Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Council of Foreign Ministers; Germany and Austria, Volume II

740.00119 Council/3–2647: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Acting Secretary of State

confidential
urgent

Moscow, March 26, 1947—midnight.

1030. Delsec 1353. For the President, Vandenberg, Connally and Acheson from Marshall. Fourteenth CFM meeting, March 26th, Marshall presiding, continued discussion of the procedure for preparing the German treaty. A lengthy exchange of views resulted in little progress and the entire report of the deputies on procedure⁷⁶ was referred back to the deputies with the exception of the question of the composition of the peace conference, which Molotov insisted the Council discuss Friday.⁷⁷

Molotov opposed but the United Kingdom, France and United States favored including China among the powers convening the German peace conference. Later, Bevin and Molotov rejected the United States proposal that a treaty clause be included in the German constitution⁷⁸ and both insisted that a German Government sign the peace treaty, but Bidault continued to support the United States proposal.⁷⁹

Recalling the war effort of the Dominions, Bevin sought to establish firmly their right to be heard on the German peace. Marshall said that Mexico and many Latin-American states had helped in the war and should be represented on the information and consultation conference. He cited the war contribution of Canada and asked the Council to recognize the wartime contribution of our friends and obtain the benefit of their cooperation in the peace.⁸⁰

The Council also:

(1) Agreed to invite representatives of the Yugoslav Government to come to Moscow to be available for consultation on the Austrian treaty.⁸¹

(2) Deferred until tomorrow a Yugoslav request to be heard on the financial situation of Trieste.⁸²

(3) Agreed to discuss tomorrow the United States proposal⁸³ to speed up consideration of the question of German assets in Austria which is blocking progress by the deputies on the Austrian treaty, Molotov at first opposed this discussion but later agreed after Marshall had stated that he regretted that Molotov had rejected⁸⁴ the United States proposal.

(4) Discussed the delay of the special committee in reporting to CFM on the proposals which grew out of the Council’s discussion of the Allied Control Council’s report. Bevin said the committee was discussing questions of substance when it was only supposed to compare and coordinate the various proposals submitted here. Marshall said that if this situation existed, he would propose that the committee be given a new directive since he understood the committee was not to attempt to resolve disagreements. Marshall added that the Council was ensnarling itself “in a series of complications which in themselves are not of consequence but which make the prospect of progress on these negotiations unfortunately remote”. Molotov agreed that the special committee was not to discuss new problems but said discussions of substance were necessary in order that points of agreement and disagreement could be listed. The special committee’s report, if completed, will be discussed tomorrow.

Repeated London 106; Berlin 168.

Department pass to Vienna as 14, Rome as 12 and Paris as 85.

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Marshall

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76. The Deputies Report, document CFM(47) (M)60, March 24, 1947, p. 397.
77. March 28.
78. The United States proposal under reference here is summarized in paragraph 3 of telegram 1013, Delsec 1345, March 25, from Moscow, p. 287.
79. Regarding the question of whether the German Peace Treaty should be signed by a German Government, see Bevin’s letter of April 11, 1947, to Marshall and Marshall’s reply of April 14, pp. 450 and 460.
80. For the text of Secretary Marshall’s statement summarized here, see Germany 1947–1949, p. 196, or Department of State Bulletin, April 6, 1947, p. 608. In this connection, see also Bevin’s letter of March 27 to Marshall and Marshall’s reply of March 30, regarding the procedure for the preparation of a German peace settlement, pp. 407 and 425.
81. The request of the Yugoslav Government to be given an opportunity to send a Delegation to Moscow to expound its point of view on the question of the Austrian Peace Treaty was contained in a note to the Council of Foreign Ministers dated March 24, 1947, circulated to the Council as document CFM(47) (M)58, of the same date, not printed.
82. The request of the Yugoslav Government under reference here was contained in a note of March 24, 1947, to the Council of Foreign Ministers, circulated to the Council as document CFM(47) (M)59, March 24, not printed.
83. The American proposal referred to here was set forth in document CFM(47) (M)76, March 20, not printed.
84. The “rejection” of the American proposals was contained in the memorandum of the Soviet Delegation circulated to the Council as document CFM(47) (M)78, March 24, 1947, not printed.