740.0011 (European War
1939)/12–1941
Memorandum by the Secretary of
State to President Roosevelt
[
Washington
,] December 19, 1941.
Herewith I send you two documents, viz: (1) a draft joint declaration
based on the Atlantic Charter17 predicated on
the assumption that the declaring governments have subscribed to its
principles; (2) a draft memorandum agreement constituting a supreme war
council.
The four chief nations now fighting together, as well as any others who
will join with them, should forthwith sign a common declaration of
principle, which should embody a pledge to employ their entire resources
and their full military effort to defeat the common enemy, and should
include a pledge to coordinate these efforts, and should include also a
pledge by all of them not to cease hostilities nor conclude a separate
armistice with the common enemies or any of them until these enemies are
finally defeated.
[Page 4]
Second, it seems essential to provide machinery which will effectively
coordinate the use of resources and the military effort, making suitable
allocation between theatres of war, keeping continuous check on the
execution of war plans and, if possible, achieving unified command in
theatres where this is feasible.
[Enclosure 1]
Draft Joint Declaration by the
United States of America, China, Great Britain, the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics and Other Signatory
Governments
The Governments signatory hereto,
Having subscribed to a common program of purposes and principles
embodied in the Joint Declaration of the President of the United
States of America and the Prime Minister of Great Britain dated
August 14, 1941, known as the Atlantic Charter,
Being convinced that complete and world-wide victory of all of them
is essential to defend life, liberty and independence, and to
preserve human freedom and justice not only in their own lands but
everywhere, and that the struggle in which they are now engaged is a
common defense against savage and brutal forces seeking to subjugate
the world, Declare:
- (1)
- Each signatory Government pledges itself to employ its
full resources against the Government or Governments which
signed the Tripartite Pact on September 27, 1940,18 with which it is or may be at war, and to
continue such employment until that Government or those
Governments have been filially defeated;
- (2)
- Each signatory Government pledges itself to cooperate with
the others to the entire extent of its capacity to effect
full coordination of military effort and use of resources
against the common enemies or any of them;
- (3)
- Each signatory Government pledges itself not to cease
hostilities against or conclude a separate armistice with
the common enemies or any of them, except by common
agreement.
[Enclosure 2]
Draft Memorandum of Agreement:
Supreme War Council
I
- 1.
- With a view to the more effective prosecution of warfare
against Germany, Italy, and Japan, a Supreme War Council is
created, composed of the heads of the governments of Great
Britain, the United [Page 5] States
of America and China; and the head of government of the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics in respect of warfare against those
countries with which the Soviet Union is at war.
- The head of any government may designate a member of his
government with full power to represent him.
- 2.
- The function of the Supreme War Council is to supervise and
coordinate the general conduct of the war and to provide for its
successful prosecution.
- 3.
- The Supreme War Council may determine theatres of war and may
provide for representation of any other government actively
engaged in war against a common enemy in such theatres.
- 4.
- The Council will be responsible for coordinating distribution
of available resources of all categories between various
theatres of war.
- 5.
- The Supreme War Council shall be charged with effecting
unified command in any theatre of war determined by it.
II
- 1.
- The Supreme War Council will create a Staff responsible to it
and consisting of representatives of the armed forces of each of
the members of the Council, who may be the highest ranking
officers of the different branches of the respective armed
forces.
- 2.
- The Staff may draw up general war plans, and shall review
general war plans drawn up by the competent authorities of each
country. It shall follow the execution by each country of the
part allotted to it in any general operation or undertaking, but
shall not exercise any of the powers of the commanders-in-chief
in the field. It shall perform such other functions as may be
assigned to it by the Council.
- 3.
- The members of the Staff shall receive from the government and
the competent authorities of their respective countries all
proposals, information and documents relating to the conduct of
the war. They shall watch, day by day, the situation of the
armed forces and the means of all kinds of which the armed
forces and the enemy armed forces dispose.
- 4.
- By direction of the Supreme War Council, the Staff may
designate a Staff Division to serve in respect of any theatre of
war and may provide for representation of the armed forces of
any other power engaged in active war against any of the common
enemies in such theatre.
- 5.
- The general staffs and military, naval and air commands of the
armed forces of each power charged with the conduct of military
operations remain responsible to their respective governments,
subject to the creation of any unified command which may be
agreed upon.
- 6.
- The Staff shall sit continuously and shall establish
headquarters for itself or for any Staff Division at such place
or places, or in any region, as may be approved by the Supreme
War Council.
