740.00119 P. W./7–1645
No. 1088
The British
Embassy to the Department of
State
[Extract1]
Aide-Mémoire
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 6.
- On the other hand, His Majesty’s Government were as anxious as [the] United States Government to proceed to the conclusion of the Italian peace treaty as soon as possible. They were also disposed to think that a public statement by the United States, United Kingdom and Soviet Governments at Terminal that they were in favour of the early conclusion of a Peace Treaty would be desirable and have a useful effect in Italy and intended to recommend this course to the other interested Allied Powers. His Majesty’s Government had, therefore, already suggested that in any tripartite discussions on Italy at Terminal, the United Kingdom Delegation should propose that some such statement should be issued at the end of the Conference. We felt, however, that it was highly important that any such statement about the desirability of the early conclusion of an Italian peace treaty should be made in the names of all three Governments and that any unilateral statement by one of the Governments—and a fortiori any unilateral statement on the lines suggested by the State Department2 —would be most unfortunate.
- 7.
- His Majesty’s Government hoped, therefore, that the State Department would agree to take no further action in the matter3 until the question had been discussed at Terminal and until it had been decided whether any statement would be issued there on the subject of the conclusion of the peace treaty.
The Foreign Office would inform the United Kingdom Delegation at Terminal of the position and hoped that the United States Delegation might be similarly informed by the State Department.
Washington
, July 16th, 1945.
- For the first five paragraphs of this aide-mémoire, see document No. 722.↩
- See document No. 242, printed in vol. i, and document No. 723, ante.↩
- Of issuing a statement on the admission of Italy to the United Nations.↩