Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, Volume II

740.00119 Potsdam/7–1945

Rapporteur’s Report¹

Potsdam, July 19, 1945, 11 a.m.

Plenary Meeting, 19th July 1945

Report by Mr. Eden on the Meeting of the Foreign Secretaries on July 19th

(1) The United States Secretary of State informed the meeting that the United States Government desired to propose an amendment to the redraft, adopted by the Foreign Secretaries meeting on July 18th, of paragraph 3 of the United States draft proposal for the establishment of a Council of Foreign Ministers.² The meeting agreed to refer this point to a drafting committee.

(2) Germany. Political questions.

The Foreign Secretaries have given further consideration to the political section of the proposed agreement on the Political and Economic Principles to govern the treatment of Germany in the initial control period circulated by the United States Delegation. Preliminary consideration was given to this draft by the Heads of Governments at their meeting yesterday and the Foreign Secretaries were asked to submit a report on this draft at the present meeting.

The Foreign Secretaries now submit a revised draft (Flag A)³ of the political section of the proposed agreement, which is already in the hands of Delegations.

In addition to clarifying the draftmanship of the text, the Foreign Secretaries have supplemented it in a few places with new material. They now recommend it for acceptance by the Heads of Governments.

When the economic section has been discussed and agreed upon, it will be for consideration whether the whole agreement should be made public.

(3) Poland.

The United Kingdom Delegation put forward a redraft of the draft “Statement of the Heads of the Three Governments on the Polish Question” put forward by Marshal Stalin at the Plenary Meeting on July 18th.

The meeting agreed to refer this redraft to a drafting committee.

agenda for the plenary meeting

The meeting agreed to submit the following points for discussion at the Plenary Meeting this afternoon:

(a) Germany: political questions.

(b) Poland.

This item to be on the agenda if the report of the drafting committee is ready in time.

(c) The German Navy and Merchant Marine.

A memorandum by the Russian Delegation has been circulated.

(d) Spain.

A memorandum by the Russian Delegation has been circulated.

(e) The Yalta Declaration on Liberated Europe.

A memorandum of July 17th on this subject by the United States delegation has been circulated.

(f) Yugoslavia.

The British Delegation proposed discussion of the situation in Yugoslavia and the fulfilment of the Tito–Šubašić Agreement⁴ and undertook to submit a paper on the subject.

(g) Rumania.

The British Delegation proposed discussion of the question of the removal as booty of Allied industrial equipment, especially in Rumania, and undertook to submit a paper on the subject.

1. Eden acted as Rapporteur for this meeting.
2. For the documents referred to in this report but not separately cited, see the footnotes to the Thompson minutes, ante, pp. 101–106.
3. Presumably document No. 856, post.
4. Text in Foreign Relations, The Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945, pp. 251–254.