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

CFM Files

United States Delegation Journal

September 14, 1946, 10 a.m.

USDel (PC) (Journal) 42

The record of the 13th meeting was adopted.

The U.K. Delegate gave notice that his Delegation thought that the Treaty with Finland should be amended to invite Finland to join the International Mine Clearance Organization as Italy would be invited. He said a text similar to the U.K. amendment to the Italian Treaty would be presented to the Secretariat as soon as the U.K. and U.S.S.R. Representatives had agreed that Finland should be invited.

The Albanian Representatives, Colonel Hysni Kapo and M. Beban Shtylla, were present throughout the session. Colonel Kapo delivered a prepared speech stating the Albanian view that the size of the Italian armed forces should be reduced in order to guarantee the security of Albania who had suffered two invasions in 22 years at the hands of the Italians. Colonel Kapo refused to answer a question of the Indian Delegate as to the size of the Albanian armed forces. He said it was well known that Albania had a population of only one million and consequently her army was much smaller than the Italian army.

General Pika (Czechoslovakia) proposed that the rapporteur give an explanatory statement on the reasons for the Commission’s decision on the Yugoslav amendments to Articles 47 and 52 of the Italian Treaty [C.P. (Gen.) Docs. 1.U.15 and 16]. He asked that a representative of the Four Great Powers, whose declaration General Catroux had read during the discussion of Article 58, be asked if the declaration applied to Albania.⁴ Admiral Manola (Yugoslavia) secconded General Pika’s request to a representative of the Four Great Powers and said that Yugoslavia would sponsor the amendments to Articles 47 and 52 which were suggested in the Albanian memorandum.⁵ Admiral Rebuffel (France) said that he thought that the declaration of the Four Great Powers would not preclude Albania, but that if Albania had a claim she should address herself to the Four Powers. This statement resulted in the appearance of a difference of opinion amongst the Four Powers and General Balmer said that he supported the point of view of the French Delegate rather than that of General Slavin as regards the procedure to be followed; the Albanians should send a letter to the Four Powers who would convene to discuss it rather than voluntarily getting together.

In response to a question from General Slavin (U.S.S.R.) the Chairman said that two proposed amendments had been received based on the Italian memorandum, one from the United States and one from New Zealand.⁶ The rapporteur read the response (CP (Mil) Doc. 6) of the Economic Commission on Italy to the request of the Military Commission for an interpretation of the word “property” in Article 65 of the Draft Treaty with Italy. The Economic Commission interpreted “property” to include “war material removed by Italy from the territory of one of the United Nations”. The question of the withdrawal of the Greek amendment dependent on this interpretation will not be brought up until discussion of Article 58 is resumed. The Chairman said that he had been informed there were 10 amendment[s] based on the Italian memorandum still being drafted.

The next meeting was set for 10:00 a.m., September 16.

4. For text of the Four Power Declaration, see the United States Delegation Journal account of the 10th Meeting, September 4, p. 360.
5. The Albanian proposals are contained in C.P. (Gen) Doc. 7, August 30, Memorandum Submitted by the Albanian Government on the Draft Peace Treaty with Italy, vol. iv, p. 799.
6. The Commission considered the two amendments at its 19th Meeting, September 17; for the United States Delegation Journal account of that meeting, see p. 470.