No. 293
Editorial Note
Following some minor changes in the wording of the various documents under discussion by the negotiators in London, the Department of State released the following announcement at 10 a.m., E.S.T., October 5:
“At noon today in London a Memorandum of Understanding on Trieste was initialed by representatives of the Governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and Yugoslavia. Llewellyn E. Thompson, United States Ambassador to Austria, initialed the Memorandum of Understanding for the United States and Mr. Geoffrey Harrison, Assistant Under-Secretary of State in the British Foreign Office, initialed for the United Kingdom. The Ambassadors of Italy and Yugoslavia in London, Signor Manlio Brosio and Dr. Vladimir Velebit, initialed the document for their two Governments. The text of the Memorandum of Understanding is being communicated to the Security Council of the United Nations.
“Today’s initialing came as a successful conclusion to conversations among the four Governments which have been carried on for eight months in an endeavor to work out arrangements for the Free Territory of Trieste which would be acceptable to the Governments of Italy and Yugoslavia. The United States Government welcomes the understanding reached today which it believes will lead to improved relations and closer cooperation between Italy and Yugoslavia. The United States Government takes this opportunity to declare it will give no support to claims of either Yugoslavia or Italy to territory under the sovereignty or administration of the other. The United States Government is confident that it will be possible for the two countries to resolve any outstanding problems by friendly negotiations in a spirit of mutual understanding.
“Arrangements are being made for the early termination of Allied Military Government, the withdrawal of American and British forces from the area under their occupation and the assumption by Italy and Yugoslavia of responsibility in the areas as defined by the agreement initialed today.” (Department of State Bulletin, October 18, 1954, page 555)
Also released at this time was the following text of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia regarding the [Page 571] Free Territory of Trieste (printed in Department of State Bulletin, October 18, 1954, pages 556–558):
- “1. Owing to the fact that it has proved impossible to put into effect the provisions of the Italian Peace Treaty relating to the Free Territory of Trieste, the Governments of the United Kingdom, the United States and Yugoslavia have maintained since the end of the war military occupation and government in Zones A and B of the Territory. When the Treaty was signed, it was never intended that these responsibilities should be other than temporary and the Governments of Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States and Yugoslavia, as the countries principally concerned, have recently consulted together in order to consider how best to bring the present unsatisfactory situation to an end. As a result they have agreed upon the following practical arrangements.
- “2. As soon as this Memorandum of Understanding has been initialed and the boundary adjustments provided by it have been carried out, the Governments of the United Kingdom, the United States and Yugoslavia will terminate military government in Zones A and B of the Territory. The Governments of the United Kingdom and the United States will withdraw their military forces from the area north of the new boundary and will relinquish the administration of that area to the Italian Government. The Italian and Yugoslav Governments will forthwith extend their civil administration over the area for which they will have responsibility.
- “3. The boundary adjustments referred to in paragraph 2 will be carried out in accordance with the map at Annex I. A preliminary demarcation will be carried out by representatives of Allied Military Government and Yugoslav Military Government as soon as this Memorandum of Understanding has been initialled and in any event within three weeks from the date of initialling. The Italian and Yugoslav Governments will immediately appoint a Boundary Commission to effect a more precise demarcation of the boundary in accordance with the map at Annex I.
- “4. The Italian and Yugoslav Governments agree to enforce the Special Statute contained in Annex II.
- “5. The Italian Government undertakes to maintain the Free Port at Trieste in general accordance with the provisions of Articles 1–20 of Annex VIII of the Italian Peace Treaty.
- “6. The Italian and Yugoslav Governments agree that they will not undertake any legal or administrative action to prosecute or discriminate against the person or property of any resident of the areas coming under their civil administration in accordance with this Memorandum of Understanding for past political activities in connexion with the solution of the problem of the Free Territory of Trieste.
