740.0011 Stettinius Mission/24: Telegram

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

[Extracts]

3071. Deles57 8. For the Secretary from the Under Secretary.

I

Winant, Matthews and I had lunch and spent the afternoon with Eden at his country place on Tuesday, April 11. We discussed fully and frankly many different subjects. The most important of these were:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. The European Advisory Commission. Eden is very discouraged with the slow progress that the Commission is making and the restricted scope of its authority. He feels that it is absolutely essential for this first important tripartite body to be a success and that we must make every effort to increase the speed and efficiency of its work. He feels that we are running a very real risk, as matters stand now, of the Commission proving a disappointment.

A separate detailed cable on the European Advisory Commission will follow.58

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Winant outlined the views of the three Governments on surrender terms and the outstanding differences between them, and we discussed them at length.59

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

VI

Later Wednesday afternoon60 Winant and I called upon the Soviet Ambassador at the Soviet Embassy. I explained to him the purpose of my visit to London and made it clear that our talks were only exploratory in character.

Winant stated to the Soviet Ambassador that while I am in London I am giving attention to the work of the European Advisory Commission. Thereafter both Winant and I expressed the hope that the work of the Commission could be speeded up, particularly on the surrender terms. The Soviet Ambassador expressed agreement with this.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[Stettinius]
Winant
  1. Series designation for telegrams from Under Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., in connection with his conversations in London, April 7–29, 1944. For the Report to the Secretary of State by the Under Secretary regarding his mission to London, see vol. iii, pp. 1 ff.
  2. Telegram 3069, Deles 7, April 14, midnight, from London, infra.
  3. For correspondence regarding the negotiations in the European Advisory Commission on the question of surrender terms for Germany, see pp. 100 ff.
  4. April 12.