Paris  should  be  instructed  to  make  parallel  representations  to  the  French  Government
  urging  postponement  of  their  plan  on  the  ground  that  to  proceed  with  it
can  only  add  unnecessary  and  very  unwelcome  complications  to  the  task  of  the
Foreign  Ministers  at  the  forthcoming  Conference.
3.  If  notwithstanding  such  representations  the  French  Government  decide  to
proceed  with  their  plan  we  should  make  a  formal  protest  and  point  out  to  the
French  that  their  action  raises  the  question  of  putting  trade  between  the  combined
zones  and  the  French  zone  on  a  dollar  basis.  We  and  the  Americans  should  invite
the  French  immediately  to  discuss  this  question  with  the  Bi-zonal  authorities  in
Berlin  which  in  all  the  circumstances  is  the  most  convenient  centre.  We  should  also
make  it  clear  that  we  have  always  insisted  that  a  settlement  of  the  reparations  point
must  precede  our  agreement  to  the  economic  integration  of  the  Saar  with  France.
4.  Our  own  view  is  that  it  would  be  unreasonable  and  inadvisable  to  interrupt  trade
between  the  combined  zone  and  the  French  zone  pending  the  outcome  of  these
discussions  provided  the  French  agreed  to  enter  upon  them  at  the  earliest  possible
date.
5.  Please  do  your  best  to  get  American  agreement  on  the  policy  outlined  above  and
to  ensure  that  United  States  authorities  in  Germany  take  no  hasty  action  in  regard
to  the  interruption  of  trade.

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