740.0011 EW (Peace)/6–1149

The Embassy of the Soviet Union to the Department of State 1

[Translation]

No. 74

In connection with the note of the Acting Secretary of State to the Soviet Ambassador in Washington dated May 31, 1949,2 as well as in connection with the notes of the missions of the U.S.A. in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania, delivered on the same day to the Ambassadors of the U.S.S.R. in the aforementioned countries, regarding the calling of a conference of the three heads of the diplomatic missions for a consideration of the dispute which has arisen between the Government of the U.S.A. and the Governments of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania concerning the interpretation of the peace treaties, the Embassy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, upon instructions from the Soviet Government, states the following:

The Soviet Government has studied the aforementioned notes, as well as the notes of the Government of the U.S.A. dated April 2 of this year to Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania, in which the Government of the U.S.A. accuses these countries of violating the peace treaties and, in particular, those articles of the treaties which have to do with the security of human rights and the fundamental freedoms.3 The Soviet Government has also studied the notes of the Governments of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania in reply to the Government of the U.S.A.

The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics considers that in the notes in reply of the Governments of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania to which reference has been made an exhaustive reply has been given to the accusations of violating the peace treaty which were made to these countries by the Government of the U.S.A. It is evident from these replies that the Governments of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania are strictly fulfilling the obligations undertaken by them under the peace treaties, including the obligations having to do with the security of human rights and the fundamental freedoms.

The measures of the Governments of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania concerning which the Government of the U.S.A. expressed its dissatisfaction in the notes of April 2 of this year, not only are not a violation of the peace treaties, but on the contrary, are directed toward the fulfillment of the peace treaties which obligate the said countries to combat organizations of the fascist type and other organizations “which have as their aim denial to the people of their democratic rights”. It is self-evident that such measures carried out by Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania for the purpose of fulfilling the [Page 251] articles of the peace treaties are fully within the domestic competence of these countries as sovereign states.

The Soviet Government appraises the aim of the Government of the U.S.A. artificially to convert this question into a subject of dispute as a direct attempt to utilize the peace treaties for intervention in the domestic affairs of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania, with the aim of exerting pressure on their domestic policy.

In view of this, the Embassy of the U.S.S.R. is authorized to state that the Soviet Government does not see any ground for convening the three heads of the diplomatic missions for the purpose of considering the questions touched upon in the notes of the missions of the U.S.A. to Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania dated May 31 of this year, and in the Department of State’s note of the same date.4

  1. The Russian-language original was initialled by Soviet Ambassador Panyushkin.
  2. Ante, p. 248.
  3. Regarding the notes under reference here, see editorial note, p. 241.
  4. In the course of the press and radio news conference of June 15, Acting Secretary of State Webb issued a statement regarding this Soviet note. The Acting Secretary observed that the United States could not accept the validity of the arguments advanced in the note, and he stated that the Soviet Government “and its Balkan satellites” had created a presumption of guilt against themselves. The United States intended to go forward with the next step in peace treaty procedures for the settlement of disputes. For the text of the Acting Secretary’s statement, see Department of State Bulletin, June 26, 1949, pp. 824–825.