857.01/138: Telegram
The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Bucknell) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 15—6:09 p.m.]
3949. From Phillips. Re Department’s 3847, May 13, 1944. The Foreign Office has today been notified by the Norwegian Government and the Soviet Embassy that the Soviet Government has accepted the Norwegian draft which is identical with the United States-British-Norwegian drafts and are ready to sign it. We all hoped it would be possible to sign all the agreements tomorrow but it now appears that the Soviet Ambassador to Norway is still awaiting the necessary authority to sign.
In the circumstances, the Foreign Office is telegraphing the text of the revised press statement to Moscow and to Washington for approval and proposes that its release be postponed until it has been approved by the State Department and Soviet Government.
We are proceeding tomorrow with the signatures of the Belgian and Dutch agreements without publicity and are hoping to sign our Norwegian agreements as soon as the signatures can be synchronized with the Soviet-Norwegian signatures. [Phillips.]
[On May 16, 1944, agreements in identical terms were concluded by the United States and the United Kingdom with the Governments of Belgium and the Netherlands and by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union with the Government of Norway. These agreements concerned arrangements to be made for civil administration and jurisdiction in the Belgian, Netherlands, and Norwegian territories when they were liberated by the Allied forces. For text of the agreement signed at London May 16, 1944, between the United States and Belgium, see Foreign Relations, 1944, volume III, page 296. For text of the agreement signed at London May 16, 1944, between the United States and the Netherlands, see Department of State, Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS) No. 2212, printed in United States Treaties and Other International Agreements, [Page 39] volume 2, page 601. For text of the agreement signed at London May 16, 1944, between the United States and Norway, see Department of State TIAS No. 1514, or 60 Stat. (pt. 2) 1581.]