Word: mends
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...looking more than ever like a plumper and younger Winston Churchill; Canada's L. B. Pearson; Konrad Adenauer, gaunt and silent; Gaetano Martino, at his first international appearance as Italy's Foreign Minister; Joseph Bech from Luxembourg; Johan W. Beyen of The Netherlands; dark-jowled Premier Pierre Mendès-France, reading a magazine. The pressing task before them was to fill the void left by the French rejection of EDC-in short, to bring an armed Germany into the alliance without losing the French...
...This is a conference which must succeed," Anthony Eden began. Mendès-France, whose views were known the least and counted the most, hastened to explain his government's "philosophy" toward German rearmament. Diplomatic brows furrowed as Mendés reeled off the list of familiar French objections: controls, limits, agreements on the Saar. Then Mendès made a big concession. In principle, he said, France would no longer oppose West German sovereignty or its admission to NATO. "The French government," explained the man who had stood in five-to-one isolation at the Brussels Conference only...
...offer created a sensation. It gave Frenchmen the assurance they most had desired, the prerequisite they most insisted on before letting the Germans, whom they do not trust, rearm. In the conference room, tears shone in Frenchmen's eyes. Paul-Henri Spaak put said his hand on Mendès shoulder and said quietly "You've won." Mendès replied: "Britain's guarantee will rejoice the heart of France...
Fourth Day. Feeling bad from a cold, Mendès-France suddenly accused the committee on German arms control of ignoring French wishes. His tone was so disagreeable that several delegates feared that he was trying to throw up another roadblock. At this point, Chairman Eden gaveled for silence and read Mendès a pointed lecture: "Some people talk about the importance of their Parliaments. I must say that my own Parliament will be very surprised if a question of arms control is considered more important than the concession my government has made to Western unity." With that, Eden...
...gloom persisted throughout an evening session, in which, confessed a British spokesman harsh words were exchanged." Mendès wanted the Brussels pact powers to control the distribution of U.S. arms aid to Europe. Dulles flatly refused. The Frenchman also insisted that he did not object to the Germans making "submachine guns and cartridges," but did not want them building tanks and planes. At that, the Germans demurred. The usually impeccable Eden emerged from the fourth day's session with his hair ruffled and his face damp with perspiration...