840.70/12–1244: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 12—10:55 a.m.]
11003. With reference to the proposal which the British have under consideration (see Embassy’s 10928 of December 9, from EITO Delegation26) for adherence to the EITO agreement by some form of protocol rather than by signing the agreement, the following pertinent consideration has just come to our notice:
We had supposed that occupied territory under the control of any member government, for example any United States and United Kingdom zones in Germany, would be effectively brought within the terms of the agreement by the commitments of such member government and by the specific references in the agreement, including the definition in Article XIV, to “territory under the authority of a member government”. We now learn, however, that with respect to economic matters, the authority will be in the hands, not of each occupying power in its zone of occupation, but in the hands of the Control Commission of which the Soviets will be a member and on which, by virtue of the requirement for unanimity, they will be able to exercise a veto. Without Soviet adherence, therefore, it seems clear that no occupied territory can be brought within the terms of the agreement; and that, in the absence of Soviet adherence, the effectiveness of the organization’s policies and recommendations in occupied territory, for example in Germany, will depend upon Soviet cooperation. While we may well have reason to hope for such cooperation, if Kennan’s analysis in Moscow’s 4455 of November 22 to the Department is correct, this situation would seem to be a strong argument for bringing about adherence to EITO agreement in the form least likely to offend Soviet sensibilities.
We assume that this situation will also exist with respect to other contemplated economic arrangements, which we wish to make effective in occupied territory as well as elsewhere in Continental Europe.
We therefore suggest to the Department that it may wish not only to support a British proposal for adherence to the EITO agreement by protocol, if it is forthcoming along the lines indicated in the Embassy’s [Page 917] 10928 of December 9, but also the desirability of our proposing it on our own initiative if the British do not take the initiative.
- Not printed.↩