eomman
Pr?
r55
r?rLrASr
EUROPEAIT COII'IMUIUITY IITFOBMATIOIU SERVICE
21OO M Street Northwest, Suite 707, Washington D.C. 20037 . Telephon e: (202) 296-5131
IMI'IEDIATE RELEASE
6,
L97OMAY
9,
1950:
A
gnutND-IlIE-SCENE ACCOUI{I 0F WHAT HAPPEMDby
!?anqois FontaineMr.
Fontaineis
headof
the
European Communitieslpress and
information
office in Paris. At
thetime
the
Schuman PLan wastaking
shape, he waschef
decabinet
to
JeanMonnet.
Mr.
Fontainetells, for
the
first
time, the inside story
of
political
circumstances and eventsin
FranceLeading up
to
the
Schuman PLan Declaration 20 years ago. Never hadconditions
in
Europe looked more confused, never hadthe
Continent been nearerthe
explosionpoint
thanit
ruas on themorning
of
l,Iay9,
1950,despite the
constantefforts of
dedicated menwho had been appealing
for unity
since
the
endof
the
last war.
The morning newspapers were ful-Lof
specuLation about howthe
French Ministerfor
ForeignAffairs,
Robert Schuman, would respondto his British
andAmerican coll-eagues, Ernest Bevin and Dean Acheson, who awaited him the
next day
in
Londonfor
importantdecisions
about West Germany.France was almost resigned
to
the
removalof
the
Lastvestige of
tripartite
occupationcontroL. Allied
control
overthe
Ruhr could no Longer bejustified,
nor
couLdthe ceiLtng
placed oncoal
and steeL productionin
a
countrythat
was recoveringrapidly.
The probl-emof
C,ermanyrsentry
into
the Western defense system rrTasuppermost.
IIow wouldthe
Russians respondto
the relaxation
of
ALLiedcontroL?
TheFOR
)
FrenchItBidault
Government was readyto
proposea
High AtLanEic CounciL, thePlan,rr
in
which Germany r"ouLd have norole.
The more the obsessionwith
the
German presence grew,the
harder everyonetried
to
ignore
it.
However,
the
headof this
reconstituted
state,
an exceptional man, sawthe
dangersof
power andisol-ation.
Chancellor Konrad Adenauer didnot
vrantto
take
advantageof
every chancethat
arosefor
the
nationalistic
rebirth of his country.
He himseLf proposedl-imits
onthe
sovereigntythat
would be
restored
to
Germany.In
aninterview
two monthsearLier,
he had spokenof
a
ful-L union between France and Germanyra
union opento
othercountries.
But he spokefor
a
defeatednation
that
had novoice
in
inter-national
councils.
The newstook
uponly a
few l-inesin
the
newspapers. However, General Charles de Gaul1e echoedhis
words: "If
wedidnrt
force ourseLvesto
Lookat
the facts cooIly,
we wouLd be aLmost bLindedby
theprospects
of
whatthe
French andthe
Germans could accomplishtogether...t'
But Franee had
to
makethat effort.
Everyone knewthat
noinitiative
could come fromthe
vanquished.As
for
the
conquerors, they were embarrassedby
their
responsibiLities.
France had
to
take
the
first
step,
accordingto
the
rnandate givento
her by herAllies.
BernardClappier,
Schumanrschef
decabinet
at that
time,telIs
that
during
a meetingof
the
three
Western Powersin
the
UnitedStates
at
the
endof
L949, Achesonstated:
ttWeare absolutely
in
agreementon
entrusting our
French colleaguewith
the
task
of
definlng
our
conrmonpolicy
toward Germany.tt
That wasthe
day Schuman understoodthat
he wouldnot
escapehis
destiny:
erasingthe
frontier
whoseabsurdity
he more thanany one
else
had k.r.orr,.lSchuman would seek
a
solution.
Though he spokethe
same Language as theChancellor and shared
the
samehigh
ideals,
he couLdnot easily
cast
asideby
to
)
French
nationalists
were watchinghim. Little
that
he would haveto
rnakea radical
departurelittLe
he cameto
believeget
anywhere. Jean Monnet Steps InAt
the
sametime,
another Frenchman hadalso
cometo
the
same conclusion.Jean Monnet,
creator
of
Francers post-war modernizationpIan,
had watchedthe
rapid
transformationof
theworld
baLanceof
power,the
heatitrg upof
the cold
war, the
swift
recoveryof
C,ermany,ih"
Americandecision
touse
this
recoveryfor
the
benefit
of
the
West, andthe
French reluctanceto
opposeit.
To Monnetit
appearedthat
Europe wasreviving
every pasterror.
He was
in
a
better position
than anyoneelse
to
gaugethe
economic consequencesof this disequillbrium.
