740.0011 European War 1939/19264
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Atherton)
The Soviet Ambassador called on me by reference from the Secretary. He said that he had discussed with Mr. Hull the signatories to the United Declaration. He said that at the time of signing when he had discussed it with the President, it had been suggested, and warmly seconded by Mr. Churchill, that it should read: Nations “and Authorities”. Mr. Churchill stressed very much that this would permit the Free French to sign. Mr. Litvinov said that he had no authority to agree to it and therefore was unable to accede even though in the [Page 32] course of the argument it was set down that any authorities who signed would only be those authorities that were agreed to by the four principal signatory powers, such as, inter alia, the Free French, to whom Mr. Churchill was making reference. Consequently, the Soviet Ambassador asked me, in regard to the many groups asking who would be permitted to sign, and what was the attitude of this Government? Could I give him any information with particular reference to reports of King Carol, a Free German group, or the Latvian Minister? I replied to the Ambassador that this was not a question of individual authority at the present time—it was a question of policy that must be decided as a whole before any single authority or group could be permitted and therefore I could not discuss it on the basis of any one applicant but rather must await a final decision of policy which, I assume, would be in a few days. The Soviet Ambassador said that in that case it would give him time to raise the matter with the President. He then asked me whether any of these applicants for signature were receiving replies. I said we had had one or two telegrams from our diplomatic missions abroad and we had answered them that this was a question of policy which must be decided upon, but beyond that, no individual applicant had received any acknowledgment or answer to a written application. (This was subsequently confirmed to me by Mr. Berle.)
The Ambassador said he was very grateful for the information, but he could not get out of his mind the fact that even when the policy was determined, there was a semi idea remaining in his mind, that it had been tentatively discussed at the White House with the President and Mr. Churchill that no movement or authority could be permitted to sign the United Declaration except by previous reference to the four principal signatories.