Lot 60 D 224

Memorandum by the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant (Pasvolsky)1

Hull, Welles, Bowman, Pasvolsky and Davis to see President President said memo, prepared by Bowman (and staff) on Libya2 was good and he would talk about it with Churchill that week-end. President then said he had a long telegram from Churchill,3 and the following papers (from State): colonial declaration,4 Constitution of International Organization,5 Four Power Pact,6 UN Protocol.7 He directed Pasvolsky to bring him up to date.

Hull read the British aide-mémoire,8 beginning with points 9 and 10 (Council of Europe proposal). President said he had told Churchill on last visit we were opposed. Hull said Department’s answer was proposed Four Power Pact. The President then suggested that they go into that, and he took exception to the article dealing with the technical commission to advise on forces which each power should keep ready for emergency enforcement purposes. He altered that to read: “available”. Also, he took exception to the article dealing with disarmament. The President wondered whether this would have to be ratified [Page 682] by the Senate. Hull said he didn’t think so and that we should talk about that. He said it could be issued in the form of a declaration. The President at once took that up favorably, and suggested that in the Four Power Pact, the word “article” be struck out wherever it appeared as too indicative of a treaty.

Pasvolsky then suggested that our thought was that the declaration should be issued in connection with an agreement to set up machinery. Welles said that that was the next step we had in mind. The President approved the idea.

He then turned to the United Nations Protocol, which the President started to read and then stopped reading to scan and got clear to the end and said: “This has thirteen articles. That’s a bad number.” He then suggested that it be reduced to a statement of the principles rather than designed to be a formal agreement. He said that that was the next stage for us to consider anyway. The President then asked Pasvolsky to draft up the protocol in the form of principles and bring them up to date. He suggested that we get such a paper by tomorrow evening at 10 o’clock, so that he would be able to get it before he left for Hyde Park where he was going to talk with Churchill about it. If not, he would be back one day next week land could then get it.9

They then talked about steps to be taken. The President indicated that Churchill was going to be joined by Eden later in the conversations and would be available to talk this thing over first before raising it with the other powers. The President would bring Eden back with him later on and we could all talk together down here.

The President then said that after we had reached agreement with the British we would have to raise the matter in Moscow.

  1. Entry for August 10, 1943, in a chronology entitled “Indications of Contact With President on Post-War Matters”.
  2. Ante, p. 338.
  3. Post, p. 702.
  4. Post, p. 717.
  5. See Notter, pp. 472–483. Welles had given Roosevelt a copy of this paper on or shortly before June 19, 1943.
  6. Post, p. 682.
  7. Post, p. 693.
  8. Post, p. 700.
  9. For the text of “Tentative Draft of Propositions for a United Nations Protocol for the War and Transition Periods”, dated August 14, 1943, see post, p. 706.