Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1945, General: The United Nations, Volume I

500.CC/3–445: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)⁶

Washington, March 4, 1945—1 p.m.

1662. 1. The French will not join in sponsoring invitations to the San Francisco Conference. Therefore, in view of the consultations among the four Governments, we have instructed American Missions accredited to those United Nations to be invited to the Conference⁷ to deliver the unmodified text of the invitation (see paragraph 1 of my 1409 to London, February 23, midnight, repeated to Moscow as No. 406, to Chungking as No. 316, and to Paris as No. 753) to the Foreign Ministers of those Governments on Monday, March 5, 12 o’clock noon, Washington time (Eastern War Time) without the French Provisional Government as one of the sponsoring Governments.

2. This Government will release the text of the invitation at the time specified in paragraph 1 above⁸ and it hopes the British, Soviet and Chinese Governments will join in a simultaneous release in London, Moscow and Chungking. In addition to releasing the text of the invitation, this Government will, at that time, also make a public statement of the character indicated in paragraph 6 of my 1455 to London, February 25, 9 p.m. (repeated to Moscow as 423, to Chungking as 329, and sent separately to Paris as No. 780,⁹ same date and time).

3. The Provisional Government of France, while not sponsoring the invitations,¹⁰ has stated that it will attend the San Francisco Conference.

4. To the list of United Nations to be invited to the Conference (see paragraph 3 of Department’s No. 1409 to London, February 23, midnight, repeated to Moscow as No. 406, to Chungking as No. 316 and to Paris as No. 753) should be added Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Uruguay.¹¹

5. Please convey the substance of the foregoing to the Foreign Minister. Until the release time specified all these matters should be maintained in strict confidence.

Grew

6. Repeated on the same date as telegrams 495 to Moscow, 369 to Chungking, 492 to Mexico City for information of Secretary Stettinius, and 874 to Paris. In telegram 875, March 4, 2 p.m., to Paris, Acting Secretary Grew instructed Ambassador Caffery to “make clear to the Foreign Minister that although France is not joining in sponsoring the invitations, we have welcomed the assurances, first expressed in Bidault’s note to you (your 871, February 24, 4 p.m.), that the Provisional Government will participate in the Conference.” (500.CC/3–445)
7. Circular telegram, March 4, 3 p.m., not printed.

8. For text of invitation released to the press on March 5 and list of Governments of the United Nations to whom the invitation was presented, see Department of State Bulletin, March 11, 1945, p. 394.

   For statement to the press on March 5 by the Secretary of State regarding voting procedure in the Security Council, see ibid., p. 396; for statement by Acting Secretary Grew, made in response to later inquiries and released to the press on March 24, concerning the operation of the proposed voting procedure in the Security Council, see ibid., March 25, 1945, p. 479.

9. Ante, p. 91.
10. For a memorandum of a telephone conversation March 5, 11:45 a.m., between Acting Secretary Grew and Mr. George Conn, administrative officer, concerning statements by the Secretary and the Acting Secretary at press conferences with respect to the French situation, see Joseph C. Grew, Turbulent Era: A Diplomatic Record of Forty Years, 1904–1945, vol. ii, p. 1504.
11. For documents on the declaration of war and adherence to the Declaration by United Nations, by Uruguay, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, see Department of State Bulletin, February 25, 1945, p. 294; ibid., March 4, 1945, pp. 373–375; and ibid., April 15, 1945, pp. 681–682.