740.00119 Potsdam/8–145
Rapporteur’s Report1
Rapporteur’s Report of the Meeting of Foreign Ministers August 1, 1945
1. german reparations
It was agreed that the heads of Government should be asked to consider the draft on this subject prepared by the subcommittee.2
2. german economic principles
It was agreed that the report of the Economic Subcommittee3 on this subject should be presented to the Heads of Government.
3. war crimes
It was agreed that the Heads of Government should be asked to decide the one outstanding issue in this connection, that is, whether certain prominent war criminals should be referred to by name in the decision of the Conference.
[Page 563]4. use of allied property for satellite reparations or “war trophies”
A subcommittee was named to consider the U. S. paper on this subject which was circulated on July 25th.4 The American Secretary of State withdrew the U. S. paper circulated at the same time on “Removals from Germany of Properties of United Nations or Neutral Nationals”.
5. german external assets
The U. S. paper on this subject is still before the Economic Subcommittee, which will report to the Heads of Government.
6. oil for western europe
The U. S. proposal on this subject is also before the Economic Subcommittee which will report to the Heads of Government.
7. allied oil equipment in Rumania
The Foreign Ministers agreed that there should be two bilateral commissions, one British-Soviet and one U. S.-Soviet, to meet August 10 in Rumania to examine the documents and the facts in connection with this question. It was agreed that these commissions would be accorded all necessary facilities to perform their task in Rumania.
8. fascist activities in u. s. and british zones in germany and austria
The U. S. and British representatives stated that their Governments are investigating the situation reported in the Soviet paper on this subject and that they will inform the Soviets of the results of these investigations and will at that time discuss what further steps should be taken.
9. repatriation of soviet citizens
The British representatives stated that they are looking into the situation reported in the Soviet paper circulated already on this subject and that they would deal with it as soon as they returned to London. The Soviet representatives circulated a new paper on the subject and laid great stress on the importance which they attached thereto. The U. S. and British representatives stated that they would deal with the matter as promptly as possible.
[Page 564]10. disputed questions before the protocol committee
The American Secretary of State presented four questions on which the Protocol Subcommittee had been unable to reach agreement: (1) Trusteeship Territories; (2) Black Sea Straits; (3) the Koenigsberg Area; and (4) Austria. The Foreign Ministers were able to agree upon texts on all of these questions. They also agreed that only important decisions of the Conference should be included in the Protocol. They approved a suggestion that the decision reached this morning creating bilateral commissions to deal with the question of Allied oil equipment in Rumania should be mentioned in the Protocol.
11. revised procedure for allied control commissions in Rumania, Bulgaria and hungary
The U. S. draft on this subject was accepted with the exception of the second sentence. It was agreed that for this sentence there should be substituted the third, fourth and fifth paragraphs of the Soviet paper on the Control Commission in Hungary. A drafting committee was named to prepare the final document for presentation to the Heads of Government.
12. facilities for radio representatives in poland, hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria and finland
The American Secretary of State proposed that in the papers already approved by the Conference on the Polish question and on admission to the United Nations, where certain facilities were stipulated for representatives of the allied press, the words “and radio” be added in order that these same facilities might be available to representatives of the Allied5 radio. The Foreign Ministers were not able to reach agreement on this question and it was decided so to advise the Heads of Government who might then determine whether or not they wished to discuss the question.
13. disposition of german fleet and merchant marine
The report of the subcommittee on this subject was considered by the Foreign Ministers. It was agreed that 30 German submarines should not be destroyed. Other points in dispute were not settled and it was agreed that they should be brought before the Heads of Government this afternoon.
- Byrnes acted as Rapporteur for this meeting.↩
- Document No. 972, post.↩
- See the attachments to documents Nos. 891 and 1002, post, and document No. 1325, post.↩
- For this document and other papers referred to in the following sections of this report, see the footnotes to the minutes, supra.↩
- The word “Allied” at this point is a manuscript correction in pencil of the typed word “American”.↩