740.00119 Control (Austria)/3–2345: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 23—7:48 a.m.]
2991. [To Moscow.] In reply to your 121 March 15, 8 p.m.,84 which you repeated to Department as 767 and to Caserta as 33:
European Advisory Commission is considering zones of occupation and Allied control machinery in Austria. It has before it Soviet and British proposals on zones and a British draft on control machinery. American views on these two subjects are being formulated in Washington for presentation to the Commission. Soviet views on the latest British zones proposal and on control machinery are awaited. At this time it is impossible to predict how soon these two agreements will be completed. Preliminary discussions indicate broad agreement on the principle of joint control of Austria in the period after the defeat of Germany.
I agree with General Deane’s view reported by Gray (Caserta’s 1015, March 17, midnight, to Department) that Soviet military authorities [Page 35] will be unwilling to engage in detailed planning with United States and United Kingdom nucleus control groups for Austria until agreements on zones and control machinery have been completed in EAC. At time when proposal to assemble the Soviet, United Kingdom, and United States control groups was initiated (Caserta’s 489, February 9, 7 p.m. to Department) it was assumed here that discussions on Austrian arrangements would proceed more rapidly than has since proved to be the case. The liaison arrangements suggested by General McNarney would be of value as emphasizing to the Soviet authorities our desire to prepare the way for the smooth operation of Allied control in Austria.
Sent to Moscow as 107, repeated to Department as 291 and to Caserta as 59 for Gray.
- Not printed.↩