Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, General: Political and Economic Matters, Volume II

840.70/2–145: Telegram

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

London, February 1, 1945—8 p.m.
[Received 8:12 p.m.]

1130. Department will know from British Embassy of United Kingdom proposal dated January 27¹⁰ advocating the establishment of an interim transport organization including United States, United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Holland to function until solution of the Polish question makes it possible to establish EITO. Ronald states that the Ministerial Committee which adopted the proposal was strongly opposed to signing anything with the London Poles.

With reference to British proposal we submit for the Department’s consideration the following summary of the situation and our conclusions:

I. We believe EITO draft agreement in its present revised form except for further minor amendments is technically satisfactory to all EITO conference participants including Soviet Government although latter has not formally replied to this effect.

II. However the three following questions must be resolved before signature of all participants is possible:

1. It is now clear that the establishment of EITO is out of the question until the Polish question is resolved as United Kingdom will sign nothing with London Poles and French have indicated they will not sign the EITO agreement without the USSR; meanwhile the Czechoslovak Government have recognized the “Polish Provisional Government.”¹¹

2. Decision by the EAC¹² of the question of a French occupation zone would have to precede French signature of EITO agreement since latter depends on mention of French Republic in Article XIV Paragraph 9 as one of the countries designating or recognizing Commanders in Chief (reEmbs 1039, January 30¹³).

3. The opposing Dutch and French views on the inland waterway annex constitute a third obstacle since the French dislike the annex whereas the Dutch have stated their signature of main EITO agreement depends on signature of annex by principal European inland waterway countries. Although British and Belgians would sign it they as well as the French have indicated view that failure to solve inland waterway question should not hold up main EITO agreement but we do not know measure of French success in persuading Dutch in their conversations (reEmbs 1039, January 30).

III. Both British and French Governments favor setting up some provisional machinery prior to solution of Polish question. ReEmbs 646 of January 17,¹⁴ we do not yet know to what extent French dislike of Western European arrangement and preference for a protocol setting up EITO provisionally including London Poles and the other Eastern European participants in the EITO conference represents final view of French Provisional Government particularly in view of inclusion in British proposal of invitation to USSR to associate itself with the provisional organization and suggestion of some additonal arrangement for associating Czech and other governments in some consultative capacity.

IV. On the basis of the above summary we suggest the following conclusion:

Since (a) EITO agreement as such will not be signed unless or until Polish question is resolved, and (b) French suggestion for protocol setting up EITO provisionally including the London Poles would apparently be unacceptable to United Kingdom and presumably to the Czechoslovak Government only two alternatives remain: (1) to wait until the solution of the Polish question makes possible the establishment of EITO; (2) to set up a provisional organization along the lines suggested by the British.

We recommend the second alternative believing that the known urgency of the transport situation in France, Holland and Belgium and the need for a responsible organization with authority to deal with the supply and military agencies outweighs other more indefinite considerations, for example: (1) the estimated length of time until the Polish question is likely to be settled (2) the estimated effect of either course of action on future Soviet participation in EITO (3) the estimated effect of either course of action on the future of EITO in its relation to the other eastern countries.

Could you give us an immediate answer on this problem or let us know if delay is unavoidable.

Winant

10. See telegram 427, February 3, 1 p.m., to Paris, p. 1395.
11. January 31, 1945.
12. European Advisory Commission; for documentation on the participation of the United States in the work of EAC, see vol. iii, pp. 1 ff.
13. Not printed.
14. Not printed.