Office of the Historian

740.0011 EW (Peace)/2–1047

Memorandum by the Director of the Office of European Affairs (Matthews)1

[Washington,] February 10, 1947.

When the draft report to accompany the Peace Treaties when they are submitted to the Senate was discussed with Mr. Wilcox, Secretary of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in accordance with the suggestion you approved, he suggested that it might be most helpful if this draft could be sent to Senators Vandenberg and Connally.2 Mr. Wilcox thought that if they were given advance copies of the report they would not only be pleased but might have some helpful suggestions to make as regards the manner of presentation of the Treaties. Accordingly, letters transmitting the draft report are attached for your approval and for the Secretary’s signature if you agree that this procedure is desirable.3

H. F[reeman] M[atthews]
[Enclosure]

The Secretary of State to Senator Tom Connolly

Washington, February 10, 1947.

My Dear Senator Connally: As you are aware, when treaties are transmitted to the Senate to receive its advice and consent to their ratification they are usually accompanied by a report from the Secretary of State to the President. A draft of such a report has been prepared and a copy enclosed.

In view of your close association with Mr. Byrnes and the Delegation in the formulation of these Treaties I am sending you this copy in advance and would welcome any suggestions you might care to make in connection therewith.

Sincerely yours,

G. C. Marshall
  1. Addressed to the Under Secretary and to the Secretary of State. A handwritten marginal notation reads: “I join in this recommendation. D[ean] A[cheson].”↩
  2. Arthur H. Vandenberg, of Michigan, chairman, and Tom Connally, of Texas, ranking minority member, Foreign Relations Committee, United States Senate.↩
  3. Enclosure 2, a letter to Senator Vandenberg identical to the enclosure to this document, is not printed. Enclosure 3 was entitled, “Draft of Report to Accompany Peace Treaties When Submitted to the Senate”, and was dated February 10, 1947. With two slight changes of wording it went forward as the report of the Secretary of State to the President, February 27, 1947. For text, see Department of State Bulletin, March 23, 1947, p. 541.↩