Office of the Historian

740.00119 EAC/7–945

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

No. 24168
London, July 9, 1945.
[Received July 17.]

Sir: With reference to the Embassy’s telegram No. 6742 of July 4, 8 p.m. (Comea 319),88 reporting the text of the oral statement by the U.S. Representative on the European Advisory Commission at the time of the signature of the Agreement on Control Machinery in Austria, and with reference to telegram No. 6891 of July 9, 2 p.m. (Comea 328),89 reporting the receipt of a letter dated July 5 from M. Massigli stating parallel French views on the question of Austrian reparations and the nature of M. Massigli’s communications on this subject to his Government, I have the honor to enclose a translation of M. Massigli’s letter of July 5. The text of the British Representative’s communication to his Government on the same question was reported to the Department in the Embassy’s telegram No. 6858 of July 7, 2 p.m. (Comea 326).90

Respectfully yours,

For the Ambassador:
E. Allan Lightner, Jr.

Secretary, U.S. Delegation European Advisory Commission
[Enclosure—Translation]

The French Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Massigli) to the American Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)

London, July 5, 1945.

My Dear Ambassador: The European Advisory Commission in discussing the question of the creation of a Division “Reparations, Deliveries and Restitution” in the Control Commission in Austria, has not explored the heart of the problem of Austrian reparations. I desire, however, to recall that at different times I have had occasion to state that if the French Government recognized the principle of the obligation for Austria to furnish reparations, it believed that the form and amount should be examined by the four occupying Powers, [Page 158] in the light of the general position and future prospects of the Austrian economy, as well as in the light of the necessity of maintaining the independence of Austria. An analogous point of view has, moreover, been expressed by other Delegations.

You have been so good as to state to the Commission that you have informed your Government of the views so expressed. I have the honor to inform you that, on my part, I have not failed to advise my Government of the various opinions expressed in the course of the discussion.

Please accept [etc.]

R. Massigli
  1. Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. i, p. 346. For documentation regarding reparations from Austria, see ibid., vol. i, pp. 342–347, and vol. ii, pp. 663–667 ↩
  2. Not printed↩
  3. Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. i, p. 347 ↩