840.50/9–1144: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom ( Winant ) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 11—5 p.m.]
7457. For Berle, Hooker and Radius. See my 7238, Department’s 7180. Foreign Office on September 7 received a telegram from the British Ambassador in Moscow stating that the British and American Ambassadors had approached the Soviet Government concerning the communication of the draft EITO agreement to the Allies in accordance with their instructions but had made the approach in letters to [Page 789] Vyshinski17 as they thought this method more likely to produce results than an oral approach to Molotov.
The telegram indicated that the Soviet Government was pressed for a reply by September 9 concerning the sections of the communication referring to the draft agreement but that it was considered unfair to press for a reply on that date with respect to those sections referring to the Interim Commission as the Soviet Government had not previously expressed any opinion concerning such a body whereas they had previously indicated their agreement to the need for a European Inland Transport Organization.
On September 9 the Foreign Office received a further telegram from the Ambassador stating that Vyshinski had replied that it was difficult for the Soviet Government to join in the invitation as the text covers questions which were still being examined but that they agreed to Draft B in so far as it applied to the draft agreement, including the reference in paragraph 4 to the attitude of the Soviet Government but that the reference in paragraph 7 to their attitude toward the Interim Commission had not been approved.
On the basis of the latter telegram, the Foreign Office is today or tomorrow forwarding Draft B minus paragraphs 6, 7, 8 and 9, together with copies of the draft agreement to its Embassies and Missions for transmission to the Allied Governments to which they are accredited. We are informing Schoenfeld.18