Office of the Historian

CFM Files

United States Delegation Journal

September 11, 1946, 10 a.m.

USDel (PC) (Journal) 39

The Record of the 12th meeting was adopted but adoption of the record of the 13th meeting was deferred until a representative of the [Page 421] International Central Board for Mine Clearance of European Waters should have clarified the title of the organization which the Italians would be invited to join. A representative of Admiral King was expected in the afternoon.

A proposal of the South African Delegate, General Theron, that the representatives of the ex-enemy states be heard on specific articles, which he listed, of the relevant treaties was rejected for the Italian Treaty and decision on it deferred for the other treaties. A proposal by Mr. Alexander (U.K.) to: (1) give one-half hour to the Italian Representative to speak on questions of his own choice, (2) one-half hour to answer written questions submitted beforehand and, (3) that questions arising spontaneously as a result of the Italian declaration to be submitted to the Chairman in writing was accepted unanimously. Admiral Conolly accepted the U.K. proposal with the provision that it not furnish a bar to further hearing of the Italian Representative if that became necessary.

On a request by General Pika (Czechoslovakia) the deadline for tabling amendments to the Rumanian Treaty based on the Rumanian memorandum75 was delayed until midnight September 12, replacing midnight September 11. Articles 11, 12 and 13 of the Rumanian Treaty were adopted without amendment or discussion.

The Delegates agreed to adopt the provisions of the Belgian amendment to Article 14 regarding atomic armaments [C.P. (Gen) Doc. 1.C.1] and also the provisions regarding torpedoes which the U.K. Delegation had introduced for Article 44 of the Italian Treaty.76 Captain Pryce (U.S.A.) asked that provisional adoption of Article 14 be deferred until after discussion of the Greek amendment to the Bulgarian Treaty forbidding motor topedo boats to Bulgaria. This proposal touched off a fairly long and acrimonious debate wth General Slavin (U.S.S.R.), the Byelo-Russian Delegate, General Pika (Czechoslovakia) and General Catroux (France) opposed to it while the U.K., Indian, Australian and Belgian Delegations supported it. The motion was carried 11–8 with 2 abstentions. France and China voted with the Soviet bloc and Ethiopia and Norway abstained.

General Pika asked that discussion of an invitation to Rumania to be heard be inserted in the agenda for the next meeting. He said that the Czechoslovakian Delegation would present amendments based upon the Rumanian memorandum.

The next meeting was set for 10:00 a.m., September 12. The meeting adjourned at 1:10 p.m.

  1. The reference is presumably to C.P. (Mil) Doc. 5, September 10, not printed, which proposed amendments to articles 15 and 16 in furtherance of comments contained in C.P.(Gen) Doc. 3, August 26, Observations on the Draft Peace Treaty with Rumania by the Rumanian Government, printed in vol. iv, p. 217.↩
  2. For substance of the British amendment, see the United States Delegation Journal account of the 8th Meeting, September 2, p. 335.↩