840.50/7–2944: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 29—11:25 a.m.]
6033. For Berle from Radius. ReDept’s 5632, July 18, 9 p.m., and 5567, July 15, midnight, 5766, July 22, midnight and Embassy’s 5667, July 18, 5 p.m.
The British have accepted the amendments to the EITO agreement and directive suggested by the Department with the following amendment to the substitute paragraph 5 of the directive stated in Department’s 5632, July 18, 9 p.m. In line 3 after “necessary to meet import requirements” insert “for” and place a comma after “fair distribution of”.
The British also recommend the following amendments to the draft agreement: Article XI, lines 2 and 3 substitute the word “suspension” for “cessation” and the word “with” for “by”.
Article XIII, line 1 amend “cessation of hostilities by Germany” to read “general suspension of hostilities with Germany.”
If these final amendments meet with Department’s approval will you please telegraph to Moscow. The Foreign Office are sending the following message to their Embassy in Moscow:
“Please concert with your U. S. colleague, who will be receiving instructions shortly, a joint communication to the Soviet Government on the subject of the proposed European Inland Transport Organization along the following line:
The report, the draft agreement, and the draft directive, the texts of which have been communicated to the Soviet observer that [at] the talks in London, have now been approved in substance by the U.S. and U.K. Governments subject to certain drafting amendments which have already been communicated to the Soviet observer (text of the amendments will be cabled to your U.S. colleague shortly and you should pass them to the Soviet Government).
The U.S. and the U.K. Governments are now ready to proceed with the proposed discussions with the other European Allied Governments and to participate in the establishment of the interim commission. They hope the Soviet Government is also now ready to join them in taking these two steps.
Please press for early reply.”
As you may note we have not raised the question of informal preliminary talks with Soviet approval because we feel efforts should first be made to secure full Soviet participation immediately. If the Soviets indicate they are not ready to take the steps indicated in the British instructions then we should seek their approval to proceed with informal discussions and the establishment of the Interim [Page 772] Commission with their participation as observers. It is felt here that if this latter alternative were suggested to the Soviets by us at the present time it might be used as an excuse to postpone active participation.
With respect to actual invitations to the other governments after receiving Soviet approval it is suggested that either the U.S. or the U.K. acting on behalf of the three governments issue the invitations to the other Allies. This procedure is suggested in order to minimize the confusion that would result in efforts to present invitations jointly to all of these governments. The experience with respect to the invitations for the shipping conference, when only two governments were acting jointly, illustrates the difficulties that would arrive in endeavoring to follow a similar procedure in the case of the proposed inland transport discussions. [Radius.]