Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Europe: Political and Economic Developments, Volume IV, Part 1

No.104

750G.00/8–851: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom ¹

top secret   priority

Washington, August 9, 1951—8 p.m.

893. 1. Request you inform FonOff reurtel 771 Aug 8² Dept considers we shld accede to Ital request postpone Trieste elections. Inform FonOff of views set forth Deptel Aug 4 rptd London 807³ with modification para nrd 2 that Dept now considers AMG shld make simple announcement elections being postponed owing to admin difficulties since public statement first suggested wld probably provoke nationalist reaction Italy and set back negots for agmt. Also inform FonOff Dept agrees with Emb Rome (Rome tel 634 Aug 6 rptd London 78)⁴ we shld be able inform Itals we are urging Yugo Govt reach settlement. Dept considers opportunity cld be taken do so when requesting agmt to informing Itals of views reported Belgrade tel 144,⁵ at same time informing Yugo Govt of our planned postponement elections and purpose thereof. In addition, Dept considers movement toward revision Ital Treaty is itself pressure on Yugo Govt to settle Trieste ques.

2. Re FonOff reasons for refusing Ital request, inform FonOff Dept:

a) Does not agree postponement elections wld endanger settlement Trieste ques: on contrary considers wld facilitate settlement. In addition reasoning outlined herein and in Deptel 807, consider Yugos wld not need know Itals had requested postponement, and as Yugos can hardly expect any advantage to their policy wld come from election results will be impressed by opportunity postponement gives to reach settlement.

b) Does not agree AMG authority wld be weakened if acceding to Ital request is handled as we propose.

3. Inform FonOff Dept considers that altho specific ques Trieste elections is not of concern to Fr, it is important have them with us in this matter. Dept hopes that US and UK can agree promptly and then jointly seek Fr support in approaches to Ital and Yugo.⁶

Acheson

1. Drafted by Greene and cleared with Williamson, Matthews, and EE; repeated to Rome, Belgrade, Paris, and Trieste.
2. Telegram 771 reported that the interim reply of the British Foreign Office to the Italian request for postponing the communal elections in Trieste was negative. (750G.00/8–851)
3. Same as telegram 605 to Rome, Document 101.
4. Document 102.
5. Not printed, but see footnote 2, Document 101.
6. In telegram 831 from London, August 10, the Embassy informed the Department of State that the British Foreign Office was opposed to the postponement of the Trieste elections unless concrete evidence was offered which showed that fruitful negotiations were underway or were defintely scheduled. (750G.00/8–1051)