Office of the Historian

500.CC/2–2845: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State 94

London, February 28, 1945—midnight.
[Received February 28—9:18 p.m.]

2097. Since receiving Department’s 1518, February 28 and giving your message to Mr. Eden (my 2096, February 2895) the following letter which Mr. Eden had written earlier in the evening was delivered to the Embassy.

It is a reply to Secretary Stettinius’ message contained in Department’s 1481 of February 27:

“My dear Ambassador, Many thanks for your letter of today’s date which I have just received, enclosing a message from Mr. Stettinius. As you know, the French asked for 24 hours’ delay before giving their answer, but this was received in the Foreign Office after lunch today and we at once sent the telegram to Moscow which was agreed between your staff and mine.

I think it would be inadvisable for Mr. Stettinius, whatever his difficulties in Mexico City, to issue the invitations and to publish the voting procedure before the Russians have agreed to the amendments to the invitation now suggested by the French and have also said that they agree that the French should make a unilateral statement.

So far as I am concerned, I regret this delay but I do not see, in view of the French attitude, how it could have been avoided. In any case I would repeat that it is even more important to preserve harmony between the five sponsoring powers and to obtain general agreement that the French should be a sponsoring power also than it is to explain the position to Latin America.

If, however, as we hope, we get a telegram early tomorrow morning from Clark Kerr saying that the Russians agree, there should be ample time for Mr. Stettinius to issue and publish the invitation, and to have a profitable discussion with the representatives of Latin America in Mexico City, before the end of the conference in that town.

I should be greatly obliged if you could pass on my views to Mr. Stettinius as soon as possible and add that he has all my sympathy in the difficulties with which he is now contending.

Anthony Eden.”

Yours sincerely,

Winant
  1. Text repeated in telegram 456, March 1, 1 p.m., to Mexico City for the Secretary of State.↩
  2. Not printed.↩