740.0011 Moscow/10–1943
Draft Terms of Reference of the Advisory Commission for Europe
Conference Document No. 8
(British Proposal)
An Advisory Commission for Europe will be established, composed in the first instance of representatives of the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union. These representatives will be assisted, where necessary, by service advisers. The Commission will meet as soon as possible in London.
The Commission will take into consideration any European questions other than military operational questions which the United Kingdom, United States and Soviet Governments agree to refer to it.
It will in particular, as a first task, establish the principles which should govern the conclusion of hostilities with the European members of the Axis and work out the practical application of those principles. It will take as a basis for its work on this subject the draft statement of principles shown in the annex.85 This draft will naturally be open to amendment by the Commission in the light of experience or further study.
[Page 711]The members of the Commission will be supplied by their Governments with all relevant information on political and military developments affecting their work. They will make joint or several recommendations to their Governments but will not have power to take final decisions.
Other members of the United Nations will, at the discretion of the three Powers, be represented on the Commission when matters especially affecting their interests are under discussion.
The establishment of the Commission will not preclude other methods of consultation amongst the three Governments, on current issues. There may, for example, be questions calling for special consideration which may be more conveniently handled by tripartite discussion in one or other of the three capitals between the responsible Head of the Foreign Office and the permanent diplomatic representatives of the other two Governments. There may also be questions calling for international or special tripartite conferences.
- i. e., Conference Document No. 7, supra. ↩