He sawa return
to
national
rivaL-ries
that
would Leadto
protectionism andinternationaL
cartels:
France wouldcrawl
into
a shell-;
and,
in
the
faceof
Europers siLence, theUnited States
by
itself
would organise Western defensesagainst the
USSR.Thus,
his
fears
werenot
limited to
econornlcactivity.
Hedid not
think
only
in
termsof
organizingproduction-related
areas asdid
manyof
theEuropean pioneers who sought
international control
overthe
French and Germancoal
and steeL economies.Like
Robert Schuman, he wantedto
change C;ermany's imagein
Europers consciousness once andfor al-l.
Like
Adenauer, he thougLathe
time had corneto
help
fix
the destiny
of
an unstabl-e peopLe whoshifted
dangerousLy betweenfeelings
of
national superiority
andinferiority
"The paroxysm
of
anxiety
reachedin
the
spring
of
l-950 andthe
con-vergenceof
the
thoughtsof
two rnen whobarely
knew eachother
would Laterseem
extraordinary.
Schuman had hadLittLe
contactwith
Monnet.
Moreoever, Monnetdid not
approachthe
Minister
for
ForeignAffairs
when he decided to)
rfconcrete and
resolute
action,
in
a limited but
decisive
area.trTherelras
to
bea tbasic
change".in Frenchrelations
with
Germany rrby creatinga
common basefor
economicconditlons
and new Europeanrules
andinsti-tutions
accepted.bythe
sovereignnatlons.t'2 It
wasto
bethe
Coal andSteel- Community
with
Europe'sfirst
supranationalinstitutions.
ButBtdault
did
not
considerthis
proposaLimportant.
Monnet became irnpatientas
the
cl-ouds gathered overEurope.
OnFriday,
April
28,
he saw Clappier and gave himthe
same messagefor
Schuman. Thatvery
night,
Schuman thought aboutthis
messagein
the
sol-itudeof
Scy-Chazel-Les. Monday morning,getting
off
the
train at
the
C,are del-rEst,
hesaid
to his
colleague:
"The answeris yes. I wiLl
take
careof it.rr
Events wouLdunfold
swiftly.
The ilConspiracvrt
It is
Monday, May1.
Beforethe
London conference on May10,
a
revolution-ary
economic andpoLiticaL
proposaI must beput
into
shape, adopted, andpubLished
by
the
French @vernment, and Europets answer received--
withaLL preparations
in
absolute secrecy.Quite
rightLy
the
Schuman Plan has been caLLeda
consptracy.
Hadit
been pubJ-icly debated, conservative forces woul-d havetbrn
it to
pieces.The dlplomats wouLd have rlnegotiated.
tr
There had been more than enoughtalk of
improvising.
Anothercriticism,rested
on a moresolid
base:that
fusing
trtro huge systemsof
production,
eliminating
economicfrontiers
and ancient
protectionist practices,
would need monthsof
consultat,lons andtechnical
study.
However,the
case hadto
be settl-edin
a week,with-out
experts.
Onthis point,
Monnet and Schuman hadthe
same ideas andthe
samectear
conscience:
experts wouLd comel-ater. It
was anessentially
poLitical
proposaL.For
fear
of
arousingsuspicton, Ibnnet
and Schurnan communicate through an int,ermediary,Clappier.
ldonnet shutshimself
upwith his
two aides,)
inventor
of
the
lligh
Authority3
andthe originator
of
Europersfirst
federal
institutions.
Eachnight
the day's
notesare
burned.
Onl-y twoministers
know aboutthe
work:
Ren6 Mayer and Ren6 P16ven.rrEurope WiLL Not Be Made ALI-
at
Once'rThe mornlng
of
May9 the
text of
the
declaration
is
takento
Schumanas he
enters the
Councilof
Ministers rneeting.
It
wassaid
that
insteadof
readingthe
text to his
col-Leagues he "recountedilit,
whichis in
keep-ing
with the
style of this
man who couLd seern sincerewhtle
beingdeliber-ateLy vague when
interests
of
State
requiied
it.
Mearnvhile,in
Bonn ahandlrritten
Letter
was beingput
into
the
ChanceLlorrshands.
Adenauer,surprised and moved, innrediately
answered:
ItI
approve wholeheartedly.rtIn
Paris,
the
Council meeting draggedon,
but
it
had already turnedto
other
topices.
Schuman had irranediateLy receivedthe
Councilrs carteblanche
for
the
London conference,without
revealing
his
intentions
of
tel.Ling
the
public
of his
plan
that
very
night
in
?aris.
In
a
few hoursa
vast
operation had beenreadied.
The press corps was askedto
cometo
the
Quai drorsayat
four
that
afternoonfor
a messageof
primeimportance.
The ambassadors wereto
meetwith
the
Minister
one hourearlier.
Those presentthat
afternoon recal-Lthe
constant streamof visitors to
Schumanrsoffice.
