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

740.00119 Council/9–2745

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

London, September 27, 1945—11 p.m.
[Received September 28—9:55 a.m.]

10079. Delsec 62 from Reinstein.

1. Dearborn and I attended third meeting of IARA organizing committee on 25 September. Since neither Rueff nor I had yet received instructions on the matters referred at previous meeting progress was limited.

2. Draft note to Belgian Govt, text of which is being telegraphed separately,⁸⁹ was agreed to subject to French reservation on seat and my reservation of countries to be listed.

3. Waley suggested there is a strong probability that around the middle of October the coordinating committee will declare a substantial volume of equipment to be available for interim delivery and that there will be similar periodic declarations thereafter. Necessity for obtaining comments of claimant Govts delay resulting from failure to agree on invitations and time required for negotiation with Belgian Govt and allowance of reasonable time for designation of representatives indicate impossibility of holding first meeting early as October 15. This would confront occupying powers with necessity of allocating themselves. British suggested invitations might be issued without fixing date and place of first meeting and claimants asked to submit immediately to three Govts lists of equipment desired. Allocation could, if necessary, be made on basis of work of experts.

4. Nigel Sutton has been selected by British as Secretary General. Before war he was in business in Paris and during war has been in Political Intelligence Dept FornOff. He will be available in London for discussions between 5 and 10 October although not free for full time work until the middle of November. I think it highly desirable that the US should have a deputy secretary general available for joint work in London by 5 October and for meeting of British, French and as elements are scheduled in Paris for 10 October. De Seynes will be available on the French side.

5. It was agreed that the salary of the deputy secretary general should be 2,000 pounds to be fixed in terms of Belgian francs. Traveling expenses from the US self, family and household effects would be paid.

6. It was agreed delegates to IAEA should [be] paid by their Govts and secretariat from funds of agency.

7. Waley suggested that the US, UK and French Govts should make an advance contribution of 5,000 pounds each to the funds of IARA in order to enable it to get under way. I said I would seek instructions but was uncertain whether we could make contribution in advance of establishment of agency.

Sent to Dept as 10079, repeated to Paris as 624; USPolAd Berlin for Murphy as 146 and Moscow as 328. [Reinstein.]

Winant

89. Telegram 10076, September 27, 11 p.m., not printed; the note proposed Brussels as the seat for the Inter-Allied Reparations Agency and requested Belgian approval (740.00119 Council/9–2745). Agreement was given in a note to the American Charge” in Belgium dated October 10 (740.00119 EW/10–1245).