- “7. The Italian and Yugoslav Governments agree to enter into negotiations within a period of two months from the date of initialling of this Memorandum of Understanding with a view to concluding promptly an agreement regulating local border traffic, including facilities for the movement of the residents of border areas by land and by sea over the boundary for normal commercial and other activities and for transport and communications. This agreement shall cover Trieste and the area bordering it. Pending the [Page 572] conclusion of such agreement, the competent authorities will take, each within their respective competence, appropriate measures in order to facilitate local border traffic.
- “8. For a period of one year from the date of initialling of this Memorandum of Understanding persons formerly resident (‘pertinenti’-‘zavičajni’) in the areas coming under the civil administration either of Italy or of Yugoslavia shall be free to return immediately thereto. Any persons so returning, as also any such who have already returned, shall enjoy the same rights as the other residents of these areas. Their properties and assets shall be at their disposal, in accordance with existing law, unless disposed of by them in the meantime. For a period of two years from the date of initialling of this Memorandum of Understanding, persons formerly resident in either of these areas and who do not intend returning thereto, and persons presently resident in either area who decide within one year from the date of initialling of this Memorandum of Understanding to give up such residence, shall be permitted to remove their movable property and transfer their funds. No export or import duties or any other tax will be imposed in connexion with the moving of such property. Persons wherever resident who decide to sell their movable and immovable property within two years from the date of initialling of this Memorandum of Understanding will have the sums realised from the sale of such property deposited in special accounts with the National Banks of Italy or Yugoslavia. Any balance between these two accounts will be liquidated by the two Governments at the end of the two year period. Without prejudice to the immediate implementation of the provisions of this paragraph the Italian and Yugoslav Governments undertake to conclude a detailed agreement within six months of the date of initialling of this Memorandum of Understanding.
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“9. This Memorandum of Understanding will be communicated to the Security Council of the United Nations.
“London, the 5th of October, 1954.
Manlio
Brosio
Geoffrey W. Harrison
Llewellyn E.
Thompson
Dr. Vladimir
Velebit”
The map at Annex I, cited in paragraph 3, is not printed here and was not printed in the Department of State Bulletin. A copy of Annex I is in file 750G.00/10–554. Annex II, cited in paragraph 4, is not printed, but see Department of State Bulletin, October 18, 1954, pages 558–561. This Memorandum of Understanding was transmitted to the President of the Security Council on October 5 and circulated as U.N. document 8/3301.
Also made public on October 5 were the texts of identical letters which Thompson and Harrison addressed to Brosio, asking the Italian Government to designate a representative to meet at an early date with General Winterton to formulate arrangements for the transfer of military and administrative authority in Zone A to Italy [Page 573] which, it was hoped, would be carried out within one month. In his identical letters of reply to Thompson and Harrison, also dated October 5, Brosio said that the Italian Government had designated General Edmondo de Renzi as its representative to conduct the talks with Winterton. The texts of these letters are printed in Department of State Bulletin, October 18, 1954, pages 555–556. A statement by Secretary Dulles, dated October 5, regarding the Trieste agreement, is ibid., page 556.
In addition to those parts of the agreement which were made public, there were several confidential parts not made known at the time: (1) an exchange of letters, dated October 4, between Harrison and Thompson, on the one hand, and Brosio, on the other, whereby the Italian Government said that it was prepared to approve the establishment in Trieste of a Slovene credit institution and (2) an exchange of several letters, dated October 5, between Brosio and Velebit, whereby (a) the Italian and Yugoslav Governments agreed to an early meeting with other interested governments to discuss the use of the Free Port; (b) they agreed to negotiate and to conclude within two months a claims agreement; (c) the Italian Government agreed to provide cultural homes for Slovenes in Zone A, furnishing 500 million lire for this purpose; and (d) the Italian Government agreed to the establishment of a Yugoslav Consulate in Trieste and the Yugoslav Government agreed to the establishment of an Italian Consulate in Koper. The texts of all these letters, except for Velebit’s reply to Brosio regarding the meeting on the Free Port issue, were transmitted to the Department of State as attachments to despatch 971 from London, October 6. (750G.00/10–654)