Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Council of Foreign Ministers, Volume II

C.F.M. Files: Lot M–88: Box 2063: Records of Decision

Record of Decisions, Council of Foreign Ministers, Second Session, Eighteenth Meeting, Palais du Luxembourg, Paris, May 15, 1946, 5 p.m.

Paris, May 15, 1946, 5 p.m.

secret
C.F.M. (46) 18th Meeting, 15 May, 1946.

Present

	U.K.
	Mr. Bevin (Chairman)
	Mr. Jebb
	Mr. Duff Cooper
	Mr. Dixon
U.S.S.R.		France
Mr. Molotov		M. Bidault
Mr. Vyshinsky		M. Couve de Murville
Mr. Dekanozov		Gen. Catroux
Mr. Gousev		M. Alphand
Mr. Bogomolov		M. Fouques Duparc
Mr. Novikov
	U.S.A.
	Mr. Byrnes
	Senator Connally
	Senator Vandenberg
	Mr. Dunn
	Mr. Matthews
	Mr. Cohen
	Mr. Bohlen

I. Peace Treaty With Italy. Reparations

The Chairman of the Committee on Reparations presented a report to the Council (C.F.M. (46) 87)⁶²

The Council referred the question of reparations to the Deputies for further consideration.

II. Revision of the Armistice Terms With Italy

(1) The Council approved the draft agreement modifying the terms of the Armistice with Italy as proposed by the delegation of the U.S.A. (C.F.M.(46)84)⁶³ subject to the following two amendments:

(a) Article III, para (B) to read:

“the employment and disposition of the Italian Navy shall remain as at present subject to the command and control of the Supreme Allied Commander”.

(b) Article III, para (C), the words:

“so long as military necessity may require” to be deleted.

(2) The Council agreed

(a) that a Protocol approving the revised Armistice terms should be drawn up by the drafting Committee, and initialled by the four Foreign Ministers.

(b) that the revised Armistice terms in Russian, English and French versions should be attached to the Protocol referred to, in (a) above.

(c) that as provided in Article XII, the revised Armistice terms should be signed, on the one hand, by the Supreme Allied Commander duly authorised thereto by the four Governments and, on the other, by the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy.

III. Modification of the Terms of the Armistice With the Former German Satellites

By analogy with the modifications in the terms of the Armistice with Italy (C.F.M. (46)84), the Council agreed in principle that the Allied Control Commissions in the other former European allies of Germany might be dissolved and replaced in each case by a special section of the Headquarters of the Allied (Soviet) High Command.

IV. Adjournment of the Present Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers

(1) The Council resolved to adjourn the present session until 15th June and to resume its meetings in Paris on that date.

(2) The Council resolved to instruct the Deputies to continue the discussion of the problems referred to them in connection with the draft treaties of peace with Italy, Roumania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland. The Deputies shall meet in Paris.

V. Date of the Peace Conference

The Council agreed to defer until the 15th June the question of the date of the Peace Conference.

VI. Next Meeting of the Ministers

The Ministers agreed to hold an informal meeting in Mr. Molotov’s room and under his chairmanship at 11 a.m. on 16th May, to continue the discussion of the German question.

Paris , 15 May, 1946.

62. Dated May 15, 1946, p. 422.
63. C.F.M. (46) 84, May 14, 1946, is not printed. The revision of the armistice with Italy as finally approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers on May 16 was circulated as document C.F.M. (46) 95, May 16, 1946, p. 436. Differences between C.F.M. (46) 84 and C.F.M. (46) 95 are indicated in footnotes to the latter document.