Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Eastern Europe, The Soviet Union, Volume VI

740.00119 Council/8–2246: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of State, at Paris

top secret   us urgent
niact

Washington, August 22, 1946—8 p.m.

4301. Secdel 730. For Secretary Byrnes from Acheson. This afternoon I consulted with Generals Eisenhower, Spaatz, and Handy, Admiral Ramsey (in lieu of Admiral Nimitz), and the Secretary of War.²⁸ Admiral Leahy²⁹ has also seen this message and concurs in the view of the other Chiefs of Staff. The following advice of the Joint Chiefs is founded on the assumption that you consider it desirable, for reasons other than the military necessity of the flights involved, that they should be resumed and that such resumption involving combat craft meets with the approval of the President. They advise that they consider it much preferable that the flights should be by armed bombers rather than by transport planes with fighter aircraft. This is for the reasons, first, that any action by such armed bombers will be clearly defensive and can be established as such and, second, that much greater asurance of remaining on course will be provided. The War Department is instructing General McNarney³⁰ to let you know the number and types of armed bombers available for such service if it should be inaugurated. They raised the further point that, since there is a possibility that offensive action against such planes may spread and involve General Morgan,³¹ you should coordinate your plans with Bevin.³² The considerations mentioned by the Joint Chiefs in reaching these conclusions are generally along the lines of those expressed by General Eisenhower to General Bonefield³³ in his telegram today Numbers 98229 and 222062.

In view of the foregoing I interpret your instructions to mean that I am not to deliver the communication contained in your 4172 and therefore await further instructions from you.

Admiral Leahy had sent a copy of your 4172 to the President prior to my conversation with him. He is sending a copy of my present telegram to you to the President with his personal recommendation that the President give you full discretionary authority in this matter.³⁴

Acheson

[In his unnumbered telegram from Bled, August 22, 9 p.m., Ambassador Patterson reported on his conversation with Prime Minister Tito. In his unnumbered and undated telegram from Bled, received in Washington on August 24, 12:22 a.m., Ambassador Patterson reported on his visit to the scene of the crash outside Bled of the second C–47 aircraft forced down on August 19. In his unnumbered telegram from Belgrade, August 23, midnight, Ambassador Patterson transmitted the text of a letter from Prime Minister Tito replying to the United States note of August 21. These messages together with a statement from the Department of State were released to the press on August 24; for texts, see Department of State Bulletin, September 1, 1946, pages 418–419.]

28. General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Carl Spaatz, Commanding General, Army Air Forces and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Thomas T. Handy, Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; Adm. D. C. Ramsey, Vice Chief of Naval Operations; Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, Chief of Naval Operations and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Robert P. Patterson, Secretary of War.
29. Fleet Adm. William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
30. Gen. Joseph T. McNarney, Commanding General, United States Forces, European Theater.
31. Gen. William Morgan, Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater.
32. Ernest Bevin, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
33. Presumably the reference is to Col. Charles H. Bonesteel, Chief, Strategy Policy Section, Operations Division, General Staff, War Department, and Military Adviser to the United States delegation at the Paris Peace Conference.
34. Telegram 4314, August 23, 3 a.m., to Paris, for the Secretary of State, stated that President Truman had approved the suggestion of the Chiefs of Staff and had given his authority in advance for any action in the matter that the Secretary might consider necessary (740.00119 Council/8–2346).