740.00119 EW/7–1344: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 13—3 p.m.]
5533. Comea 69. Thank you for your instruction No. 4268 of July 5 transmitting WS–162b with regard to surrender terms for Bulgaria.
The British delegation is about to circulate in the Commission a paper85 on the same subject, an advance copy of which I am tomorrow sending you by air courier. The British paper lays down a set of basic principles which they feel will be applicable regardless of the time Bulgaria surrenders. While this approach is somewhat broader than ours, I have reason to believe the British will go along with our proposals which cover the possibility of Bulgaria’s early withdrawal from the war.
If you approve,86 I should like to circulate in the Commission an American paper based on WS–162b. In fact I think that document might be used almost verbatim although I have a few alterations to suggest. When the British and American papers have been circulated, we will be in a position to invite the Russian delegate to express his views and then presumably we should be able to work out a single document representing the recommendations of the Commission.
It would be appreciated if you would let me know by telegraph whether you approve the suggested procedure and the following amendments to WS–162b which would make that paper more suitable for presentation to the Commission.
In the introductory first paragraph, omit “of the recent statement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding the desirability of the withdrawal of the Axis satellites from the war and”.
On page 4, section 3, substitute the following for the first paragraph: “The principal Allied governments will be prepared at the final peace settlement to use their influence in favor of the retention of southern Dobruja by Bulgaria. Pending this settlement Bulgarian officials would be permitted to administer southern Dobruja and, if circumstances made such action necessary, units of the Bulgarian Armed Forces might be stationed there at a strength to be determined by the Allied Theater Commander.”
- Infra.↩
- The Department’s approval was given in telegram 5563, July 15, to London (740.00119EAC/7–1344). Accordingly, the American document (E.A.C. (44) 21, July 26) was circulated in the European Advisory Commission on July 26, and copy transmitted to the Department in despatch 17135, July 27 (740.00119EAC/7–2744).↩