740.00119 Control (Rumania)/8–2445
Transcript of Discussion at Joint Meeting of Senior Soviet, British, and United States Representatives on the Allied Control Commission for Rumania57
| Present: | Col. General Susaikov, Deputy Chairman, ACC |
| Air Vice-Marshal Stevenson, British Commissioner | |
| Brigadier General Schuyler, Chief U.S. Representative | |
| Russian, British and United States interpreters, liaison officers and recorders. |
Gen. Susaikov: “I have invited General Schuyler and Air Vice-Marshal Stevenson here today to discuss one question, the question which you have raised in your letters about the present situation in Rumania in regard to the Government.58 I now want to hear what you have to say.”
Gen. Schuyler: “I would like to say that I have just received word from Washington that the United States has asked the Governments of Soviet Russia and the United Kingdom to consult together in response to the King of Rumania’s request, in an effort to arrive at a solution to the political problem in Rumania. I have received instructions, as Chief Representative for the United States on the Control [Page 590] Commission, to take no action here which might at all complicate the situation, which we now expect will be discussed by the three Governments concerned. I do suggest, however, that the Control Commission take the necessary action to avoid the possibility of local disturbances or bloodshed. I am informed that in certain quarters a good deal of excitement and nervousness exists. Therefore I suggest that until the completion of the expected consultations, the Control Commission take steps to prevent any political agitation or demonstrations by any of the parties concerned.”
AVM Stevenson: “I have no doubt that what General Schuyler has just said is very much in the mind of the Colonel General as our Deputy Chairman of the ACC, and beyond that I have no remarks to make except that it is a normal and reasonable view that I suppose none of us will take exception to. I would like to add that the main question has been carried, in my view, beyond the vista of this country and has been placed in the hands of the three Great Powers, and there is nothing we can do.”
Gen. Susaikov: “First, I would like to say that the difficulties which have arisen here have not been raised by the Soviets, but rather on the initiative of the Representatives of the ACC on the British and American side, without previously telling me about it, as the Representative of the Chairman of the Allied Control Commission.
“Second, as regards order in the country, I consider that as of today, the Government of Rumania, following the example of Petre Groza, is in a position to keep order and to control whatever disturbances occur, and there are no disturbances in the country at the present, I consider the situation to be completely satisfactory. Today’s holiday has shown the unity of the Army and the people around the government of Petre Groza. The Army went on parade and saluted the government. All the higher Generals who commanded the troops were in their places. The people expressed its sympathy to the Government.”
AVM Stevenson: “The people?”
Gen. Susaikov: “The people did.”
AVM Stevenson: “Expressed what?”
Gen. Susaikov: “Its sympathy with the government.”
AVM Stevenson: “Could I ask how?”
Gen. Susaikov: “They expressed it by speeches and things of that sort, and by watching the troops go marching past. The parade and the demonstration were carried out in an organized, disciplined way.
“I am now limiting the question to the situation within the country, and I fully understand this situation. Within the country there are the people, and the army of the people are united with the government.
[Page 591]“Now I will give you the official view of my Government on this question:
“The Soviet Government has examined the question regarding the Rumanian Government and expresses itself as definitely opposed to the resignation of the Groza government. This note has been brought to the notice of the King and to the notice of the Prime Minister. This is the official reply of the Soviet Government to the note received from the King. Having given the point of view of my Government, I am now unable to go any further into a discussion of the matter.”
AVM Stevenson: “May I make a comment on one of your remarks? You have accused us in your first statement of taking action outside the ACC, in that this situation arose without my apprising you. I would like to state very definitely and openly that the only action I have personally taken in this political crisis is that I was summoned to the King to receive a message from the King for transmission to my Government; that summons I answered. A similar one was handed over to General Susaikov, and you followed the same course of action as I did, in transmitting it to your Government. Therefore the assertion made by you is untrue as far as I am concerned. You should remember that this point came up before: We have in this country a political representative of His Majesty’s Government, Mr. Le Rougetel, who is in touch with the Rumanian Government.”
Gen. Schuyler: “I should like to register the same objection to General Susaikov’s remark with respect to the United States Representative. Like Air Vice-Marshal Stevenson, my part has been only to receive a message from the King, which I was informed had previously been delivered to General Susaikov. I am of course entirely familiar, and have been all along, with the activities of the United States Representative to Rumania and his associates. These activities have been confined to the furnishing of information to leading Rumanians as to the attitude of the United States Government toward the Rumanian situation. This attitude has been announced publicly, and there is no secret about it. These facts were transmitted specifically by Mr. Melbourne, who is Mr. Berry’s assistant, to a representative of corresponding rank on the staff of the Soviet political ACC representative. That constitutes the extent of the activities of any U.S. representatives in Rumania with which I am familiar.”
Gen. Susaikov: “I reject the statements of both the Air Vice-Marshal and General Schuyler on the grounds that the Allied Control Commission is the first body which should be advised of anything transpiring in Rumania. I have no more comments to make.”
AVM Stevenson: “General Susaikov’s last remark relates to a question that lies in the hands of our Governments and not ourselves, and the views of my Government on this situation were expressed to the [Page 592] Kremlin by our Ambassador in Moscow. I just happened to know that, and since it is a matter between my Government and the Government of the Soviet Union, I am not able to discuss that point further.”
Gen. Susaikov: “I have no more to add.”
Brigadier General, U.S. Army Chief Military Representative
- Meeting held August 23, 1945, 3 p.m. The transcript itself is dated August 24. A copy of the transcript was transmitted to the Department as enclosure 5 to despatch 477, August 24, from Bucharest, not printed.↩
- For text of General Schuyler’s letter of August 21 to General Susaikov, requesting a meeting of the chief representatives of the Allied Control Commission, see telegram M–1455, August 21, from Bucharest, p. 577.↩