Office of the Historian

740.00119 EAC/160: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)

Washington, April 14, 1944—midnight.

2992. For Phillips.50 (Your 2962, April 12, 6 p.m.51) Combined Chiefs of Staff have authorized signature of United States agreements with Norway, Holland, and Belgium.52

While we wish to have these agreements communicated to the Soviet Government, we do not wish to have it done through the EAC. We have, therefore, presented the text of the agreement with Norway to the Soviet Government through our Embassy in Moscow,53 and are about to notify them of agreements with the Netherlands and [Page 27] Belgium.54 Some ten days ago we sent a further message through the Embassy at Moscow55 to the Soviet Government stating that as these agreements are connected with our military planning we could not delay much longer their final signature. We hoped, therefore, to receive any comments Soviet Government might have before it becomes necessary to sign the agreements.

It was our thought that SCAEF56 under his authorization will sign the agreements when he considers it necessary to do so from the point of view of his military planning without necessarily awaiting to hear that Soviet Government has commented. In the event of receiving anything from Moscow, we will communicate with you.

Hull
  1. William Phillips, Political Adviser at the Headquarters of the Supreme Allied Commander, with the personal rank of Ambassador.↩
  2. Not printed; in this telegram Mr. Phillips asked to be given the status of the agreements to be signed with Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium (740.00119 EAC/160).↩
  3. See bracketed note, p. 38.↩
  4. See supra.↩
  5. Telegram 922, April 15, 1944, 4 p.m., to Moscow, not printed, requested that the Soviet Government he so informed (855.01/78a).↩
  6. Telegram 768, March 31, midnight, to Moscow, not printed.↩
  7. Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.↩