740.00119 Control (Hungary)/6–2345: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Harriman )
1391. Dept’s 1168, May 28.83 In connection with your discussion of organization and activities of ACC in Hungary during second period of Armistice you may wish to consider desirability of proposing for inclusion in statutes following points which are based on draft prepared by General Key84 and on which Dept would like to have your comments.85 [Page 833]
- 1.
- Functions of ACC would be limited to regulation and control of fulfillment of armistice terms, as stated in article 1 of present statutes.
- 2.
- Composition of ACC: chairman would represent Soviet Govt and Soviet Military Command in Hungary; two vice-chairmen would be chiefs of Brit and American Military Missions; third vice-chairman, such political and military assistants as may be required, and Chief of Staff of Commission would be appointed by chairman. Representatives of three powers should be included on several divisions of Control Commission. Liaison section should be provided to assure effective channel of communications between members of Commission and with Hungarian authorities.
- 3.
- There should be periodic meetings of Commission and agenda should be submitted to principal representatives of participating powers specified period in advance of meetings.
- 4.
- Action to be taken by Commission shall have been agreed upon unanimously by three Allied representatives; questions of important political nature which can be dealt with only on governmental level shall be referred to respective governments.
- 5.
- Specific provisions which should be included:
- (a)
- Principal representatives of three powers will receive oral and written information, including copies of official communications, on all activities of Commission.
- (b)
- They and their staffs may enter, move freely within, and leave Hungarian territory, communicate direct with their respective governments by usual methods of diplomatic communication including, after previous notification to chairman, dispatch and receipt of diplomatic couriers by air or otherwise and transport by any means of personnel, mail and supplies to and from Hungary.
- (c)
- They may determine size and composition of their delegations and amount of funds required from Hungarian Govt for expenses of their respective staffs.
- (d)
- They may call in specialist-officers or other experts in connection with special questions.
Dept prefers that if possible negotiations to revise ACC statutes along lines of foregoing points take place at Moscow. However, should it be decided to limit the discussion there to the broad principles included in Dept’s 1168 with provision for working out procedural details at Budapest, General Key will be so informed in order that he may discuss latter with Brit and Soviet members of Commission on his return to Hungary.
Dept is forwarding by courier for your and General Deane’s background information copy of General Key’s original draft and comments.
Sent to Moscow, repeated to London and Budapest.86
- See bracketed note, p. 821.↩
- The text of the Draft Statutes of the Allied Control Commission in Hungary, dated June 5, 1945, and the Comments on the Proposed Statutes Allied Control Commission for Hungary, dated June 5, 1945, both prepared by Maj. Gen. Key, were transmitted to Moscow as enclosures to instruction 659 of June 21. For texts of these documents, see Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. i, pp. 375 and 377, respectively.↩
- Telegram 2354, June 30, midnight from Moscow, ibid., p. 399, commented that it could not be regarded as probable that the Russians would accept the proposed American revisions in the Control Commission statutes unless some form of pressure were brought to bear upon them. These comments from Moscow were in turn commented upon in telegram 258, July 6, 4 p.m. from Budapest, sent to Moscow as Budapest’s telegram 21, ibid., p. 400.↩
- Repeated to London as telegram 5066 and to Budapest as 124.↩