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

CFM Files

United States Delegation Journal

August 23, 1946, 4 p.m.

USDel (PC) (Journal) 23

The Commission began consideration paragraph by paragraph of the Preamble of the Italian draft treaty. The first paragraph was approved without amendment and without comment.

The representative of the Netherlands introduced an amendment to the second paragraph of the Preamble (first paragraph of CP(IT/P) Doc. 6). He modified the English text of his amendment already circulated to substitute the word “undertook” for “unleashed”. His amendment to the second paragraph of the Preamble thus reads as follows:

“Whereas Italy under the Fascist regime became a party to the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Japan, undertook a war of aggression and thereby provoked a state of war with all the Allied and Associated Powers and with other United Nations, and bears her share of responsibility for the war.”

The representatives of the U.S.S.R. and Byelorussia opposed the Dutch amendment and supported the C.F.M. draft. The representatives of New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa spoke in favor of the Netherlands amendment which was finally put to the vote and approved by 11 votes to 9.⁴⁸

The Yugoslav amendment to the second paragraph of the Preamble was next considered (paragraph 2 of CP(IT/P) Doc. 5).⁴⁹ The representatives of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Belgium opposed the Yugoslav amendment while the Polish delegate was the only one who spoke in favor of it. The Yugoslav representative withdrew his amendment, and the Chairman declared paragraph 2 of the Preamble accepted with the Dutch amendment.

The Commission considered the Chinese amendment to paragraph 3 of the Preamble. The Chinese amendment was a composite proposal supported also by the Delegations of Belgium, Brazil, Canada, and the Netherlands (CP(IT/P) Doc. 14). The following Delegations spoke in favor of the Chinese amendment: China, France, Yugoslavia, Brazil, U.S.A., Australia, and the United Kingdom. The Australian congratulated the Chinese Delegation on having broken down the solid C.F.M. front by his amendment; he called on all Delegations to note this important moment in the history of the Conference and expressed his pleasure at the tacit admission that the C.F.M. draft was not sacrosanct and above modification. The United Kingdom representative suggested a slight drafting modification in the Chinese amendment. In the absence of any opposition to the amendment the Chair declared the Chinese amendment, with the drafting change proposed by Great Britain, accepted unanimously. In its final form it reads as follows: “Whereas in consequence of the victories of the Allied forces, and with the assistance of the democratic elements of the Italian people, the fascist regime in Italy was overthrown on July 25, 1945, and Italy, having surrendered unconditionally, signed the terms of Armistice on September 3 and 29 of the same year; and . . . .”

The Commission adjourned at 7:55 p.m. with the consideration of paragraph 4 of the Preamble as the first item on the agenda for the next meeting.

48. The United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Byelorussia, the Ukraine, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia opposed the amendment.

49. The amendment proposed the following changes:

    1) In the first paragraph of the Preamble, list the Allied and Associated Powers in the following order: The U.S.S.R., U.K., U.S.A., China, France; then come Ethiopia, Greece, the Federative People’s Republic of Yugoslavia, followed by the other Powers in alphabetical order.

    2) In paragraph 2, delete the words “and bears her share of responsibility for the war”, and substitute: “occupied and partially annexed territories belonging to Allied and Associated Powers, and bears a large share of responsibility for the war”.

    3) In paragraph 5, line 5, after the word “Powers”, add: “after the ratification of the present Treaty by the Great Powers and by the Allied and Associated Powers neighbouring on Italy which share in the preparation of the present Treaty”.