740.00119 Control (Italy)/9–1746: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Durbrow) to the Secretary of State
[Received 3:30 p.m.]
3495. Following is Embassy’s translation of note received today from Soviet Foreign Office with request that it be communicated to Department:54
“The Allied Commission in Italy is placing obstacles in the way of the Soviet representatives on the Allied Commission, the Advisory Council for Italy, and the Mission for the Repatriation of Soviet Citizens from Italy, as well as in the way of the employees of the above representations, in the matter of their travel throughout Italy.
“These obstacles find expression in the fact that the authorities of the Allied Commission require the above-mentioned Soviet representatives in Italy and the employees of the representations to solicit a special permit several days in advance on each occasion of a trip in the country. These authorities require that the purpose of each trip be indicated in requesting the above permit.
“Such a procedure is in sharp contrast to the travel procedure established by the Soviet military authorities in Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria from the American and English representatives in the country. The Soviet military authorities are guided in establishing travel procedure in Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria by the negotiations of the Allied Control Commission, permitting freedom of travel throughout those countries to American and British representatives on the condition that these representatives inform the Allied Control Commission in advance of the time and itinerary for such journeys.”
In communicating the foregoing, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs insists that the aforementioned restrictions on the travel of Soviet representatives in Italy and their employees be removed and that there be established a normal procedure for travel through the country, analagous to that established for British and American representatives in Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs expressed the hope that the appropriate steps for the establishment of such a procedure will be taken as a matter of urgency.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs informs the Embassy that a similar note has been sent to the Embassy of Great Britain.
- On September 19 text of this note was forwarded by the Department to Budapest as No. 965, to Bucharest as No. 618, and to Sofia as No. 292, with the request to report “whether US officials do in fact enjoy freedom of travel under established procedure outlined Soviet note”. The text was sent to Rome as No. 1775 on the same day. (740.00119 Control (Italy)/9–1746)↩