840.811/7–2545
No. 760
The Chief of the Division of
Central European Affairs (
Riddleberger
)
to the Secretary of
State
1
Memorandum for the Secretary of State
Subject: Inland Waterways.
Attached are copies of the American and British proposals presented at the Sub-Committee meeting on Inland Waterways on July 272 together with a copy of my memorandum of July 293 on the outcome of that meeting. The American and British proposals have been mimeographed for circulation in case you desire to circulate them at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers tomorrow. There is also attached a copy of the President’s original proposal of July 234 on this subject.
From the discussions which we have had in the Sub-Committee, I very much doubt if the Soviet Delegation will agree to any mention of the Straits. With respect to the Kiel Canal, this waterway lies entirely within German territory and will therefore be technically subject to decisions of the Control Council for Germany. I therefore would suggest that if anything is to be accomplished on this subject at this Conference we should press the Soviet Foreign Minister to agree to the establishment of interim agencies for the Rhine and Danube and to drop the question of the Straits and question of the Kiel Canal if it looks as if we could obtain an agreement on the Rhine and Danube Commissions.
- Printed from an unsigned carbon copy.↩
- Documents Nos. 758 and 759, respectively.↩
- Ante, p. 453.↩
- Document No. 755.↩