740.00119 EW/12–3044: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
30. ReEmbs 5060 December 30. The Department agrees to the proposed text of Article XIX of the Hungarian armistice terms. In view of the statement made by Molotov that neither Article II nor Article XIX could or would be interpreted as relating to final boundary [Page 963] settlements (reEmbs 14 January 2), the Department is not disposed to press for the inclusion in either Article of the phrase “without prejudice to the ultimate settlement of disputed territorial claims”.
Only a part of the full text of the articles of the armistice as now agreed upon (reEmbs 40 January 4) has reached the Department. On the basis of the information contained in your recent telegrams to the Department, however, it is not anticipated that the Department will have any objections to the text as it now stands except on Articles XII and XVIII.
On the question of the Control Commission, we do not consider adequate the text of Article XVIII as it now stands. We accordingly will be obliged, in case the Russians refuse to modify their position in this regard, to qualify our acceptance of this article with a reservation of the right to raise the matter at a later date. In this event, you should inform Molotov that, as in the case of the Bulgarian armistice, the United States Government would find it necessary to send identical notes to the Soviet and British Governments stating its belief that Article XVIII should properly have contained an additional provision to the effect that in the period between the conclusion of hostilities against Germany and the conclusion of peace with Hungary the ACC, organized on a basis of equal representation and participation of the three Allied Governments, will regulate and supervise the execution of the armistice.
The Department shares your feeling that it would be optimistic to expect any major concession from the Russians on the status and powers of our representatives on the ACC (reEmbs 28 January 4), but believes that we have a right to expect Soviet agreement to the points suggested in Department’s 2908 December 29 which really do not affect the leading position of the Soviet High Command in the first period of the armistice. The Department cannot state its final position on this matter until we know the Soviet reaction to your draft protocol.
On the question of reparations you will receive separate instructions shortly.