740.00119 European Advisory
Commission/10–2944
The Soviet Ambassador (Gromyko) to the
Secretary of State
[Translation]
Washington, October 29,
1944.
Dear Mr. Secretary: I enclose herewith under
instructions from the Soviet Government a memorandum on the question of
the participation of France and other Allied Governments in the work of
the European Advisory Commission.
Sincerely yours,
[Enclosure—Translation]
Memorandum
On the 16th of October the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Great
Britain, A. Eden, transmitted to the People’s Commissar for Foreign
Affairs of the U.S.S.R., V. M. Molotov, a memorandum of the
Government of Great Britain on the question of the participation of
France and other Allied Governments in the work of the European
Advisory [Page 81] Commission. In the
memorandum it was stated that the Government of Great Britain
supports the request of the French that they should be permitted to
send a representative to the European Advisory Commission for the
purpose of discussing the conditions of the surrender of Germany. It
was further stated in the memorandum that “the Government of the
United Kingdom suggests that the time has come to permit other
European Allied Governments who have suffered from German aggression
also to send representatives to be present in the Commission when
and in such manner as the Commission may consider desirable in order
to discuss any questions connected with the surrender of Germany in
which these Governments are directly interested. It [the British
Government]68 believes that the Government of the
United States supports this view and will be grateful for the
expression of the position of the Soviet Government.”
However, the British Government considers that in the interest of
security the document concerning conditions of surrender of Germany
cannot be communicated to other Allied Governments at the present
time but that this may be done at a suitable time in the near
future. In connection with this memorandum the Soviet Government has
communicated the following to the British Government:
The question of the participation of France and of other Allied
Governments has been considered by the representatives of the three
Allied Governments in the European Advisory Commission in London but
the Soviet Government considers that this question does not fall
within the competency of the Advisory Commission but within the
competency of the three Governments.
The point of view of the Soviet Government on the question of the
participation of France and other Allied Governments in the work of
the European Advisory Commission does not differ from the point of
view of the British Government as set forth in the above-mentioned
memorandum of the British Government. The Soviet Government
considers that a French representative should be invited to take
part in the discussions of German matters in the Commission. In
addition the Soviet Government considers it necessary to examine the
question of the permanent participation of France in the affairs of
the European Advisory Commission. For its part the Soviet Government
is in favor of the participation of a representative of the French
provisional government in the affairs of the European Advisory
Commission in the capacity of a fourth permanent member of the
Commission. This is especially appropriate now that the three Allied
[Page 82] Governments have
recognized the provisional government of the French Republic. There
is also no objection from the Soviet side against other
representatives of Allied Governments being present in the
Commission when and in such manner as the Commission considers it
desirable as set forth in the British memorandum.
Likewise there is no objection from the Soviet side to the three
Allied Governments authorizing the European Advisory Commission to
inform the other Allied Governments of the contents of the document
regarding the surrender of Germany in such manner and on such terms
as are set forth in point 2 of the memorandum of the British
Government.
A[ndrei] G[romyko]
October 29,
1944.
