840.50/2196b
The Assistant Secretary of State (Acheson) to the First Secretary of the British Embassy (Thorold)80
My Dear Mr. Thorold: I shall be able to send you shortly the full Minutes of our discussion on July 21 with respect to the draft agreement for a relief and rehabilitation administration.81 In the meantime, however, I believe the following notes will be useful to you in connection with an immediate report to your Government on the principal subject involved in that discussion.
[Page 953]I believe it was our understanding at the meeting in my office that the British, Soviet and Chinese Ambassadors would communicate with their home governments regarding the present status of negotiations with the other governments centering around the powers and composition of the Central Committee, and that those communications would cover the following points:
- A.
- This Government will continue to make every effort to convince the other governments that the provisions in the draft agreement relating to this point are reasonable and workable, in the hope that all the governments concerned will be prepared to accept these provisions after they are fully understood.
- B.
- It seems desirable, however, for the four Powers to consider in
advance what action they will be prepared to take in the event that
any appreciable number of the other governments prove to be entirely
unwilling to accept the draft in its present form. It is assumed
that in such a situation the four Powers would prefer to consider
some modification of the powers of the Central Committee rather than
an expansion of its membership. A number of changes in the powers of
the Central Committee as set forth in the present draft have been
suggested by the representatives of various governments who have
discussed this matter with officers of the Department of State.
These suggestions are set forth below for the consideration of the
other three Governments:
- 1.
- In Article II drop the power of the Central Committee to admit new members to the Administration between sessions of the Council.
- 2.
- Modification of Article III, paragraph 2, so as to authorize a special session of the Council at the request of one-third of its members instead of a majority.
- 3.
- In Article III, paragraphs 4, 5 and 6, transfer from the Central Committee to the Council, or a nominating committee appointed by the Council, the power to nominate certain members of committees of the Council.
- 4.
- In Article VIII remove the exclusive veto power on amendments placed with members of the Central Committee by requiring unanimous agreement of all members of the Council to amendments, or by stating in this provision that any member government may declare that it shall not be bound by an amendment it has not accepted.
- 5.
- In Article III, paragraph 3, some limitation of the statement that the Central Committee shall exercise “all the powers and functions” of the Council between sessions of the Council, so as to indicate that it would act only on new policy questions regarding which the Council had not previously taken action.
It will be helpful if the other three Governments will communicate to the Government of the United States their views with respect to these possible changes in the draft set forth above.
Sincerely yours,