Truman Papers

Cohen Notes

Evening meeting—10:30 p.m.

Truman: We will take up the report of the Protocol Committee.1

Secretary Byrnes takes up the Reparation Section.

Byrnes: I suggest an amendment to the paragraph renouncing claims to industrial shares outside of their respective zones, so as to make such claims refer only to claims in respect of reparations.

This amendment was agreed to.

Secretary Byrnes then brought up the question of Allied property in satellite countries.

Molotov: I suggest that the conference adopt the American proposal in principle but the wording should be agreed to through diplomatic channel. We did not have time to consider the wording.

Byrnes: I understood that the Committee had agreed to a substitute which was satisfactory to the Soviet representative with a single reservation.

Molotov: We have not had a chance to consider it.

Byrnes: All right then, it will have to be agreed in principle and then followed through diplomatic channel.

Molotov: I have a suggestion regarding the description of the western frontier of Poland. It refers to a line running to the Baltic Sea to the town of “S”.2 This might go through the town. It should rest [read] west of the town “S”.

Byrnes: How far west.3

Bevin: Immediately west.

Stalin: Immediately west will satisfy us.

Truman: That is ah right.

Attlee: Agreed.

[Page 598]

Molotov: I have a suggestion regarding the section on Koenigsberg. At the end of the second paragraph I suggest we substitute for the clause “subject to examination by experts” a clause which will provide for [that] the exact line on the ground should be established by experts of the USSR and Poland.

Bevin: That is really asking too much. That is a matter for the United Nations.

Stalin: I think there is a misunderstanding. The boundary line is drawn by this conference. The drawing of the line should not involve a degradation [digression?] of a kilometer one way or the other. We think it should be arranged between the USSR and Poland. If you want other experts say so and we will agree.

Attlee: This would anticipate the work of the peace conference.

Stalin: What would you suggest, a committee of experts appointed by the peace conference.

Byrnes: The two countries most concerned are the USSR and Poland. If they agree there will be no problem. If there is a disagreement there must be experts appointed by the Council of Foreign Ministers to decide.

Stalin: Let us leave the old wording then.

Truman: If the Soviets and Poland agree we will have no objection.

Molotov: In the section dealing with the admission of states to the United Nations, I have an amendment to offer. The first paragraph of this section was agreed to before we agreed to paragraph 3. The word “Thereafter” should be removed from the first paragraph. It is misleading.

Attlee: I do not think that is correct. Paragraph 3 refers to the establishment of diplomatic relations so far as possible. The first paragraph refers to Poland [sic] complete diplomatic relations which in our case are possible only after the conclusion of peace.

Stalin: Paragraph 3 is denied by paragraph 1.

Attlee: No, paragraph 1 refers to full normal relations, while paragraph 3 refers to necessarily incomplete relations.

Bevin: We would say that as soon as possible “full” diplomatic relations may be established. That will draw a distinction between partial and complete diplomatic relations.

Stalin: Take Finland. There is no ground for denying full diplomatic relations with Finland.

Bevin: We are still at war with Finland.

Stalin: We have relations with Italy, although technically we are still at war with Italy.

Attlee: We went a long way to meet the Soviets in view of our constitutional difficulties, we [do not?] want to go back now to the wording that caused so much trouble.

[Page 599]

Stalin: Then we won’t reach an agreement. Why should not those who want it resume diplomatic relations with Finland now?

Bevin: I am very anxious for an agreement. I will make another suggestion with reference to the resumption of diplomatic relations in the first paragraph which might be omitted entirely. It would then read that the three governments considered it desirable that anomalous position of these states be terminated by the conclusion of the peace treaties.

Stalin: All right.

Byrnes: The protocol then is accepted subject to the one change to be made in the part dealing with the American proposal regarding Allied property in the satellite countries. The American proposal on this [is] accepted on [in?] principle but the exact wording will be worked out in diplomatic channel.

We can now consider the communiqué.

Stalin: I suggest we postpone consideration of the preamble.

Truman: Is section #2 satisfactory?

It was agreed to.

Truman: Section 3?

Byrnes: There was objections [sic] to the words “loudly applauded”. We have no objection to striking it out.

Stalin: Why not say openly approved.

Bevin: —and blindly obeyed.

Truman: It will be read then, openly approved and blindly obeyed.

Truman: Any other changes—section 4?

Bevin: In the economic principles we have a repetition of some things contained in the political principle[s]. I suggest we leave out of the economic principles the thought contained in paragraph 9 for [9 (iv) of?] the political principle[s].

This was agreed to.

Truman: Section 5, the disposition of the German Navy and merchant ships?

Stalin: No amendment.

