740.00119 Control (Italy)/5–745: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Yugoslavia (Patterson)
74. In the course of military operations in northeast Italy it has not been possible for Allied troops to occupy the compartment of [Page 1145] Venezia Giulia. Rather this has been occupied for the most part by Tito’s forces which now share the occupation of Trieste, Monfalcone, and Gorizia with Marshal Alexander’s troops. General Morgan, SAC’s Chief of Staff, is conferring today with Tito’s Chief of Staff23 on a military line of demarcation to define zones of operation of Yugoslav and Allied forces. Please inform the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs that whatever provisional line of demarcation may be agreed upon for operational purposes by General Morgan and Tito’s Chief of Staff the position of the U.S. Government is that this military arrangement shall not be permitted to prejudice in any way the final disposition of the disputed area which can only be determined at a later date in the general peace settlement or in negotiations through normal channels between the Yugoslav and Italian Governments. You may add that in the view of the U.S. Government it would be preferable in the interests of future peace and stability in Europe if the entire compartment of Venezia Giulia were administered during the interim period by Allied Military Government in order that the final disposition of this area not be prejudiced by either of the claimants, that is Yugoslavia and Italy. You may conclude that on this point the U.S. Government may have further discussions with the Yugoslav Government at a later date.
Keep your British colleague informed. You need not however wait for him to receive similar instructions before taking the action outlined above.
Sent to Belgrade. Repeated to London, Moscow, and Caserta for information.
- Gen. Arso Jovanović↩