Executive Secretariat Files
Briefing Book Paper
General Balkan Policy
It is the desire of this Government that the three principal Allies should consider the problems of Southeastern Europe in their relation to general European welfare and security. The distinctions between Allied and enemy states are gradually merging into a single problem as the “satellites” come under the administration of Allied Control Commissions, with some participation in the war against Germany in a status approaching co-belligerency.
An important aspect of this problem is the tendency of one or another of the principal Allies to exert a particular influence in a given country, or to come to an arrangement defining the regions where such influence would be admitted as paramount (See separate paper on American Policy toward Spheres of Influence2). The mere dissociation of the United States from such arrangements does not constitute a policy unless an effort is made to impress upon the other principal Allies the need for restraint, if the several peoples are really to be left free to determine the kind of democratic institutions best suited to their needs.
In a recent consideration of these problems the Department agreed on certain basic principles by which the policy of this Government should be guided. They are:
- 1.
- The right of peoples to choose for themselves without outside interference the type of political, social, and economic systems they desire, so long as they conduct their affairs in such a way as not to menace the peace and security of others.
- 2.
- Equality of opportunity, as against the setting up of a policy of exclusion, in commerce, transit and trade; and freedom to negotiate, either through government agencies or private enterprise, irrespective of the type of economic system in operation.
- 3.
- The right of access to all countries on an equal and unrestricted basis of bona fide representatives of the recognized press and information agencies of other nations engaged in gathering news and other forms of public information for dissemination to the public in their own countries; and the right to transmit information gathered by them to points outside such territories without hindrance or discrimination.
- 4.
- Freedom for American philanthropic and educational organizations to carry on their activities in the respective countries on the basis of most favored-nation treatment.
- 5.
- General protection of American citizens and the protection and furtherance of legitimate American economic rights, existing or potential.
The United States should also be prepared to participate through recommendations in territorial settlements of questions involving general security.
Since each of the Balkan countries presents separate problems, the solution of which would carry forward the ideas expressed above, separate papers have been prepared discussing them.
There are two correlated questions which may shortly require attention, with reference to the whole Southern European region; namely, the project for a union of Bulgaria with Yugoslavia, and the agitation for an integral Macedonia. Both of these questions really involve consideration of the scheme for a Balkan federation. The British Government has just informed us that it would welcome such a grouping, to include both allied and enemy states, and possibly to include Turkey, but would not favor an exclusive union or federation involving only Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, since this would be unlikely to promote the larger grouping and would also isolate Greece and endanger her position. As regards Macedonia the British Government is willing to acquiesce in the formation of a Macedonian state as a federal unit in Yugoslavia provided only territories previously belonging to Yugoslavia are involved leaving the “Macedonia” parts of Bulgaria and Greece to these respective countries. The British have also communicated these views to the Soviet Government. The Department is now considering its reply to this communication. Our present thinking is generally in line with the British attitude.