RESOLUTION ON THE SITUATION IN GERMANY [Editor's note: On January 16, 1953, a spontaneous strike broke out among ilding trades workers in East Berlin, grew in size the next day, and spread other cities in East Germany. The situation quickly got beyond the pacity of local police to control and Soviet tanks and troops were called to quell the rioting under proclamation of a state of siege. On June 22, the vernment announced reforms calculated to meet at least some of the demands the rioters and on August 21-22 an East German-Soviet economic and political reement was worked out purporting to ease the occupation regime in the viet zone. A degree of stability was restored but the damage to Soviet prestige d been done. In response to these events, S. Con. Res. 36 was introduced in the nate on June 27. It was reported out on July 2 and passed the same day. Meanhile similar resolutions had been making their way through the House. On igust 1, the House passed S. Con. Res. 36, substituting its own preamble, text, d title for that of the Senate. The Senate concurred with this amendment on igust 3.] THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1953 UNITED STATES SENATE, Washington, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:25 a.m. in the Foreign elations Committee room, U.S. Capitol Building, Senator Alexander 'iley (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Wiley (chairman), Smith, Ferguson, Sparkman. illette, and Mansfield. Also present: Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Kalijarvi, Mr. Marcy, Mr. Holt, id Mr. O'Day of the committee staff. [The committee first considered and ordered reported the nominaons of Roy Tasco Davis to be Ambassador to Haiti and Philip J. rowe to be Ambassador to Ceylon. H. J. Res. 234, relating to a eeting of the Interparliamentary Union, was approved. The comittee then took up S. Con. Res. 36, relating to the East Berlin upsing in June.] The CHAIRMAN. We will now take up the resolution on reunificaon of Germany by Senator Watkins. Senator SMITH. I think what Senator Watkins is doing there, is tising a point with regard to the Berlin business. I am very sympaetic with our doing something to indicate the interest of the Conress in the heroism of those people in resisting the totalitarian lowup. Senator MANSFIELD. I think it is a good psychological move. It is >mething we should have done long ago. Senator SMITH. A resolution was simultaneously introduced in the [ouse. Personally, I am very much in favor of our taking a position n it. TEXT OF THE RESOLUTION The CHAIRMAN. Will you read the resolution, Mr. Wilcox! Whereas the American people have long accepted the basic principles forth in the American Declaration of Independence of 1776 in the follo words: “*** that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, libe and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of te governed-that whenever any form of government becomes destructive these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and: institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and nizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to dr their safety and happiness."; and Whereas the people of East Berlin and East Germany have so courage demonstrated their strong devotion to these principles of freedom and j by their heroic resistance to the Soviet-controlled East German regime mindful that the United States secured its freedom by popular revolt & tyranny; and Whereas the Soviet regime, being unable to win the allegiance of t people under its rule, knows no other method of achieving the compliane the people to their dictatorship than by force of arms, terror, murder, 2 prisonment, reprisals and mass deportation; and Whereas the causes of freedom cannot be contained and will event triumph: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), D the Congress of the United States in behalf of the American people be expresses the firm conviction that the people of East Germany are entit to their basic, inalienable God-given rights and freedoms for which they now struggling. SEC. 2. It is further expressed to be the firm conviction of the Ameris: people that the people of Germany, now presently divided, have the right a unified nation governed by their own consent by the free expressio popular will in free elections. SEC. 3. The Congress of the United States further expresses in behalf of de American people its friendship and sympathy with the people of East Gr many, particularly those who have suffered at the hands of the Commun because of their patriotic defiance of Communist tyranny, and denote the action of the Communist regime in killing, imprisoning and deper those who have openly demonstrated their love of liberty and justice, asserts that this sacrifice for freedom will aid the cause of freedom I the Communist enslaved nations and will inspire freedom loving p everywhere. WHY IS THE LANGUAGE DIFFERENT IN SECTION 2? Senator SMITH. Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask Mr. W why, if he knows, the language apparently in section 2 is slig different from the language in section 1 and section 3. Sectio says the Congress of the United States on behalf of the Amer people expresses, and so forth. The same language is used in sect 3. In section 2, however, it says: "It is further expressed to be firm conviction of the American people," and no mention is ma of the Congress. Isn't it the Congress in all three cases? You speaking for the Congress in this resolution. There may be a g reason for that. Mr. WILCOX. I do not know. Senator SMITH. You see my point? Mr. WILCOX. You could remedy the difficulty by inserting the ongress of the United States in that paragraph. Senator SMITH. It is a little technicality, and I am just curious bout it. NO REACTION FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT Mr. WILCOX. We have sent this to the State Department for their eaction. We have not yet received a reply from the Department on The CHAIRMAN. How long ago have they had it? Mr. WILCOX. The resolution was introduced the 27th. It was printed n the 28th. They received it the same day. I assume they received the 29th. We have an acknowledgement from them, but they have ot yet had the time to get clearance on an answer. Senator SPARKMAN. The 27th was Saturday, the 28th was Sunday. Monday was the 29th and Tuesday was the 30th. Senator SMITH. They have nothing else to do over there. They