Office of the Historian

740.00119 EAC/7–445: Telegram

No. 276
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
secret
us urgent
London, July 4, 1945—8 p.m.

6742. Comea 319. Sent Dept, AusPolAd 16, Paris 437, secret for Murphy; Moscow 234 for Paule[y.]

In signing today EAC agreement on Austrian control machinery1 I made the following statement re US position re Austrian reparation.

“In connection with the signature by the EAC of the agreement on control machinery in Austria for submission to the four govts I have informed my Govt as follows: In discussing the inclusion, in Article 4 of the draft agreement on control machinery in Austria of a provision for a reparation, deliveries and restitution division, the EAC was not empowered to consider and did not consider the substantive aspects of the question of Austrian reparation. In informing the members of the commission that my Govt concurs in the inclusion of this provision I have stated that my Govt recognizes in principle Austria’s obligation to provide reparation and that it assumes that the four govts will consider together in the light of the general position and prospects of the Austrian economy the form and amount of reparation to be provided by Austria. The other members of the EAC have stated that they have informed their respective govts of the views which I have set forth in this regard on behalf of my Govt.”

Copies of this statement were handed to other three reps and Sec General EAC2 for recording. UK and French reps3 stated they would make similar communications to their govts and likewise inform EAC colleague[s] thereof. Soviet rep4 stated he had repeatedly informed his govt of viewpoints expressed and discussions held re inclusion reparation division at earlier EAC meetings. Dept will [Page 347] have noted protracted Soviet efforts avoid any form of US reservation re Austrian reparation particularly any reference to any relation between reparation policy and Austria’s economic prospects.

Winant
  1. Document No. 282.↩
  2. E. P. Donaldson.↩
  3. Sir Ronald I. Campbell and René Massigli, respectively.↩
  4. Fedor Tarasovich Gusev.↩