Council of Foreign Ministers Files: Lot M–88: CFM London Minutes
Record of the Eighth Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, Lancaster House, London, September 18, 1945, 11 a.m.
Present
| U.K. | U.S.A | U.S.S.R |
| Mr. Bevin | Mr. Byrnes | M. Molotov |
| Sir R. I. Campbell | Mr. J. Dunn | M. F. T. Gousev |
| Sir A. Clark Kerr | Mr. J. F. Dulles | M. K. V. Novikov |
| Sir N. Charles | Mr. C. E. Bohlen | M. S. A. Golunski |
| France | China |
| M. Bidault | Dr. Wang Shih Chieh (Chairman) |
| M. Couve de Murville | Dr. Wellington Koo |
| General Catroux | Dr. Victor Hoo |
| Australia | New Zealand | South Africa |
| Dr. H. V. Evatt | Mr. R. M. Campbell | Mr. Heaton Nicholls |
| Yugoslavia | ||
| M. Edward Kardelj65 | ||
| M. Ljubo Leontic | ||
| M. Sava Kosanovic66 |
Italian Peace Treaty: Yugoslav-Italian Frontier and Trieste
(Previous Reference C.F.M.(P) (45) 7th Meeting, Minute 1)
Dr. Wang Shih Chieh said that on this day fourteen years ago Japan had started her war against China in Manchuria. He was happy that on this fourteenth anniversary of the beginning of the second world war, the Council was meeting to discuss peace settlements. They were happy; but they were also impressed with a sense of heavy responsibility. Although the work of the Council of Foreign Ministers was preparatory in character, some of the important peace problems would find a preliminary solution here. We must not make mistakes that might be the cause of another war. All agreed that peace and justice were inseparable. Peace was secured only when it was based on justice. But justice was a subtle thing. Opinion as to what was just or not often differed in a concrete issue. What might seem just to his American or British colleagues might seem unjust to his Soviet or French colleagues or to himself. The best thing for the Council to do was to ascertain the views of all those directly interested in the issues under consideration. The Council [Page 226] would consider these views carefully and with an open mind. This would enable them to avoid making mistakes, and would help them to reach complete and early agreement. It was for this reason that representatives of the Governments of Yugoslavia, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa had been invited to attend this meeting to present their views on the problem of the Yugoslav-Italian Frontier and Trieste.
He asked M. Kardelj to present the views of the Yugoslav Government.
Views of the Yugoslav Government
M. Kardelj and M. Leontic made statements, the text of which is reproduced in C.F.M.(45) 26.67
The Council agreed to meet again at 3:30 p.m. that afternoon to hear further statements from the representatives of the Yugoslav Government, and a statement from the representative of the Italian Government.