Office of the Historian

740.00119 EAC/5–1245: Telegram

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

Washington, May 14, 1945—1 p.m.

3767. ReUrtel 4778, May 12, 11 p.m.57 The President has approved the draft declaration regarding the defeat of Germany and the assumption of supreme authority with respect to Germany by the four powers recommended by the EAC. Please notify the Commission at once of this Government’s approval, and inform Department immediately when other Governments have approved.

The War Department, which has concurred in the draft declaration, has agreed to give urgent instructions to Eisenhower to arrange for the issuance of this declaration.58 Immediately upon approval by all four Governments, please arrange to have EAC or yourself transmit [Page 294] a copy of the declaration to Eisenhower. He will likewise be instructed to coordinate issuance with the other Allied representatives.

The Department sees no objection to the procedure outlined in your 4727, May 11, 9 p.m.,59 but assumes that the four representatives will work out these details between them.

Repeated to Paris for Murphy as Department’s 2061.

Grew
  1. Not printed; see footnote 53, p. 291.↩
  2. Approval of the declaration was communicated to the European Advisory Commission by the United’ States Representative on May 14, by the Soviet Representative on May 19, and by the French and United Kingdom Representatives on May 21.↩
  3. Not printed; it reported the contents of a United Kingdom memorandum concerning arrangements for the signing by the four Allied representatives in Germany of the Allied declaration on German defeat (740.00119 EW/5–1145).↩