740.00119 Council/11–1849: Telegram
The United States Deputy for Austria at the Council of Foreign Ministers ( Reber ) to the Secretary of State
Delau 355. 1. At 234th meeting AusDeps agreed article 35 and discussed articles 35 bis and 42.
2. On list two SovDep stated that, despite reexamination of matter by Vishinsky following latter’s conversation with McNeil on November 17,1 SovDel rejects British proposal re Gross Entzersdorf (Delau 3232) and maintains Soviet proposal for this list.
WesDels observed that SovDel had rejected every West proposal for implementation of Vishinsky’s agreement at meeting of ministers [Page 1198] on October 63 that Soviet list 2 could be revised provided changes not prejudicial to USSR, but stated that in view Soviet refusal to negotiate this issue they would accept Soviet list 2 as well as Soviet list 3 in order these vital points not stand in way reaching agreement on treaty.
WesDels stated their agreement to Soviet lists 2 and 3 indicates not that they have been convinced Soviet claims are meritorious but that they wish to see protracted treaty negotiations concluded, and that in thus reaching agreement on article 35 they would insist on SovDel living up to its repeated assurances that other articles would present no difficulty once German assets issue had been resolved. USDel insisted that his agreement on Soviet lists 2 and 3 could be given only with understanding that other articles can be accepted by Soviets particularly 27, 42 and 48.
3. WesDeps agreed to omission article 35 bis provided other articles agreed.
4. On article 42 SovDep indicated indirectly Soviet acceptance West positions on paragraphs 1, 2, 3, and 8 and omission Soviet paragraph 9 but repeated West paragraph 9 (CFM 1014) unacceptable on ground it disputes legitimacy of Soviet claims to German assets. WesDeps took SovDel to task for failure live up to its assurances referred to above, repeating arguments listed in Delau 345. USDep referred to Dodge’s remarks at AusDep’s 60th meeting 29 November 1947 to show compensation principle included in lump sum approach from its inception and not something injected in deputies discussion since Paris CFM.
Next meeting November 19.
Department please relay to London as USUN 88, Paris as USUN 60, Moscow as USUN 67, Vienna 41.
- A summary of McNeil’s conversation with Vyshinsky was transmitted in Delau 353, November 18, from New York, not printed (740.00119 Council/11–1849).↩
- Not printed; under this proposal the Soviets would have released about 1200 hectares to Austria from the Gross Entzersdorf field (740.00119 Council/10–1349).↩
- A record of this meeting was transmitted in Delau 313, October 6, p. 1175.↩
- Not printed; for the texts of the several paragraphs under reference here, see the Unagreed Articles of the Draft Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria, September 6, p. 1131.↩