Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945

Hiss Collection

Hiss Notes.¹Transcribed for this volume from longhand notes in pencil.

Yalta, February 4, 1945

2/4 Byrnes
Jebb

Jebb joined us²

Jebb said: Have paper on Dep.³ areas—which has been cleared thru Dominions & is now being considered by War Cabinet

He then read rapidly a paper containing following points

1. Goal is Int. collabor, to promote well being of colonial peoples by:

(a) develop self govt

(b) social & econ devel.

(c) ?

2. Majority of problems are not in dep. areas themselves

3. ... need something broader & more flexible than mandates

4. Proposal—regional bodies

5. Full publicity re colonial admn—desire uniformity of admn.

Proposal: Regional bodies could make recommends. to individual govts or gen. decl.

Eur H Com.⁴

(a) Jebb said might continue as regional body

(b) Wants it also to make provisional demarcations

(c) Mix with quarterly meetings to be held at its seat.

Put temporary nature into Protocol

To assist, where conditions require, in the maintenance of internal order, such assistance to include where other means fail the joint use of force.

to take, upon the unanimous decision of the Commission, action designed to accomplish the following aims:

When the emergency which has given rise to action by the Commission in any country has terminated the Commission will terminate

Justice Byrnes 2:15

(Leahy earlier meeting: get US troops out of Eur)

Pres. fears taking internal rep.

Pres. doesn’t like “big” organ.

Mr. B doesn’t like indep. autb. of U. S. Commissioner Would prefer decl. with auth. to Ambassadors to act as specified in protocol. Ambs. are appointed with consent of Pres. & are under control of Sec.

Mr. B fears any agency would perpetuate itself

Redraft as mere decl.—ad hoc commission for any country

2. An account of Byrnes’ talk with the “State Department delegation” is given by Stettinius, pp. 88–89. Only Byrnes and Jebb of the British delegation are identified as participants by Hiss, and the Stettinius account adds nothing on this point.
3. Dependent. (Throughout the Hiss notes the editors have supplied footnote explanations for a few of the more important and unusual abbreviations at the points where they first appear.)
4. European High Commission.