Office of the Historian

840.50/12–2044: Telegram

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

London, December 20, 1944—9 p.m.
[Received December 20—6:40 p.m.]

11323. The question of a coal organization raised in Department’s 10250, December 7 has been discussed here by Hawkins, Berger,44 Mosely45 and Penrose,46 but our reply has been delayed by UK developments.

(1)
We believe that it is desirable to start discussions as quickly as possible on the coal question with the object of creating international [Page 636] coal machinery. We do not consider that it is advisable to carry on these discussions without informing the Soviet and inviting them to attend. On the other hand, we think it might cause long delay if we took no steps until the Soviet agreed to participate fully.
(2)
Ronald has given us a copy of a communication instructing Halifax47 and Clark Kerr48 to suggest to the US and Soviet that a European Coal Organization should be set up consisting of representatives of the three powers and the European Allies.
(3)
The Foreign Office procedure seems to us to raise political difficulties concerning Soviet-Polish relations. We suggest that a better procedure would be to propose first a four-power meeting US, UK, USSR and France, with the following terms of reference.
(a)
To explore generally the problems arising from the current world shortage of coal and of coal mining machinery which it is anticipated will become even more serious in the early postwar period, and in particular, the relation of this shortage to problems of reconstruction in Europe.
(b)
To consider whether international machinery may be needed during the period of world shortage and, if so, what kind of machinery.
(4)
To avoid the indefinite delay that might arise from postponement of the Soviet reply we suggest that a date late in January be proposed for such a meeting and that in communicating with the Soviet the hope might be expressed that the Soviet would send representatives to participate fully, but that if they were not ready to do so at the date mentioned they would at least send observers and as soon as they were ready would participate fully.
(5)
In addition it might be proposed that each country should prepare a suggested agenda in advance and that these would be used as a basis for working out an agreed agenda as soon as the representatives met. It would also be open to the representatives of the four powers, as soon as they were agreed, to take steps to call in representatives of other Allies to minimize delay in setting up an organization.
(6)
It seems to us that this procedure would have the advantage of avoiding the difficult question of the scope and form of representation on a coal organization until the representatives of US, UK, USSR and France had met. The UK procedure seems to run head-on into these difficulties even before representatives of the four Governments have had a chance to meet.
Winant
  1. Samuel D. Berger, member of Mission for Economic Affairs, American Embassy, London.↩
  2. Philip E. Mosely, Chief, Division of Territorial Studies; temporarily assigned to the Embassy at London to assist in work of European Advisory Commission.↩
  3. Ernest F. Penrose, Special Assistant to the American Ambassador in the United Kingdom.↩
  4. Lord Halifax, British Ambassador in the United States.↩
  5. Sir Archibald J. K. Clark Kerr, British Ambassador in the Soviet Union.↩