740.00119 Control (Italy)/12–1845
The French Ambassador (Bonnet) to the Acting Secretary of State
AB/AC
The Ambassador of France in the United States presents his compliments to the Acting Secretary of State and has the honor to bring the following matter to his attention.
As a result of the Deputy Commissioner’s letter of November 21 to the French representative to the Allied Commission in Italy, according to which the Allied Forces Headquarters would have made the decision to withdraw the Allied troops from the Alps frontier and at the same time would have proceeded with the evacuation of all of Northern Italy except Venezia Giulia, the French Government found it necessary to protest against this decision, which it considered contrary, if not to the letter, at least to the spirit, of the Caserta agreement of June 11, 1945. Mr. Georges Bidault sent an aide-mémoire on this subject to the Ambassador of the United States in Paris, and the Embassy of France made similar representations to the Department of State in its note No. 954 of December l.63
During the talks on December 3 with the competent office of the Department of State, the Embassy of France was given a number of verbal assurances, including the assurance that, if the reduction of occupation forces resulting from the redeployment did not permit the Allies to maintain troops in the 15-mile frontier zone, this zone would [Page 755] at least remain demilitarized, the police forces allowed to enter it would be reduced to a minimum, and the liaison officers of the Allied Commission would still be able to carry out inspection tours. It was added that the Embassy would promptly receive a written answer regarding this matter.
The answer was sent to the Embassy on December 5. It states that the Allies are not able to maintain troops in the 15-mile frontier zone after the imminent evacuation of Northern Italy, but that the liaison officers of the Allied Commission will remain in this region for some time. The Italian Government would be informed that its renewed jurisdiction over the provinces in Northern Italy would not prejudice the definitive tracing of the frontier and should not interfere with any rectifications of the Franco-Italian frontier. The Department of State expressed, at the same time, the hope that the Governments at Paris and Rome would be able, through bilateral agreement, to come to an understanding on these rectifications. While the Department’s reply was positive on the matter of the commitments made by General Morgan not to let Italian troops other than Carabinieri enter this zone so long as it is under his jurisdiction, it gave no assurance regarding the continued demilitarization of the zone after the evacuation of the Allied troops from Northern Italy.
The insufficiency of the guarantee given on this point by the American Government was brought to the attention of the competent office of the Department of State on December 7.
The Embassy of France has been directed to inform the Department of State as follows in this connection.
The French Government naturally cannot oppose the evacuation of Allied troops from Northern Italy, including the 15-mile zone along the Franco-Italian frontier. It is prepared, furthermore, acting on the suggestions of the American Government, to commence negotiations with the Government at Rome concerning the frontier rectifications which it is requesting. But the French Government cannot renounce the guarantees given to it by the agreement of June 11 in return for the evacuation of its troops from the territory in question. Under these conditions it asks that, pending a satisfactory conclusion of its negotiations with the Government in Rome or, failing that, pending the signing of the peace treaty, the 15-mile frontier zone remain demilitarized and that formal commitments on this matter be obtained from the Italian Government. It thinks that these commitments should be more specific than those discussed in the meetings which Admiral Stone had with Mr. de Gasperi a few days ago.
Mr. Henri Bonnet is happy to avail himself of this occasion to renew to the Honorable Dean Acheson the assurances of his very high consideration.