740.00119 Council/9–1145
United States Delegation Minutes of the Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, London, September 29, 1945, 11:30 a.m.80
Mr. Molotov in the Chair
[Page 442]Molotov: May we begin? Any suggestions in regards the agenda? We must hear the Deputies.
Campbell: The Deputies met this morning at 10 o’clock to continue the discussion of food supplies for Austria and the question of restitution.81 On the question of food supplies they agreed to the text of a telegram from the British, the American, French and Soviet Governments to their representatives on the Allied Commission in Vienna.82 This telegram informed the Allied representatives on the Allied Commission of the telegram dispatched to the Allied Commissions in Hungary, Rumania, and Bulgaria, and to the governments of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. The telegram inquired whether in the above countries supplies of foodstuff were available which could be used to supply Austria. With the permission of the Council I will read the text of the telegram. “The following communication has been sent to the Allied Control Commission in Bulgaria, Rumania, and Hungary, and to the governments of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.[”]
Molotov: We all have the draft. We can dispense with reading it. I think everybody is familiar with it. Any objection to this text? (There was no objection). The proposal of the Deputies is accepted.
Campbell: Now, the further question of the scale of calories was discussed and on this matter no agreement was reached, and the matter was deferred by the Deputies for further discussion among them. Reference was also made to the necessity to find means of dealing with the immediate food shortage in Austria. This was also referred for further discussion by the Deputies.
On restitution the discussion was begun on the basis of the second paragraph of the French proposal. No conclusion was reached on this matter which was also referred to the next meeting of the Deputies. The Deputies expressly desire to receive instructions from the Council in regard to their next meeting.
Molotov: Any observations on this? Since it is clear that nothing remains for us to do now could we agree as to the date when we should wind up the work of the Council? And, accordingly the work of the Deputies will also be done as it is linked up with the work of the Council.
Byrnes: Mr. Chairman, I wondered if we could not ascertain what progress is being made by the protocol committee. The Council would take that matter up for consideration with the communiqué [Page 443] committee because not until we have an opportunity to know the situation as to those two committees will it be possible for us to set a time for adjournment.
Molotov: Certainly these questions are not so complicated as to make it impossible for us to envisage the date—the question of the communiqué and the protocol.
Bevin: I take it there is no question of the protocol and communiqué being completed? That is to say we are going to have a protocol and we are going to have a communiqué, are we not?
Molotov: I hope that we shall be able to finish both the protocol and the communiqué today.
Byrnes: Mr. Chairman, I have just a memorandum here from the United States representative on the Committee and, of course, there are a number of matters that are not agreed to. We might well take it up and see if we can agree to it and make some progress.
Molotov: Any objection to our passing on to the discussion of the protocol? No objection? Shall we turn to it?
Byrnes: Mr. Chairman, the memorandum that I have sets forth the items that have not been agreed to by the Committee. It is paper No. 66,83 and I think we can save time if we would pick up the matters which the Committee has not been able to agree upon and see if we could give them instructions.
Molotov: I have not got that memorandum. Nevertheless I am prepared to discuss and I hope we will be able to agree.
Byrnes: Mr. Chairman, just a minute. I want to talk to our representative on the Committee.
Molotov: So do I.
Bidault: I am quite willing that matter be taken up.
Byrnes: Mr. Chairman, the first item—I want to ask if you have before you a copy of the protocol that has been agreed upon up to this date. I am told that the first item is a question raised by the French Delegation and refers to the agenda, and I suggest, therefore, that the French state what their case is.
Molotov: I do not know that there is any divergent view on this question. I think that we could begin with protocol number one84 and see if there are any amendments and then take up the following protocols in their order.
[Here follows a discussion of the record of decisions reached at each of the first 26 meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers as contained [Page 444] in C.F.M.(45) 66. The Council proceeded to consider these Records of Decisions in order. Final decision on the 5th and 16th Meetings was deferred until the following meeting. The 1st, 6th, 10th, 12th, and 14th Meetings were approved with amendments. The other Records of Decisions through the 19th were approved without amendment. In concluding its meeting, the Council agreed to consider at their next meeting the remaining points of disagreement in the Records of Decisions of the 5th, 16th, and 20th–26th Meetings.]
- For the list of participants at this meeting, see the Record of Decisions of the 27th Meeting, supra. ↩
- The minutes of the sixth Meeting of the Deputies, September 29, 1945, are not printed (Council of Foreign Ministers Files: Lot M–88: CFM Deputies Minutes).↩
- For the agreed text of the telegram, see the first message quoted in telegram 10181, Delsec 86, October 1, from London, vol. iii, p. 620, for onward transmission to General Clark.↩
- C.F.M. (45) 66, September 29, “Decisions of First Flenary Conference”, p. 456.↩
- For the Agreed Record of Decisions of the first meeting of the Council, September 11, see annex 1 to C.F.M. (45) 66, September 29, p. 458. See also the Record of that meeting, p. 112.↩