Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1943, Europe, Volume II

740.00119 ACI/32: Telegram

The American Representative to the French Committee of National Liberation at Algiers (Wilson) to the Secretary of State

Algiers, December 25, 1943—4 p.m.
[Received December 26—10:35 a.m.]

252. From Reinhardt.

(1) —The Advisory Council for Italy held its fourth meeting yesterday December 24.

(2) —The question of Yugoslav and Greek participation in the Council was raised by Macmillan who stated he believed the moment opportune to invite the two Governments to send representatives. Massigli and Vyshinsky concurred. In the absence of a reply to telegram 168, December 17, 10 a.m., from Murphy,²⁶ I stated I had no authority to do so. Macmillan expressed the view that the Council was empowered to extend the invitation without the members having specific authorizations from their Governments. I was supported by Vyshinsky who explained that such had not been the intention of the Moscow Conference. It was accordingly agreed that as soon as I had the necessary authorization the chairman would proceed to forward the invitation to the Governments in Cairo without calling a special meeting of the Council.

(3) —With respect to the Commander in Chief’s request for a recommendation regarding Soviet and French representation on the Control Commission, both Vyshinsky and Massigli stated that they were authorized to agree to the British plan reported in telegrams 152 [154?] of December 14 and 170 of December 17, both from Murphy. I informed the Council that I was expecting instructions on the subject in the very near future and it was agreed to submit the Council’s recommendation to the Commander in Chief when they had been received.

(4) —Following a discussion of the current situation in Italy, it was decided to arrange a tour of Sicily and Sardinia beginning December 27 and ending up with a meeting of the Council in Brindisi or Salerno depending upon the location of the Allied Control Commission at that time.

(5) —Please bring the foregoing to the attention of Murphy.

Repeated to Moscow and London. Sent to Department. [Reinhardt.]

Wilson

26. Not printed; it inquired if the Department did not prefer, in view of the divisions among the Greeks and Yugoslavs, to postpone temporarily invitation to their Governments to send representatives to the Council (740.00119 ACI/27).