Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, European Advisory Commission, Austria, Germany, Volume III

740.00119 EAC/4–745: Telegram

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

London, April 7, 1945—7 p.m.
[Received April 7—5:35 p.m.]

3551. Cornea 209. Belgian Ambassador³³ has addressed letters to the members of the European Advisory Commission proposing cession of German territory to Belgium. Full text by air.

Summary follows:

Letter recalls that in its memorandum of August 26, 1944³⁴ to the EAC the Belgian Government merely requested restoration of Belgian pre-1940 territorial integrity. Fuller study leads his Government to consider the desirability of making a slight rectification in the German-Belgian frontier as established by decision of the conference of ambassadors of July 22, 1920,³⁵ which drew the frontier on the basis of articles 34 and 35 of the Versailles Treaty.³⁶ This settlement left in German hands part of the Eupen–Malmedy Railroad in the German county of Montjoie. To end the abuses and incidents which arose from this transit arrangement the Belgian Government proposes a slight rectification of the frontier.

The letter goes on to cite the ravages inflicted on the Belgian Ardennes during the winter and the destruction caused by flying bombs in Belgian cities. The Belgian Government is studying the possibility of securing reparation for these damages by requesting the assignment of natural resources located in German territory near the Belgian frontier and in a region which in part belonged to the Belgian provinces prior to 1816. Such reparation would mean transferring to definitive or temporary Belgian sovereignty certain neighboring territories outside the Montjoie zone. The Belgian Government reserves the right to present proposals to this effect at an opportune time. End of Summary.

The frontier area referred to above is the Monschau area discussed in divisional memorandum H–16 of June 15, 1943 and illustrated in Department’s Belgian series cartogram LA of June 10, 1943 and Belgian series map 1 of June 22, 1943 which are available here.³⁷

Winant

33. Baron de Cartier de Marchienne.
34. Not printed.
35. See annotation of part II, article 27 of the Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany, signed at Versailles, June 28, 1919, Foreign Relations, The Paris Peace Conference, vol. xiii, p.124.
36. Ibid., pp. 140 and 142.
37. None printed.