740.00119 Council/1–1747: Telegram
The United States Deputy for Austria at the Council of Foreign Ministers ( Clark ) to the Secretary of State
359. Delsec 1117 from Clark. Deputies for Austria met January 16 at 10:30 with Viscount Hood in chair.91 I withdrew original US [Page 113] draft for treaty (CFM–46–11992) and gave notice of new draft to be presented.93 Couve de Murville gave notice of forthcoming French draft. UK stood by original draft (CFM–46–15194) but warned of modifications of economic clauses. Soviet proposals to appear during discussion.
It was agreed that the deputies would proceed with a discussion of the character and structure of the treaty and that technical clauses would be referred to appropriate committees for study and recommendations.95
It was agreed to ask Yugoslavia, Poland, Canada, South Africa, Australia to be heard separately on specific dates and to submit memoranda prior to appearance before deputies. Other states extended invitation have not as yet replied and will be given specific dates as requested. Austria will be heard after United Nations and asked to submit memorandum. Way was left open for special joint meetings where allied states and Austria might participate simultaneously.96
“Treaty for the re-establishment of an independent and democratic Austria” agreed as title.
Question of who should be parties to treaty precipitated argument. Gousev wants to limit to Big Four and Austria with possibility of adherence, by others. Hood wants nations who were invited to express views to participate. I agreed with Soviet view, but if could not be agreed to by deputies, Foreign Ministers would decide. Discussion of this question will be resumed at next meeting.
Repeated Vienna 7.
- This was the 1st Meeting of the Deputies for Austria. The Deputies were: for the United States–General Mark W. Clark; for the United Kingdom–Viscount Samuel Hood; for the Soviet Union–Fedor Tarasovich Gusev; for France–Maurice Couve de Murville.↩
- The United States proposal for a Draft Treaty with Austria was circulated to the Second Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers at Paris as document C.F.M.(46) 119, June 20, 1946, not printed. It was not considered at this time. At its 41st and 42nd Meetings, July 12, 1946, noon and 5 p.m., respectively, the Council of Foreign Ministers discussed the question of an Austrian peace treaty; for the United States Delegation records of those meetings, see Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. ii, pp. 907 and 918.↩
- With the approval of the Department of State, General Clark subsequently decided not to submit the United States proposal for a draft treaty as a whole but rather on a piecemeal basis as various subjects came up for discussion by the Deputies. The United Kingdom and French Deputies adopted the same procedure.↩
- The United Kingdom proposal for a Draft Treaty with Austria was circulated to the Second Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers at Paris as document C.F.M.(46) 151, June 26, 1946, not printed.↩
- At their 2nd Meeting on January 17, the Deputies for Austria agreed that the treaty with Austria should be divided into political, military, and economic parts and its general form should be on the same lines as the Treaties of Peace with Italy and Rumania.↩
- Representatives of the various invited United Nations were given hearings by the Deputies for Austria on the following dates: Yugoslavia–January 22; Poland–January 23; Australia–January 24; South Africa–January 25; Greece–January 27; Czechoslovakia–January 28; New Zealand–February 5; and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic–February 8. Austrian representatives made oral presentations to the Deputies on January 30, January 31, and February 5. Finally, on February 14 the Deputies had a joint hearing of Yugoslav and Austrian representatives. The texts of these oral presentations were circulated to Deputies as formal documents which are identified in the Final Report of the Deputies for Austria, February 25, 1947, p. 134.↩