Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume IV

860S.00/9–1047: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Office of the United States Political Adviser at Leghorn

secret   urgent

Washington, September 12, 1947—6 p. m.

87. Your 164 Sept. 10 7 p. m.¹ We are unable to agree that General Airey’s directive is satisfactory with its present paragraph 2(b). In our view the essence of Article 1 of Annex VII of the Treaty is to give military commanders in their respective zones practically the attributes of Governors pro tem pending appointment of the Governor by SC. Should present terms of paragraph 2(b) stand we would lose much leverage in SC in forcing Russians to an agreement on the Governorship.

We likewise should prefer to see new language in paragraph 1 making it clear that decision to leave military commanders in lieu of Governor pending latter’s appointment was not taken by SC (which has never reached such a determination of fact) but is explicit in Article 1 of Annex VII.

For your info problem is being explored with CCS with view to new directive to General Airey.

Repeated to Trieste as 35.

Marshall

1. See footnote 2, p. 91. For the text of General Airey’s directive, see p. 89.