CFM Files
United States Delegation Journal
USDel (PC) (Journal) 29
The Commission, after a brief discussion, adopted the French proposal that the Sub-Commission on Reparations should be composed of one representative of each of the following states: UK, USA, USSR, and France as members of the CFM: Yugoslavia, Greece and Ethiopia as claimants specially mentioned in Article 64B; and Czechoslovakia and Canada as members of the Commission which had made no claim for reparation against Italy. The Commission then began consideration of Article 64, paragraph by paragraph. The Canadian representative proposed that approval of paragraph 1 be postponed until the Commission had heard the Sub-Commission’s report, so that the question of reparation could be considered as a whole. This proposal was supported by the Australian representative and opposed by the representatives of the UK, the USSR, the US, France, and Belgium, who favored adoption of the paragraph as drafted. The proposal to postpone was defeated on a roll call vote by 15 to 5, having been supported only by Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. In reply to the Chairman’s question as to whether there were any objections to paragraph 1, Mr. Thorp (USA) said that the US Delegation could only accept Part A as a whole, as it represented a single program. The Chairman replied that the position of the US Delegation would be safeguarded by the fact that after voting on each paragraph, a vote would be taken on Part A as a whole. Mr. Walker (Australia) said that, although he did not object to paragraph 1, he could not agree to the suggestion which had been made by the UK and Belgian representatives that the adoption of paragraph 1 would provide a good basis for judging the other claims for reparation, which should be systematically considered. The Greek representative supported this view. The Yugoslav representative said that, though Yugoslavia only asked for reparation in part, the USSR claim should not be taken as a basis for judging other claims, as Yugoslavia could not make such a generous sacrifice in presenting its claim as had the USSR. This view was also taken by the Ethiopian representative. The Commission then adopted paragraph 1. Turning to [Page 326] paragraph 2a, Mr. Walker said that the procedure for determining the share of surplus Italian factory and tool equipment to be turned over to the USSR as reparation was not clear. In explanation, Mr. Thorp referred to Article 58, under the terms of which the amount of such equipment was to be determined, and to Article 75, by which the ultimate responsibility for settling general problems arising under the treaty fell on the USSR, the UK, the US, and France, acting through their Ambassadors in Rome. The Commission then adopted paragraph 2a, and, after brief discussion, paragraphs 2b and 2c. Mr. Walker then proposed that paragraph 3 be amended as follows (deleted portions in [] and added portions underlined98):
The quantities and types of goods to be delivered shall be the subject of agreements between [the Italian Government and the Government of the U.S.S.R. and] the Government of the U.S.S.R. and the Reparation and Restitution Commission constituted under Section C of this Article and the goods shall be selected in such a way as to avoid interference with the economic reconstruction of Italy and the imposition of additional liabilities on other Allied or Associated Powers. [Agreements concluded under this paragraph shall be communicated to the four Ambassadors in Rome of the U.S.S.R., U.K., U.S.A. and France.]
Mr. Walker noted that the constitution of the Reparation and Restitution Commission would form the subject of a new Section C of Article 64. In the opinion of the Australian Delegation Italy could not be asked to make a series of bilateral agreements to carry out the terms of Article 64, and the task of negotiating agreements with the reparation recipients should be given to such a Reparation and Restitution Commission. The Commission adjourned without discussing this amendment.
- The added portions are printed in italics.↩