Office of the Historian

840.70/2–345: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Caffery)15

Washington, February 3, 1945—1 p.m.

427. I. British Embassy on January 31 handed Department an aide-mémoire referring to European Inland Transport Conference stating HMG is of opinion that Soviet Government is unlikely to give any formal statement of its position with respect to revised draft of the agreement nor to offer to sign it until settlement of the Polish issue. In view of urgent need for creating appropriate machinery to deal better with problems of European inland transport, HMG favors strongly prompt setting up of some organization, however provisional, limited to area of joint Anglo-American military responsibility, but with an invitation to the Soviet Government to associate itself in whatever way it deems appropriate until it is ready to become a formal member of full organizaton. It therefore proposes that:

A.
Draft agreement be put in final form by further informal meetings with Continental Allies and the results communicated to Soviet delegation in London.
B.
Thereupon the U.S., U.K., French, Belgian and Netherlands Governments enter into an informal understanding to apply as between themselves such parts of draft agreement as are physically applicable in the areas under their jurisdiction, inviting Soviet Government to participate in such manner as it deems appropriate.
C.
A temporary bureau be formed in London, composed of representatives of the five governments mentioned above and a Soviet observer or liaison officer if possible, to supervise application of agreement and also to assume duty of maintaining informal contact with the European Allies which are not participating in provisional arrangement to make sure that nothing is done which might affect their interests adversely.

The aide-mémoire concludes by stating that, in view of HMG, only some such procedure as that proposed above can get around the problem presented by the issue which has been raised as to Polish Government in London; and that, in view of HMG, any procedure which involved the participation of the London Poles would jeopardize the hope of ultimate Soviet participation in the full organization.

II. British Embassy has orally informed Department16 that a similar aide-mémoire was concurrently being handed to the Provisional [Page 1396] French Government in Paris, and that HMG wished to secure the views of the two Governments on following points:

A.
Whether proposed procedure would prejudice the position with respect to recognition of the legitimate government of Poland, and
B.
Whether it would prejudice the plans for setting up a European Inland Transport Organization of scope originally contemplated, with Soviet participation.

III. For information of Embassy, a meeting was held in London on January 17 of U.K. and U.S. EITO delegations, with Commandant Mathe, an attaché of the French Embassy specializing in transportation matters, who had just returned from consultations in Paris. Mathe stated that the French under no circumstances would sign EITO agreement without Soviets but that they were prepared to enter into an interim arrangement setting up EITO on a provisional basis without Soviets but with participation of all other governments represented at EITO conference, including London Poles. Mathe indicated that French would not, however, be prepared to enter into an interim arrangement confined to area of joint Anglo-American military responsibility.

IV. Department is not prepared at this time to express a definitive opinion on either of the questions referred to in II above.

Department has misgivings as to usefulness at this time of procedure suggested by British, and is inclined to the view that it would be preferable to await the termination of the meetings between the President, Mr. Churchill and Marshal Stalin17 before making any new move in EITO matter, except to renew informal discussions in order to get revised agreement in final form as promptly as possible.

V. For your confidential information: Nevertheless, if the Provisional Government of France should have changed its position indicated in III above and should now concur in the views of HMG, the U.S. Government would not wish to stand in way of consummation of arrangement proposed. You are, therefore, requested to ascertain as soon as possible French views on British proposal. Repeat your reply to Amembassies London and Moscow.

Grew
  1. Repeated to London as telegram 831 for the EITO delegation; to Moscow as telegram 218 with the following additional sentence: “Any comments from Embassy would be appreciated.”↩
  2. Meeting on January 31, 1945, in the Office of Transport and Communications Policy.↩
  3. The Yalta Conference, February 4–11, 1945.↩