Office of the Historian

740.00119 E.W. 1939/8–2844: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)

Washington, August 30, 1944—8 p.m.

2083. Reurtel 3203 August 28. The Department thinks that the form in which the Bulgarian armistice terms were drafted by the European Advisory Commission might serve as a model for reducing to their final form the terms which the three Allies have agreed upon for Rumania, although not all the articles of the Bulgarian terms are applicable to Rumania. Since several of the terms agreed upon for Rumania have no counterparts in the Bulgarian terms, the Rumanian armistice will in any case not parallel the Bulgarian armistice in content, although it may be made to do so in general form.

The Bulgarian terms, as drafted by the EAC and telegraphed to the Department on August 26 and 27,94 are quoted below for your information:

  • “1. Hostilities to cease between Bulgaria and the United Nations at . . . . . . . .
  • “2. Bulgaria to sever all relations with Germany and other enemy powers, to disarm and intern enemy forces and nationals and to control enemy property.
  • “3. Bulgarian forces, officials and nationals, to withdraw forthwith from all Allied territory at present occupied by Bulgaria.
  • “4. The Supreme Allied Command to have the right to move their forces freely into or across Bulgarian territory at the cost of Bulgaria if the military situation requires or if the Bulgarian Government fail in any respects to fulfill the terms of the armistice.
  • “5. Bulgaria to carry out such measures of disarmament and demobilization, as may be required.
  • “6. Bulgaria to release Allied prisoners of war and internees.
  • “7. Bulgaria to comply with Allied requirements for the use and control of transport including Danubian navigation and transport facilities.
  • “8. Bulgaria to release all persons detained for political reasons or as a result of discriminatory legislation. Such legislation to be repealed.
  • “9. Bulgaria to cooperate in the apprehension and trial of persons accused of war crimes.
  • “10. Bulgaria to restore all United Nations property and to make reparation for war damage and not to dispose of any of her assets without the consent of the Allies.
  • “11. Bulgaria to make such contribution towards general relief and rehabilitation as may be required of her.
  • “12. Bulgaria to furnish such supplies, services and facilities as the Allies may require, for the use of their forces or missions in Bulgaria or for the prosecution of the war.
  • “13. Bulgaria to comply with any further Allied instructions for giving effect to the armistice; to give all facilities to such missions as the Allies may send; and to meet Allied requirements for the re-establishment of peace and security.”

By its agreement to the April terms and to the proposed amendments and additions set forth in the British memorandum of August 26 (reDeptel 2073 August 29), the Department has already accepted as suitable armistice conditions for Rumania the substance of points 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 and 10 of the above draft of terms for Bulgaria, although in view of the different circumstances it is not expected that the wording of these conditions in the Rumanian armistice will conform to that of the Bulgarian draft.

The Department sees no objection to the inclusion in the Rumanian terms of conditions similar to points 5, 9, 11 and 12 of the Bulgarian terms. Point 3 would seem to have no application.

If point 8 is applied to Rumania, the provision for the release of political prisoners should be qualified by the clause “as the Allies may specify”.

The Department believes that point 13 of the Bulgarian terms is applicable to Rumania and that its wording is preferable to that contained in point (d) of the additions proposed by the British Government to the April terms with the Department’s suggested amendment which was communicated to you in Department’s 2073 August 29.

The foregoing is for your use in case the matter may already have been brought up in Moscow. Meanwhile, we are endeavoring to ascertain whether the Foreign Office in London, which originally proposed the use of the Bulgarian model, has prepared or is preparing a full draft of the terms as a basis for the Moscow discussions. You will in any case receive further instructions embodying the Department’s views on the working out of the details of the armistice document.

Sent to Moscow, repeated to London.97

Hull
  1. See telegrams 6928, August 25, midnight, and 6972, August 27, 5 p.m., from London, vol. iii, pp. 367 and 374, respectively.↩
  2. As No. 6985.↩