740.00119 EAC/5–1345: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 13—5 p.m.]
4786. Comea 247. I have noted the desire expressed in Department’s 3627, May 9, noon,30 repeated to Caserta for Erhardt as 449, that the EAC should now resume negotiation of the two protocols on zones of occupation and on control machinery in Austria. I believe the Commission can resume discussion of these questions in the next few days. Latest instructions received here were contained in Department’s 3400, May 1, 3 p.m., repeated to Caserta for Erhardt as 415.
Unless otherwise instructed I shall assume Department does not intend discussion in EAC to be delayed pending Moscow’s report on the renewed remonstrances transmitted in Department’s 1035, May 8, [Page 120] 7 p.m., to Moscow (repeated to London as 3622; to Caserta for Erhardt as 466).
Since the last EAC discussions on zones in Austria reported in my 4125, April 23, 2 p.m., repeated to Caserta as my 92, no new factors have emerged with respect to the Soviet position in EAC except that I have told the Russians privately that all our information about Tulln airdrome indicates that latter is completely inadequate for our needs.
During the past week I have noticed a gradual hardening in the attitude of the UK delegation. Strang indicated informally last night that he now expects his Government to insist on adopting the wider boundaries of Gau Vienna and that probably he will not be prepared to continue discussion on the tentative basis of the narrower boundaries of Vienna City, even on presupposition that the Soviet delegation might agree to accept our requirements concerning (1) a suitable airfield under US control (2) recreation and training facilities outside Vienna City and (3) equitable sharing of Innere Stadt.
As I understand our position set forth in Department’s 3400, it is also more unyielding inasmuch as I am instructed to insist that a suitable airfield must form an integral part of the US zone in Vienna. This involves our withdrawing the tentative formula advanced to me on April 10 (my 85, April 15, 11 p.m. to Caserta for Erhardt, repeated to Department as my 3865) which was designed to assure full US control of Schwechat airdrome and unimpeded access to it without including it as an integral part of the US zone, on condition that the Russians meet all our adjustments in other respects.
Under these circumstances and in light of other developments regarding Austrian affairs, I shall be glad to reexplore the zoning question in EAC, but unless the Soviet delegation has some new instructions, the Department should foresee a continuance of the present deadlock so far as the ability of the EAC to resolve the disagreements on Vienna is concerned.
Sent to Department as my 4786; repeated to Caserta for Erhardt as my 109.
- Not printed; it stated that the Department hoped that Ambassador Winant would be able to resume negotiations in the E.A.C. in a further effort to complete the protocols on zones of occupation and control machinery for Austria as soon as possible (863.01/5–945)↩