740.0011 European War 1939/31399½: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Hamilton) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 27—9:55 a.m.]
1470. Your 881, September 21, 11 a.m.25 There was delivered at the Embassy this morning a secret communication dated September 25, signed by Molotov, reading in translation made by an officer of the Embassy as follows:
The Soviet Government, having taken note of your letter of September 22, 1943, in which is set forth contents of the proposed message of the President to General Eisenhower26 concerning Italy, considers it necessary to inform the Government of the United States of America of the following:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. The Soviet Government considers that the establishment of an Allied commission with the functions and powers set forth in point 4 of the message27 is not necessary in view of the fact that, as is well known, after the ratification of the detailed armistice terms there was established by the decision of the three Governments the Military Political Commission, as a result of which the question of a control commission envisaged in Article 37 of the detailed terms should be considered as falling away. Therefore, in opinion of Soviet Government there should be included in the work of the Military Political Commission the coordination and direction of the activities of all military organs organized won [in?] enemy territory and of any Allied civil authorities with regard to questions of the armistice and of control over the execution of the terms of the armistice and, consequently there should be included in the functions of the Military Political Commission the issuance from time to time of instructions and directives on military, political and administrative questions for the Badoglio Government while military operational questions remain entirely under the direction of the Allied Commander in Chief.
[Page 790]The Soviet Government, therefore, sees no reason for establishment of an Allied commission under the direction of General Eisenhower with above-mentioned functions.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- The telegram is printed in full in vol. xi, p. 377.↩
- Ibid., p. 371.↩
- For text of the President’s message to General Eisenhower, see ibid., p. 373.↩
- Point 4 of the message read: “The Allied Military Government and the appropriate functions contemplated for the Armistice Control Commission will be merged as promptly as practicable into an Allied Commission under the Allied Commander in Chief which shall be empowered to furnish guidance and instructions from time to time to the Badoglio government on military, political and administrative matters.”↩