded as very satisfactory. Notwithstanding the doubts and fears caused by the Senate debate of 14th February, the Senate leaders have accepted a wording which retains the conception that an attack on one of the parties is an attack on all, as well as making clear that the measures which the signatories are bound to take in the face of such an attack include "the use of armed force". We could have preferred to see the words "as it deems necessary" read "as may be necessary"; but the Senatorial leaders were unwilling to give way on this. We have, however, succeeded in eliminating from this Article any reference to "constitutional processes", though we were not able to avoid this idea appearing elsewhere in the Treaty (Article 11).
Page 156
-1-
Page 156.