Office of the Historian

741.92/10–1245: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)

Washington, October 12, 1945—8 p.m.

9096. Paragraph 4 A Deptel 9024, Oct 11.94 Dept has informed Brit Embassy orally95 that it welcomes Brit position regarding Section C of Heads of Agreement on Postwar Security and Brit assurance that Clause C 1 is only designed to make easier negotiation for regional schemes of defense in world organization by warning Siamese they must play part in defense of southeastern Asia, and that C 2 is corollary of C 1. Dept pointed out, however, that C 1 standing [Page 1356] alone is historically the language of a protectorate and it requested that C 1 and C 2 be joined by the word “and” and stated in a single clause. By such combination expressed Brit intent to which US has no objection would be accurately stated and unfortunate connotation C 1 when stated without relation to C 2 would be avoided. Repeated to Chungking, New Delhi and Colombo for Yost.

Byrnes
  1. Not printed; paragraph 4 A summarized that part of the British Embassy aide-mémoire of October 6 which dealt with Clause C of the Heads of Agreement (741.92/10–1145)↩
  2. On October 11.↩