860F.01/7–445: Telegram
The Chargé in Czechoslovakia (Klieforth) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:15 p.m.]
58. Received today note dated July 3 signed Clementis Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs.
“Referring to my note of 21st June (full text cabled Dept as 37, July [June] 2437) I have pleasure in informing you that during the negotiations of the Czechoslovak Governmental delegation in Moscow from the 22nd to 30th of June 1945 among other points the question of the sojourn of the Russian troops on the territory of the Czechoslovak Republic was discussed. It has been brought to the knowledge of [Page 469] the Czechoslovak Government by the Soviet authorities that approximately on July 5 the major part of the Soviet forces will leave the territory of the Czechoslovak Republic and as long as they remain for the time being in this country will be stationed exclusively near the Czechoslovak German frontier. In the aforesaid note I had the occasion to point out the difficulties which Czechoslovak Government in their effort for the economic and financial reconstruction are facing and which arise for the Czechoslovak administration out of the fact that the Czechoslovak territory has been and is still divided into two zones in the way of administration supply of provisions and economics. I am therefore again expressing the hope that the Government of the United States of America will as at all times hitherto find full understanding for the difficulties which the liberated states are forced to cope with and to hand over the territory until now occupied by American forces entirely into the hands of Czechoslovak Public bodies.”38
- See footnote 22, p. 460.↩
- Telegram 56, July 3 from Prague, reported on a radio speech made by Prime Minister Fierlinger in Prague regarding the outcome of the Soviet-Czechoslovak negotiations in Moscow. In the course of his broadcast, Prime Minister Fierlinger announced that the remaining Soviet military forces would be concentrated in the frontier region adjoining the German borders and the demarcation line separating the United States zone in Germany and Czechoslovak territory. No Soviet garrison would be maintained in the interior except at certain railroad junctions. The Prime Minister stated that it logically followed that the United States forces would withdraw from Czechoslovak territory (860F.014/7–345). For text of Prime Minister Fierlinger’s broadcast, ‘see Louise W. Holborn (ed.), War and Peace Aims of the United Nations: From Casablanca to Tokio Bay, January 1, 1943–September 1, 1945 (Boston, World Peace Foundation, 1948), p. 1043.↩