740.00119 ACI/76: Telegram
The Chargé at Algiers (Chapin) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 16—6:25 a.m.]
847. From Reinhardt. At the meeting of the Advisory Council this morning Macmillan raised with Bogomolov all but the last of [Page 1052] the questions set forth in the Department’s telegram No. 767, March 14, 6 p.m. in connection with the recently announced intention of the Soviet Government to exchange representatives with the Italian Government. I associated myself with Macmillan’s inquiry and in addition stated that my Government was interested to know whether in view of this recent unilateral action on the part of the Soviet Government, the Soviet Union intends to continue consulting and advising with the other United Nations represented on the Advisory Council with respect to all political questions relating to Italy.
Bogomolov showed evident reluctance to discuss this subject in the Council and prefaced his remarks by saying that he had no instructions and that anything he might say was purely personal and unofficial. He then proceeded to expound the same explanation he had given to Macmillan and me when he called on us on Saturday last,82 (reported in my 822 March 13, 5 p.m.). He said in addition that the whole matter was clearly set forth in the Soviet communiqué which was to be published today. In reply to my specific question he said he thought that the Soviet Government had no intention of making any change in its relationships either to Allied Control Commission or the Advisory Council and added that if the United States Government wished to take up this question with the Soviet Government it should do so directly; that the Advisory Council was not the proper place for it to be discussed. I reported that I felt a question which so vitally affected the very existence of the Council could be discussed in no more fitting place than in the Council itself. To this his only rejoinder was a muttered something about “no instructions”.
Massigli showed a lively interest in the subject and developed the idea of the paradox which would result from the coexistence of an Allied control machinery and direct relationships with the Italian Government. He said that the Italians who up until the present were treated as minors had suddenly succeeded in acquiring the stature of adults. It was not the presence of a Soviet representative in Italy but the apparent freedom of the Italian Government to set up representations abroad which endangered the machinery of control. Macmillan endeavored to obtain discussion of the question of what action should be recommended to the Commander in Chief in view of the Italian Government having taken this initiative without permission of the Control Commission. To this Bogomolov replied that he was not responsible for the actions of the Italian Government.
Bogomolov asked that no record be made in the minutes of the foregoing discussion. His proposal was not accepted but it was agreed that he might strike his rejoinders from the record if he so wished or limit them to the simple statement that in the absence of instructions [Page 1053] he had referred the Council to the Soviet communiqué which was being published in this connection today.
Following the meeting I suggested to Macmillan that it would be [well?] if we both sent Bogomolov an aide-mémoire of the questions which he had asked to which Macmillan agreed. This action seemed desirable both because of some doubt as to Bogomolov’s complete understanding of the questions since he had not brought an interpreter with him to the meeting and because he had given some indication to me that he would like to have my question in writing.
Sent to the Department as No. 847, repeated to Moscow as 16. [Reinhardt.]
- March 11.↩