night have acted on this. Senator SPARKMAN. They should have been giving some thought o this, anyhow. Senator SMITH. This is, in a sense, an extension of what we discussed earlier this year. Senator SPARKMAN. We ought to have their reaction. Senator SMITH. That is true. Don't you think that an expression now is valuable psychologically? I feel very strongly on the subject. Senator SPARKMAN. I certainly do. It is badly needed. The CHAIRMAN. Can we report the resolution favorably to the calendar unless there is objection by the Department? Senator MANSFIELD. I so move. Senator SMITH. Second the motion. SHOULD THE RESOLUTION BE BROADENED? Senator GILLETTE. I have no objection, but it just occurs to me that there is a danger in this because it is limited to this particular unsettled area in Germany. There are other nations over there, other people who have aspirations along these same lines, particularly in Czechoslovakia and in Latvia, also in the Middle East, and it just occurs to me that action taken, of this kind, expressing sympathy with these actions in one area might raise the question in these other areas why they are expressing sympathy with the people of East Germany and no expression of sympathy with us. Wouldn't it be worthy of consideration to think of a resolution which would be broader, carry the same expression of sympathy? Senator SMITH. We can pass this because of the immediacy of this Berlin thing, then begin to think further of the previous Dulles resolution, leaving out the controversy about past treaties, and so on. Take that language, which I thought was a beautiful expression, and a word of encouragement along this line to people who are resisting oppression. 1 H.J. Res. 200, Declaration on Captive Peoples. See p. 167. Senator GILLETTE. I have no objection to this. I think it is a wise move, but I am afraid there is a possibility of there being misconstruction placed on it that we are going to the length of Senate action in expressing sympathy with these people where ther are a dozen other areas where there is unrest and deep feeling, the they need our sympathetic expression of attitude toward them. Senator MANSFIELD. It might be well to keep this in mind. The is the only disunited country, so to speak, and it would be the first declaration that I can recall on the part of the Congress as to what our position would be on the unification of Germany. I think it would strengthen Adenauer's hand tremendously. The biggest ques tion in the minds of the Germans is unification. It supersedes every thing else. You have the elections coming up in a matter of a few months. Adenauer is out campaigning. He says he will have a tough time. Because of what is still happening in East Germany and East Berlin, while riots are still going on, now would be the time to implement the President's grant of $15 million to West Berlin last week with a followup of a resolution of this sort of thing. Senator GILLETTE. That argument is persuasive with me. Perhaps it would be well to do as suggested by Senator Smith, that we approve this and get it to the calendar for the psychological effect suggested by Senator Mansfield and immediately work on a resolu tion expressing in a broader way our sympathy toward the aspirations of all peoples. Senator SMITH. I will be glad to take up with the State Depart ment a resolution which was previously considered, which had the objectionable feature, and leave that out, and leave in the statements along this line. The CHAIRMAN. You have to be careful about that. You have the French and Africa. I agree with Mike that this is a specific situation apart from any other situation in Europe. Senator SMITH. We can explore that, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. It is all right to do some exploration, but you have to be careful not to subject ourselves to criticism and stub our toes. Senator SPARKMAN. That is why I think the State Department ought to be consulted before we take action as a committee to make certain that it is in compliance with their views, that the wording is proper. MOTION CARRIED SUBJECT TO STATE DEPARTMENT APPROVAL Senator SMITH. The motion was to OK this subject to the State Department's report on it. Senator GILLETTE. I have no objection. Senator SMITH. Not put it up until we have heard from them. Senator MANSFIELD. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. If there is no objection, it will be reported so cordingly. Senator MANSFIELD. With the proviso. The CHAIRMAN. Yes, subject to State Department approval. [Double taxation conventions with Belgium and Australia were ordered reported and the committee then recessed at 12:30 to meet again at 2:00 p.m.] MINUTES THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1953 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C. The committee met again at 2 p.m. Present at the afternoon meeting: Chairman Wiley, Senators mith, Hickenlooper, Taft, Langer, Green, Sparkman, and Mansfield. Executive H, 83d Congress, 1st Session, the Agreement Revising nd Renewing the International Wheat Agreement, was ordered eported by voice vote and the Chairman instructed that other nembers of the committee absent be polled. The Bricker reservation to the Status of Forces Agreement pendng on the Senate calendar was discussed but no final action was aken. Executives D,E,F and G, 83d Congress, 1st Session, Agreements with The Federal Republic of Germany were next discussed. They were ordered reported to the Senate after a canvass is made of absent members of the committee. It was stated that Senator Gillette wished to be recorded as opposed to the reporting of the agreements. Subcommittees were ordered set up by the Chairman on S. Con. Res. 27 and S. Con. Res. 32, relating to armaments and disarmament; on the Danish Ships proposal, and on S.J. Res. 12, introduced by Mrs. Smith of Maine, relating to Passamaquody tidal power project. For record of proceedings, see official transcript. The committee adjourned at 3:15 p.m. P.S.-Later, the canvass of the sentiment of committee members on the German Debt Agreements, indicated that Senator Knowland favored its reporting, as did Senators George, Langer, and Humphrey. Senator Ferguson reserved his position on the matter. The canvass of members on the renewal of the International Wheat Agreement indicated the following Senators as favoring reporting: Senators Langer, Knowland, George, Green, and Gillette. (657) |