Discussions regarding the establishment of a European Inland Transport Organization; conference held at London, October 10, 1944, to September 27, 1945 ¹

^1. The Conference was not in continuous session. After several meetings in October and November 1944, no meetings of the Conference were held until August 22, 1945, although certain delegations, including the American delegation, continued meetings during the interim.

[On October 28, 1942, the Inter-Allied Committee on Post-War Requirements, of which Sir Frederick Leith-Ross was chairman, established the Technical Advisory Committee on Inland Transport (TACIT), under the chairmanship of Dr. Hondelink of The Netherlands, and on October 9, 1943, the Department of State established a Special Committee on Inland Transport, with Paul T. Culbertson as chairman. See Foreign Relations, 1942, volume I, page 143, and Department of State, Postwar Foreign Policy Preparation, 1939–1945 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1949), pages 86, 140, 180, 243, and 544.

The British Embassy, in an aide-mémoire of November 4, 1943, to the Department of State, referred to the possibility that the problem of transport needs in Europe might arise during the deliberations at the meeting of the UNRRA Council to be held at Atlantic City on November 10, and transmitted a copy of an earlier memorandum proposing that “the Governments of the United Kingdom, United States of America, and the U.S.S.R., as well as all the Continental European Allies might participate in the establishment of an European Inland Transport Organisation which would work within the framework of any wider body established by the United Nations and charged with planning or co-ordinating economic affairs in Europe” (840.50/3408).

The Department of State replied, in a memorandum of December 21, 1943, that the United States approved of the suggestion for the immediate creation of a tripartite committee to formulate plans and that it agreed that the British memorandum might serve as a basis of discussion (840.50/3408). The British Embassy then proposed that the matter be remitted to the recently established European Advisory Commission to make recommendations as to the proper form, composition, and terms of reference of the committee (aide-mémoire No. 60, Ref. 482/6/44, January 31, 1944, filed under 840.50/3684). In a memorandum of March 7, 1944, the Department of State, noting that the Soviet Union had not yet indicated its acceptance of the British Government’s [Page 744] original proposal, expressed the view that the function “envisaged for an Inland Transport Authority for Europe would seem to go beyond the present activities of the Advisory Commission”. The United States therefore thought the original British proposal preferable to that of January 31. (840.50/3408)

After further discussions British officials prepared a Provisional Draft Agreement for European Inland Transport Organization (April 26, 1944, 840.50/3760), and on May 13 the British Embassy presented to the Department of State an invitation to send representatives to London to meet with representatives of the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom (840.50/3771). The United States accepted the invitation. On May 23 the British Ambassador at Moscow received a note from Foreign Minister Molotov agreeing that it would be desirable to create a European Inland Transport Organization but stating that until the Soviet Government had had time to examine the text of the proposed draft agreement it could only be represented at London by an observer (telegram 1876, May 25, 1944, from Moscow, 840.50/3786).

The following persons served as United States representatives: Walter A. Radius, divisional assistant, Aviation Division, Office of Transportation and Communications; Robert G. Hooker, Jr., executive assistant to Assistant Secretary of State Berle; and Brigadier General Frank S. Ross, Chief of the Transportation Section of the European Theater of Operations, United States Army.]

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