740.00119 European Advisory Commission/31: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:50 p.m.]
111. Personal for the Secretary. Since my cable to you (my 82, January 4, 10 p.m.) I have planned to call the first meeting of the Advisory Commission the middle of next week.
It is my present thought that if by that time we have not reached closer understanding with the British with relation to the general scope of the Commission’s intentions and in particular the questions connected with civil affairs in occupied areas, I shall inaugurate the work of the Commission by taking up initially, as indicated in the terms of reference, the matter of terms of surrender and pertinent controls for Germany and shall ask that the various representatives be prepared to place before the Commission at the following (i. e. the second) session any papers or suggestions they may already have to submit on this subject. This would be, of course, without prejudice to the future submission of further material, by any representative, as it might become available.
The next step, at the second session, would then probably be to start the immediate studying and sifting of available material by a working subcommittee, with a view to giving the representatives a clear picture of the extent to which, and points at which, the initial approaches by the three powers converge or differ.
I hope that this program will enable the Commission to get down to hard work at once on a matter with regard to which, in connection with the Commission’s competency, there can be no difference of opinion; and that this will smooth the ways for a clarification of views with respect to other matters proposed for its examination.