840.811/8–2845
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Dunn)
Mr. Balfour6 came in this afternoon and handed to me two memoranda, copies of which are attached.7 The first memorandum deals with the subject of discussion on inland waterways, which is to take place at the forthcoming meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers [Page 1366] at London, and makes certain inquiries as to how we expect to deal with this question. He also asked whether the matter of the Black Sea straits would be dealt with within the framework of our proposals on inland waterways or whether it would be dealt with as a separate subject. Mr. Balfour said that his Government had noted that the United States delegation at Potsdam had mentioned specifically the Rhine and the Danube,8 but the British felt that the same kind of international commission or regime should be applied not only to those rivers but to the Oder and Elbe as well, and also to the Kiel Canal.
I told Mr. Balfour that the reason for the mention of the Rhine and the Danube at Potsdam was that the United States proposal contemplated an interim commission for those two rivers in which the United States would participate because of our responsibilities during the occupation period. However, it was our idea that in addition to a discussion of an interim commission for those two rivers that we would ask for general agreement as to principles we established with respect to unrestricted navigation generally on the international waterways in Europe with a view to having permanent commissions set up or existing reorganized for the future with respect to the Rhine, the Danube, the Elbe, the Oder, and applying also, if possible, to the Kiel Canal. I further said that the President had always included mention of the Black Sea straits in his discussion at Potsdam of the unrestricted use of inland waterways, but my own personal opinion was that the United States should be prepared to have discussion of the Dardanelles separated from the other waterways if there seemed to be general disposition to do so.