Office of the Historian

740.0011 EW (Peace)/12–2249: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom

secret
Washington, December 31, 1949—1 p. m.

4663. At meeting US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand Reps Washn1 general agreement reached on Brit proposal Jan 5 as date [Page 276] for delivery notes to Bulg, Hung, Rum designating Treaty Commissioners (Embtel 5089, Dee 222). Australia however has decided not to name Commissioner at this stage preferring to await ICJ’s decisions on Questions I and II submitted by GA. New Zealand Rep said his Govt probably wld refrain also but decision was not firm. Canada is proposing that Brit Mins in Hung and Rum deliver separate notes on behalf Canada designating Justice J. L. Ilsley as Canadian Commissioner.

Inform FonOff text proposed Brit notes shown to Dept by Brit Emb here has our general concurrence. US Reps Hung, Bulg, Rum will present parallel notes designating Dickinson Jan 5. US notes probably will refer to previous notes of Aug 1 and Sep 19.3

Tentatively agreed subj concurrence London and Ottawa to deliver copies of notes to SYG through three UN Missions in New York at 11 AM Jan 6, with request to pass copies to members and ICJ. Text notes wld be released to press simultaneously in London, Washn, Ottawa at 11:15 am, Washn time.4

Sent London, rptd Canberra, and USUN, New York.5

Acheson
  1. John C. Campbell’s memorandum of conversation covering the meeting under reference here, held on December 28, is included in file 740.0011 EW (Peace)/12–2849.↩
  2. Not printed, but see footnote 3 to telegram 4486, December 15, to London, p. 275.↩
  3. Regarding the notes under reference here, see editorial notes, pp. 260 and 264.↩
  4. For the text of the note delivered by the Legation in Bucharest to the Romanian Government on January 5, 1950, see Department of State Bulletin, January 16, 1950, p. 97. The notes to the Bulgarian and Hungarian Governments were substantially the same. See also the statement issued to the press by the Department of State on January 6, 1950 regarding the naming of Edwin D. Dickinson as Treaty Commissioner and the forwarding to the United Nations Secretary General of recent exchanges of notes with the Balkan Governments regarding the dispute over charges of violations of human rights clauses of the peace treaties, ibid., p. 97.↩
  5. Repeated to Canberra as telegram 181 and to the United States Mission to United Nations at New York as 664.↩