Truman: Section 6? Koenigsberg.

Stalin: Agreed.

Truman: Section 7, war criminals?

Stalin: First section of this paragraph could be eliminated.

Molotov: I have a suggestion regarding Austria. We should not publish the statement about reparations in the communiqué. It may be published in the protocol. Its publication in the communiqué would tie our hands unnecessarily. It is better for Austria to hope for this decision than to be advised that it has been made.

Truman: Poland?

Stalin: No amendments.

[Page 600]

Bevin: I suggest a slight verbal change which was agreed to by Stalin and Truman.

Bevin also proposes that on page two, reference be made to the fact that the conclusion was reached instead of the agreement being reached.

Truman: I told the Poles that we agreed.

Bevin: I withdraw my suggestion.

A number of other minor verbal suggestions were made and discussed. Most of these suggestions as to style were made by Mr. Bevin. At one point where Mr. Bevin criticized the English of the communiqué, Stalin implied that English that was acceptable to the Americans was acceptable to the Russians.

Stalin: The sections on Rumanian oil equipment and on Tangier should be deleted from the communiqué, also Iran.

Bevin: I agree.

Byrnes: Why?

Bevin: I do not want to say anything about Tangier.

Byrnes: We agreed to delete the paragraph on Rumania and Tangier.

Bevin: But we would like Persia to remain.

Byrnes: We have not agreed to the omission of Iran.

Stalin: All or none.

Bevin: We don’t care about Tangier and Rumanian equipment, but Iran is important throughout the Middle East.

Stalin: Then leave in Tangier and Iran.

Byrnes: Leave out Rumania and Tangier if you like, but leave in Iran.

Stalin: After such big decisions, these small decisions are spoiling the communiqué. We need not keep our decision secret, I just don’t want the minor decisions in the communiqué.

Bevin: I can speak of this then in the House of Commons?

Stalin: Of course.

Truman: Then leave out all three.

Stalin: There is no objection to the reference in the communiqué to military talks on matters of common interest. I do not insist on any qualification limiting these talks to Europe and the paragraph should go in the communiqué and [be] published. At the end of the communiqué will be a list of the participants.

Truman: Yes. The preamble is now satisfactory.

Molotov: In our previous conferences it was agreed that the signatures should be rotated. According to this procedure the Russians would sign the present communiqué first.

Truman: I have no objections.

[Page 601]

Attlee: I favor alphabetical order[;] that is where I would score over Marshal Zhukov.

Truman: When are we going to publish it.

Bevin: For the Friday morning press.

Stalin: Today is Wednesday.

Bevin: If you will follow Yalta precedence [precedent] it would be 9:30 p.m., Greenwich time Thursday.

Byrnes: I refer back to the protocol. A paragraph on the Ruhr is in the Russian protocol, but not in ours. I have no recollection of such disposition, but I am told that my recollection is faulty.

Truman: The Ruhr was referred at my suggestion to the Council of Foreign Ministers.

Byrnes: If so, I suggest the draft be made more definite. Certainly it should be in all three texts.

Stalin: I think we will withdraw our suggestion.

The messages to Churchill and Eden were agreed to.

Truman made a note of the fact that the business of the conference be concluded and that they were now ready to adjourn. He expressed the hope that the next meeting would be at Washington.

Stalin: God willing.

Attlee: I want to thank Generalissimo Stalin for the excellent arrangements he has made for this conference. I also want to thank the President of the United States for arranging to come so great a distance to personally participate in our deliberations. I hope that it will be a milestone on the road to peace between our countries and in the world.

Stalin: That is our desire also.

Truman: I wish to join in the sentiments expressed by Prime Minister Attlee.

Stalin: The Soviet delegation wishes to join in the thanks expressed by the Prime Minister to the President for his personal appearance at this conference.

I should also like to express our thanks to Secretary Byrnes who has worked harder perhaps than any one of us to make this conference a success. He has worked hard and he has worked very well. He has helped us to reach agreements. Those sentiments, Secretary Byrnes, come from my heart.

Byrnes: I thank you very much, Generalissimo. I sincerely hope I have been helpful.

Stalin: We can call this conference successful.

Truman: I want to add my thanks to all the Foreign Secretaries.

Molotov: I want to thank Bevin and Eden for all their arduous labours which have facilitated the work of the conference.

Adjourned at 12:30 a.m., August 2, 1945.

  1. For the documents referred to in these notes, see the footnotes to the minutes, supra.
  2. i. e., Swinemünde.
  3. Concerning discrepancies in the attribution of this and other statements made at this meeting as between the minutes and the Cohen notes, see the footnotes to the minutes, supra.