Office of the Historian

740.00119 EAC/6–2745: Telegram

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

Washington, June 30, 1945—5 p.m.

5334. Urtel 6501, Cornea 302, June 27.33 You may explain your silence in EAC when restitution was discussed recently by pointing out the following:

(1) It is essential that reparation, restitution, war booty, and occupation costs be defined in such terms as to distinguish them and integrate them into a whole program of economic security, compensation and economic reconstruction. The Reparations Commission must reconcile these factors. For this reason US cannot discuss restitution alone; (2) It is regrettable that the Reparations Commission is not a more representative body. The views of US regarding this are well known and will continue to be expressed on appropriate occasions; (3) It does not follow from the foregoing that removals from Germany must await decisions as to whether the property removed is to be [Page 1237] charged to a reparation, restitution, war booty or occupation cost account. It is view of US Govt that removal of goods and supplies needed for economic restoration of Allied countries should take place as rapidly and as soon as possible, provided that receiving power undertakes to abide by future common determination as to the account against which the removal will be charged. (4) In the event that other members of EAC insist upon discussing restitution alone, you may join in such discussions if you make it clear to them that in American view close coordination with Reparation Commission is essential before final recommendations to Governments represented on EAC can be made.

Sent to London, repeated to Moscow for Pauley.

Grew
  1. Not printed. In this telegram Ambassador Winant reported that on the initiative of the Soviet representative, the European Advisory Commission discussed restitution on June 26, but that the United States Delegation took no part (740.00119 EAC/6–2745). In telegram 5109, June 23, to London, the Department had stated that President Truman had approved a recommendation by Mr. Pauley that consideration of restitution in EAC be suspended until reparations discussions had made progress (740.00119 EAC/6–2345).↩