760h.63/5–1245: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kennan) to the Secretary of State
Moscow, May 12,
1945—10 p.m.
[Received 10:45 p.m.]
[Received 10:45 p.m.]
1556. British Chargé72 has written Vyshinski73 to inquire whether Soviet Government is yet in position to supply its views on the British [Page 1319] proposals for preventing trouble on the Austro-Yugoslav frontier. He points out that the matter is now of extreme urgency as result of Germany’s capitulation.74
[Repeated to Caserta for Erhardt as 96.
Kennan
- Frank K. Roberts.↩
- Andrey Yanuaryevich Vyshinsky, First Assistant People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union.↩
- Germany surrendered on May 2, 1945. See vol. iii, pp. 717–783. In telegram 2116, May 12, 1945, from Caserta, the Political Adviser reported that German troops in the Klagenfurt–Volkermarkt area had been attacked while attempting to surrender to Allied forces. As a result the Supreme Allied Commander, Field Marshal Alexander, had requested Marshal Tito to cease the movement of his troops across the Austrian frontier and to withdraw those who had already crossed it. The Political Adviser paraphrased Alexander’s communication to Tito as reading: “Presence of Yugoslav forces in Styria and Carinthia confuses situation and makes SAC’s task more difficult. The area will be administered by AMG impartially and without prejudice to Tito’s future claims for portions of Austria.” (740.00119 Control (Italy)/5–1245)↩