On l-eaving, each was intercepted by Monnet who toLdthem:
"You knowlt is
not
a
joke.
Readthe
papercare-fully. It is
goingto
happen.
Believe me,there
is
noother
wayout.'l
At
the
Last moment, Schuman wroteby
handthe
beautiful
preamble:ttlt is
no longera
questionof
empty words,but rather
of
a boLdact,
a
constructive
act.
France has acted andthe
results
of
her actions
canbe irmnense. We hope they
wlIL
be.rl)
always
say, but
wefll still
betalking
aboutit, in vain, for
a
long
timeto
come. tA bold
act...rtt thatts
a
fancy phrasefor just
another proposalfor
the
Ruhrproblem.
ttFrance hasacted...r"
perhaps,but
whetheror
notthe other nations
foll-owher
remainsto
beseen.
There was some sceptlclsmin
the
Salon de lrHorl-ogeas
Schuman readthe declaration
in
his
monotonous,sofEvoice.
tE.rropewill
not
be madeall at
once,or
accordingto
a
single,
generaLplan. It will
bebuilt
through concrete achievements, whichfirst
create de
facto
solidarit]...t|
Those words contained
the
termsof
anenpirical
method meant to reassure and even misleadcertain
people.
The prospectof
pooling
coal andsteel
resourcesdisturbed
only the
steelmen who declared warat
that
very
second.
But
for
the
public,
the
pLan conformedclosely
to
ideasof
the moment. A note
drafted
at
the
last
minuteby
Pierre
Uri
wassimul-taneousLy
distributed
to
Journalists
sothat it
wouLd beclearly
under-stoodthat
the
HighAuthorlty
would be compLetelydifferent
froma
carteL.This
couldonly
beto
the
goodfor
the
French, hauntedby the
reemergenceof
the
Germansteel cartels.
Tt]gReaction
,
To convince
political
cornmentatorsto treat
the
pLanin
a waythat
wouldcapture
the
public
imaginationat that
time
of
disenchantment,it
had tobe played
up.
Anote
from Agence France Presse stressedthe
importanceof
the
event. t'It
ls,a
political
gestureof
exceptional importance--some peopl-e go so
far
asto call lt
trevolutionary'."
The transformation
of
economicsectors
that
had providedthe
meansfor
two warsinto
an instrumentof
peace was emphasized. However, mostpeople scarceLy saw beyond
the
settlementof
the
Franco-C,erman dispute.'Europe" was
not
yet
clearLy
seen.
Idonetheless,the
key word had beenuttered,
the
wordthat
has givenvalidity to
everypolitical
developmentthe
first
concrete foundatlonof
the
European Federation whichls
lndlspensible
to
the
preservationof
peace.'rIn
1950,the
word "peacett was stronger andbetter
understood thanthe
expresslon ttEuropean Federation." It
wasa
chancefor
peacethat
the
French andall
Europe welcomedthat
night.
The news dispatches announced
the
agreementof
the
German,Italian,
Be1glan, Luxembourg, and Dutch Governments.
In
retrospect, the
feeling
remains
that this
lrasI
well-mountedoperation.
Nowit
seemsastonish-ing
that
the
Conrnunityof
Six,
which has stoodthe
test of
time,
simplyfe1l into
place
in
amatter
of
hours,without
any Lengthydeliberations
bykings,
queens, andpresidents;
but
this is
whatactually
happened.Sover-elgnty,
Like
privilege,
either
abdicatesin
aninstant
with
one generous surgeof feeling, or
not
at
aLl.
After all,
no one hadyet
spokenof
the
Six
when Schuman concluded: 'rCentlemen, Franceis
makinga
proposal,with
noidea
of
howit will trrn
out. It is
upto
Europeto
answer...'lttls
Russiaa
part
of
Europe?r' someone irmnediately asked.t'Of cours€...
"
trThen
itrs
a
Leaplnto
the
unknown?"ItThatrs
right,
a
Leapinto
the
unknor^rnr"said
the
FrenchMinister.
t'I
thankyou,
gentlemen. ItIn a 1itt1e
while.he
would Leavefor
Iondonto
meetwith
Bevin andAcheson. ?erhaps
the
Bnglish readthe
text
morecarefulLy
or
understoodthe
meaningof
the
French proposal Lessfully, for
the
British
declined membership.In
any case,the
London conference tookpIace,
but
the
ori-ginal
agenda was thrownout.
May 10 dawned overa
healing Continent once again imbuedwith
hope.1
-
The sonof
a
farmer fromthe
Lorraine,
sehuman was bornGerman but became French when
the
Treatyof
Versailles
restored the
province toFrance.
2
rni"
introductory note (nine
pages l-ong
in
the finaL
version of
May
4,
L950),is still a
secret
historical
document.It
may be published onthe
May9
anniversary.3
th"
8-man Executiveof
the
Coal andSteel
Community.