760H.6515/9–1147: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Italy and to the Embassy in Yugoslavia
1679 to Rome; 610 to Belgrade. After considering Joint Chiefs’ estimate of military risk involved (see Naf 1368 Sept 91) Dept has agreed to proposal set forth Naf 1360 Sept 22 for demarcation Italo-Yugo provisional boundary in accord US–UK interpretation of Four Power Boundary Commission recommendations.
In concert your Brit colleague,3 you shd inform FonOff on Sept 12 or as soon thereafter as possible as follows:
In view of failure Ital and Yugo authorities to agree on provisional demarcation of boundary of territory now under AMG which is ceded to Yugo under terms Treaty of Peace with Italy, it has become necessary for Allied authorities responsible for administration of area to establish provisional line of demarcation beyond which Allied military forces will be withdrawn upon coming into force of treaty. This provisional line has been drawn in accord with recommendations made to Ital and Yugo authorities by Four Power Boundary Commission, composed of representatives of US, UK, USSR and France, created to [Page 96] assist Ital and Yugo authorities in their delimitation work. In this connection, US Govt wishes to stress provisional nature of this boundary, since treaty itself makes provision for definitive delimitation Ital-Yugo frontier.
Immediately upon the coming into force of the Treaty, the entire provisional boundary will be manned at road and track crossings by Allied representatives with small escorts, after which Italian frontier guards will come forward to them.
Allied detachments on the Morgan Line will be withdrawn simultaneously through Allied detachments on the provisional boundary and Yugo authorities will thereafter procede up to the provisional boundary where they will establish their posts.
Allied representatives on the provisional boundary will indicate to the Italian and Yugoslav detachment commanders the points marking the provisional boundary and will inform them that as representative of the powers in military occupation of the territory, he is authorized to hand over control in accordance with the indicated provisional boundary. Upon recognition and acknowledgment thereof by the Italian and Yugoslav detachment commanders, the Allied detachments will withdraw from their positions on the provisional boundary.
The Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean, who is the Allied officer responsible for the execution of this procedure, will communicate the necessary operational information to the appropriate Italian and Yugoslav military authorities in order that Allied withdrawal from the ceded areas and the establishment of the provisional Italian-Yugoslav boundary may be effected in an orderly and expeditious manner.
Emb Belgrade shd inform Yugo FonOff in same sense as soon as Brit colleague has been authorized take concerted action.
- FX 77357, not printed. In this message SACMED referred to his understanding that the State Department required “that the handover should be carried out in accordance with the peace treaty on the line as recognized by US, UK and French members of the commission and as directed in paragraph 1 of Fan 759 [ante, p. 78].” SACMED pointed out that no line recognized by the US, UK and French members existed, or had been denned; that the supervisory commission had not interpreted the French line but had endeavored only to supervise the efforts of the Italian and Yugoslav delegations to reach agreement. In view of the fact that the attempt to reach agreement had dragged on since March, and that ratification was impending, General Airey had asked the US and UK members to mark their interpretation of the French line on a large scale map. This interpretation was the only one which embodied the US, UK and French agreement referred to in Fan 759, and a series of maps had been prepared showing it. NAF 1368 contained no JCS estimate of the military risk, and no such estimate within the time period involved has been identified. (Defense Files)↩
- FX 77274, not printed. In this message SACMED explained “Four Power Boundary Commission reached agreement on Italo-Jugoslav tentative boundary based upon and approximating to French line; any material discrepancies fall within the limits (i.e. not to deviate more than ½ kilometre either way) permitted to permanent Boundary Commission by text of peace treaty. US and UK members of the Commission have now marked this agreed provisional boundary on a map, since the Commission as such will not do so. The boundary so marked is the interpretation, as understood by the US and UK members, of the demarcation of the French line which the Four Power Commission agreed and that Jugoslavia was prepared to accept, had it been accepted by the Italians.” General Airey proposed to hand over on this line. (Defense Files)↩
- Charles Brinsley Pemberton Peake, British Ambassador in Yugoslavia.↩