Paris Peace Conf. 184.001101/3
Minutes of Meeting of the Steering Committee, July 3, 1919, at 2 p.m.
- Present:
- Dr. James Brown Scott
- Prof. Johnson
- Mr. Dulles
- Mr. Herter
Colonel Grant was absent owing to having to attend a meeting at Versailles at 3:00 PM today. Mr. Harrison stated that he was obliged to attend a meeting at the Quai d’Orsay at 2:30 PM. and he was, therefore, unable to attend.
- 1.
- Mr. Herter reported the action taken by the Commissioners on the recommendations which had been approved on the previous day by the Steering Committee.2 The Committee felt that this action was sufficiently gratifying to have already justified its existence.
- 2.
- Dr. Scott made a short report of the recent work of the Drafting Committee, indicating that all the material was now in the hands of that Committee to enable it to complete the conditions of Peace with Austria. The only outstanding point was the settlement of the Italian-Yugo-Slav controversy over Fiume, which had been taken care of in the Conditions of Peace by a general blanket clause.
- 3.
- Mr. Dulles submitted the following recommendation for the
consideration of the Committee:
“The Committee recommends to the Commissioners, as a matter of internal procedure, that all persons attached to the Commission, who are working in a responsible position on Peace matters, be afforded the opportunity of meeting with the Commissioners from time to time, for the purpose of a general exchange of information and views as to current matters.
“It is further suggested that if such meetings are held, advantage be taken of the first of these meetings to refer to the formation of the ‘Steering Committee’ and to make clear that it deals only with matters of procedure, and not with substantive matters of policy.”
- The Committee approved of this recommendation and requested that it be brought to the attention of the Commissioners at the next meeting.
- 4.
- The Committee considered a memorandum prepared by Dr. Lord on some documents sent to Mr. Lansing regarding the rectification of the Polish-Czecho-Slovak frontier to include the districts of Spiz and Orawa. The Committee decided that a recommendation should be made to the Commissioners to the effect that if the Teschen question is to be brought up in the Council of Five in the near future, the matter of this frontier rectification might be put on the agenda at the same time; if, however, the question of Teschen is to be left in the hope that the Poles and Czechs will come to an agreement upon it, this question of rectification of the frontier should be made a separate matter to be placed on the agenda of the Council of Five at an early date.
- 5.
- Dr. Scott referred to Mr. Dulles for an expression of opinion the revised draft of the Reparation and Financial clauses.
- 6.
- The Committee decided not to meet on July 4th nor on July 5th unless pressing business should require a meeting on the latter date.
- 7.
- The meeting adjourned at 2:45 PM.