File No. 763.72Su/–
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
Under instructions from the British Prime Minister, the British Embassy have the honour to make the following secret communication:1
At a conference held at Rapallo on the 7th instant, of the British, French and Italian Governments, the following scheme of organization of a Supreme War Council with a permanent military representative from each power, was adopted:
- 1.
- With a view to the better coordination of military action on the western front, the Supreme War Council is erected composed of the Prime Minister and a member of the Government of each of the great powers whose armies are fighting on that front. The extension of the scope of the council to other fronts is reserved for discussion with the other great powers.
- 2.
- The Supreme War Council has for its mission to watch over the general conduct of the war; it prepares recommendations for the decision of Governments and keeps itself informed of their execution and reports thereon to the respective Governments.
- 3.
- The general staffs and military commands of the armies of each power, charged with the conduct of the military operations, remain responsible to their respective Governments.
- 4.
- The general war plans drawn up by the competent military authorities are submitted to the Supreme War Council which, under the high authority of the Governments, ensures their concordance and submits, if need be, any necessary changes.
- 5.
- Each power delegates to the Supreme War Council one permanent military representative whose exclusive function is to act as technical adviser to the council.
- 6.
- The military representatives receive from the Governments and competent military authorities of their country all the proposals, information and documents relating to the conduct of the war.
- 7.
- The military representatives watch day by day the situation of the forces and the means of all kinds of which the Allied armies and the enemy armies dispose.
- 8.
- The Supreme War Council meets normally at Versailles where the permanent military representatives and their staffs are established. They may meet at other places as may be agreed upon according to circumstances. Meetings of the Supreme War Council will take place at least once a month.
The permanent military representatives will be: for France, General Foch; for the United Kingdom, General Wilson; for Italy, General Cadorna.
The Supreme War Council at Rapallo directed its permanent military representatives to furnish an immediate report on the present position at the Italian front. They were to consult with the Italian General Headquarters, examine into the state of affairs now existing and advise, after a general review of the military situation on all fronts, as to the assistance, both in nature and amount, which the British and French Governments should give, as well as to the manner in which that assistance should be applied.
The Italian Government, for their part, undertook that instructions should be issued to the Italian Supreme Command for the granting to the permanent military representatives of every facility both as regards movement in the zone of operations and documentary information.
The British Embassy are instructed to state that the above scheme has been for some time under consideration and that the British Government had intended to submit it to the coming Allied conference. Recent events on the Italian front, however, which rendered it absolutely indispensable to adopt immediate steps with a view to securing unity of direction among the armies of the Allies operating on the western front, precipitated the decision to make a beginning on the western front. There was, consequently, no opportunity of consulting the American and Russian Governments. Further measures, which will require to be carefully considered in conjunction with the American and Russian Governments have been reserved for the present.
[Received November 16.]
- Before this memorandum was received by the Department the portion describing the proposed council had been made public.↩