Office of the Historian

740.00119 Council/12–1445: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)

Washington, December 14, 1945—8 p.m.

2527. Secdel44 7. For the Secretary. Following suggestions for your consideration.

I. Problems Regarding Danube. At Potsdam President Truman urged immediate steps to establish provisional international commissions for principal European waterways.45 US offered similar proposal at Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in London.46

Principal purpose of such provisional commissions would be to facilitate cooperation and clearance of rivers to permit vessels to circulate freely to provide for essential traffic movements and stimulate reconstruction. At present obstacles such as destroyed bridges and sunken barges prevent normal movement of vessels. Different regulations with respect to movement of vessels and crews discourage freedom of circulation of vessels. Questions of restitution and reparations as well as ownership and control of watercraft discourage free movement between areas of different political and military jurisdiction.

To meet urgent transportation needs in Danubian area, it is essential that all watercraft available for use be put into operation to extent permitted by river conditions and that arrangements be made which will insure most efficient use of vessels and crews by permitting boats to circulate freely without danger of seizure or diversion. A provisional Danube Commission should be established to insure such freedom of movement of vessels without prejudice to questions of reparations, restitution, and title which can be worked out at a subsequent time by other authorities. Provisional commission should be composed of representatives of competent Allied authorities in riparian states under Allied occupation or armistice control and Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

Provisional Danube commission could be established along lines similar to present provisional Rhine Commission which has jurisdiction only over regulations and technical works and does not go into matters of allocation of vessels and control of cargoes. Vessels would remain under control of military authorities or under control of states in which they were registered. Objective of Commission would be to assure that when vessels under control of one authority moved [Page 1385] into other areas of river they would be subject to uniform rules and regulations and not be in danger of seizure or diversion. They would remain subject to direction of military authorities or nationals under whose control they originally rested. Such an arrangement should meet objections raised by Soviets to United States proposals in London.47

As long range objectives Dept believes following principles should govern use of all European waterways:

1.
These waterways should be regulated by treaty in interest of all concerned.
2.
Navigation should be free and open on terms of entire equality to nationals, vessels of commerce and goods of all members of United Nations.
3.
Regulation of matters affecting waterway must be equitable and designed to promote, not burden, navigation.
4.
No tolls should be levied on any naturally navigable waterway.
5.
No obstacle to navigation should be placed in channel of an international waterway.
6.
Any international disputes relating to regulation or use of waterway of international concern should, if not settled directly between parties concerned, be submitted for settlement in accordance with provisions of United Nations Charter.
7.
International administrative agencies should be set up for each of these waterways composed of all states having an interest in their use and development; and
8.
In dealing with these waterways, all parties should endeavor to promote world economic and social progress in conformity with Charter of United Nations.

[The remainder of this telegram, dealing with lend-lease material sent to the Soviet Union, is printed in volume V, page 1050.]

Acheson
  1. Designation of telegrams from the Department to the United States delegation to the Conference of Foreign Ministers meeting in Moscow, December 16–26, 1945.↩
  2. See Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. ii, pp. 304 and 654.↩
  3. For text of this proposal of September 12, see Draft Agreement Establishing Emergency Regime for European Inland Waterways, p. 132.↩
  4. See pp. 316, 324, and 345.↩