740.00119 Council/9–446: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of State, at Paris
us urgent
4583. Secdel 817. Personal for the Secretary from Clayton. At usual weekly meeting with Patterson and Forrestal64 this morning, both urged Dept to make strong protest to UNRRA respecting its relief shipments to Yugoslavia. Both Patterson and Forrestal emphasized deplorable political effects which would follow from failure of State Dept to take energetic action in this affair. Patterson stated that it was too much to ask of American people that they contribute in the generous fashion they have to UNRRA and then have to put up with murder of five of their soldiers. He thought least we could do was to protest to UNRRA and ask that the program for Yugoslavia should be reviewed and revised. Patterson also suggested, in which Forrestal concurred, that if the State Dept did not wish to take action matter should be brought to attention of the President.
I then reviewed the reasons against such action (Secdel 783, Aug 2965) to which view I still adhere and pointed out that US cannot issue orders to UNRRA and that applications for relief are handled by Central Committee which approves all relief programs and in which the US has only one vote. I also pointed out that Sov [Page 947] Govt has already charged US with using UNRRA as a political vehicle and that we have consistently rejected this allegation. Furthermore UNRRA is about finished and will shortly be liquidated. I informed the two Secretaries of contents of our latest note to Yugoslavia and of the assurances given by Tito that no more shooting would take place. I likewise advised them that tenor that note had your approval and that we should hesitate now to utilize UNRRA as the stage for such a protest against acts that were admittedly outrageous but for which Tito had now given assurances which were generally satisfactory.
The two Secretaries still insisted that a protest to UNRRA was in order and we agreed to refer the question to you again. I felt impelled to do this in order to prevent a War and Navy approach to the White House on the subject.
Patterson and Forrestal propose that we should instruct our representative on UNRRA to protest in the Central Committee the shipments to Yugoslavia and request that 72 percent (American share) should be held up until further investigation is made of the use of UNRRA supplies in Yugoslavia. Our representative should take the position that there has been diversion of UNRRA supplies from the stricken hungry and needy Yugoslav people to other purposes, notably contributing to the maintenance of a huge army, and that the great benevolence of American people in meeting needs of Yugoslav people has been defeated by this diversion of supplies. Furthermore, protest should point out that the Government which is effecting this diversion gave the orders which resulted in the death of five American soldiers. Both Patterson and Forrestal were positively of the opinion that a protest along this line should be lodged in UNRRA at the earliest possible moment.
I still believe this would be the wrong course, and hope you will continue to support our position. I am the more persuaded of inadvisability any action to halt relief to Yugos now since, regardless of justification such stoppage, action at this time is clearly contrary our attitude that plane incidents should be settled amicably soon as possible. In line with this view, which based on teletype conference August 31 I took to accord your wishes, I informed newspaper correspondents this morning in reply to inquiry that, aside from question of indemnity, we consider our note of yesterday as closing matter of plane incidents.