Office of the Historian

J. C. S. Files

No. 614
Memorandum by the British Chiefs of Staff1
top secret
C. C. S. 884/2
[Babelsberg,] 15 July 1945.

Information for the Russians Concerning the Japanese War

1.
The British Chiefs of Staff have considered the reply by the United States Chiefs of Staff (C. C. S. 884/1)2 to their memorandum (C. C. S. 884)3 concerning the information which should be given to the Russians if they enter the war against Japan.
2.
The British Chiefs of Staff cannot agree that this is an inappropriate matter for combined agreement.
3.
Hitherto throughout the war against Germany, it has been customary, although not obligatory, for the United States and British Chiefs of Staff to consult together as to the measure and means of our dealings with the Russians. The British Chiefs of Staff consider that on the whole this policy has been wise and profitable, and they see no reason, now that Germany has been defeated and Russia is not yet at war with Japan, to depart from it. They are not aware that it has aroused resentment on the part of the Russians, who nevertheless must have been aware of our joint collaboration.
4.
If the British and American staffs now take an independent and quite possibly divergent line as regards passing information to the Russians, it seems possible that the Russians will be tempted to play one of us off against the other.
5.
For the above reasons the British Chiefs of Staff would be grateful for an opportunity of discussing this matter further with the United States Chiefs of Staff at Terminal .
  1. Considered by the Combined Chiefs of Staff at their 196th Meeting, July 19. See vol. ii, pp. 113–115.↩
  2. Document No. 611.↩
  3. Document No. 609.↩