Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Paris Peace Conference: Proceedings, Volume III

CFM Files

United States Delegation Journal

August 27, 1946, 4 p.m.

USDel (PC) (Journal) 26

IV. Political and Territorial Commission for Rumania, 4 p.m.

The record of the third meeting of the Commission was approved. The Commission also adopted documents CP Plen 9 and 10 concerning hearing the views of Allied and ex-enemy countries.⁶³

The Chairman then opened discussion on the Preamble. Mr. Officer (Australia) presented the Australian amendment to paragraph 4 [C.P.(Gen.)Doc. 1. B. 18]. He referred to the decision taken on the similar amendment in the Italian Commission. He was willing to drop the words “and equity” and proposed merely the insertion of the words “conforming to the principles of justice”. He also hoped that the Commission could accept the drafting change which would place the phrase “will settle the questions still outstanding as a result of the events hereinbefore recited” before the phrase “will form the basis of friendly relations between them”. He was willing to have deferred the reference in the Preamble to the assurance of human rights. Mr. Jebb (U.K.) supported the Australian position. M. Bogomolov (U.S.S.R.) said that he considered the text submitted by the CFM as adequate and believed that the phrase “conforming to the principles of justice” added nothing to it since those principles were not questioned. General Catroux (France) said that France would vote in accordance with the agreement among the four inviting powers and could support an amendment only if the other three powers also supported it. Mr. Harriman (U.S.) said that the American position was similar to that of the French Delegation, and asked the Soviet Delegation for its views concerning the other points of the Australian amendment. The Chairman (M. Manuilsky) asked whether there were any objections to accepting the Australian proposal to add to the Preamble the words “conforming to the principles of justice”. There were no objections and this amendment was adopted. There were no objections to the transposition of phrases proposed by the Australian Delegation, and this amendment was also adopted. The Soviet and Byelorussian Delegations believed that the Australian amendment concerning a reference to human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Preamble should be rejected. The Chairman recognized, however, that the Australian Delegation had the right to ask deferment of this amendment until a later meeting.

The Commission then discussed the Rumanian proposal that the Preamble should indicate that Rumania engaged in hostilities with Germany after August 24, 1944, and not merely after the signature of the armistice.⁶⁴ Since no Delegation supported this proposal, it was dropped. The Ukrainian and Czechoslovakian Delegations then proposed that the Preamble state that Rumania took an active part “as a cobelligerent” in the war against Germany. This proposal was defeated by 8 votes to 4. The following Delegations voted in favor of it: Byelorussia, France, Czechoslovakia, Ukraine. The following Delegations voted against it: U.S.A., Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, New Zealand, U.S.S.R., Union of South Africa. The Czechoslovakian Delegation then supported the Rumanian proposal that the words “and Hungary” be added after the words “took an active part in the war against Germany”. This proposal was defeated by 8 votes to 4, the Delegations voting in the same way as on the previous amendment except that France voted against the amendment and New Zealand voted in favor of it.

The Commission then unanimously adopted Article 1 of the draft treaty. Mr. Harriman stated, however, that the U.S. must reserve its position on the reference to the map, since the map which had been circulated had not been approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers.⁶⁵ It was then decided that Article 2 would be held over until discussion had taken place on the question of the Rumanian-Hungarian frontier either in the Hungarian Commission or in a joint meeting of the Political Commissions for Hungary and for Rumania.

63. For C.P.(Plen) Doc. 9 and C.P.(Plen) Doc. 10, see Paris Peace Conference, 1946, pp. 56 and 58, respectively. They contain suggestions by the Conference Secretariat pursuant to the Conference decisions on these matters which are included in C.P.(Plen) Doc. 1, the Rules of Procedure, vol. vi, p. 796.
64. The Rumanian proposal is contained in C.P. (Gen) Doc. 3, vol. iv p. 217.
65. The map under reference had been provided by the Soviet delegation to accompany the Russian text of the Draft Treaty; no maps accompanied the English and French texts.