Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, European Advisory Commission, Austria, Germany, Volume III

740.019 EAC/1–3045: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, January 30, 1945—8 p.m.
[Received January 30—4:50 p.m.]

1050. Cornea 165. A large part of last night’s meeting of the European Advisory Commission was devoted to discussion of zones of occupation in Austria. The United Kingdom representative stated that his Government accepted in principle the French request for a zone (my 849, January 24, 7 p.m.⁴⁰). Later, without committing his Government to any specific zone, Strang made the “technical suggestion” that Tirol-Vorarlberg be assigned to French forces. Soviet acting representative, Sobolev,⁴¹ and I had no word from our Government on the French request.

At a later stage of the meeting, I inquired concerning the French position with respect to the Moscow declaration of November 1, 1943 on Austria, which is the basis of the joint responsibility of the three signatory powers for the restoration of Austrian independence. In response Massigli cited the declaration made on November 16, 1943,⁴²by the French Committee on Algiers, in support of Austrian independence, and stated that his Government would be glad to adhere to the Moscow declaration on Austria.

Strang, likewise, presented a new proposal concerning the Soviet and British zones, by which lower Danube Gau would form the Soviet zone and Styria and Carinthia, the United Kingdom zone. British objections to the British zone as outlined in the Soviet proposal were, one, that the proposed zone lacked any direct north-south communications and, two, that the Soviet proposal cut across existing provincial boundaries and would, if accepted, create great administrative inconveniencies. Strang stated that the United Kingdom Government could not accept the Soviet proposal with respect to the Soviet and United Kingdom zones. Strang noted that the two zones now proposed by his Government would be almost equal in population, while the Soviet zone would be somewhat smaller in area.

Massigli agreed to study the United Kingdom proposal for British and Soviet zones and expressed decided preference for keeping to major administrative boundaries. Sobolev took note of the United Kingdom rejection of the Soviet proposal and took the new United Kingdom proposal under advisement. I also promised early consideration of the United Kingdom proposal. In response to a Soviet request, Strang agreed to put the United Kingdom proposal in writing.

Strang gave firm support to the United States proposal to use the present boundaries of Gau Vienna in defining the central zone of joint control (my 460, January 13, 6 p.m.).^42a Sobolev stated that he had no instructions concerning it.

In support of his proposal to use present Gau boundaries in laying out zones of occupation, Strang emphasized the importance of the Lander as units of Austrian political life, as well as the greater practicality of using seven Gau[s] or Lander as the basic units of administrative [administration?] instead of 83 districts, without prejudice to the right of the Austrians to work out a different administrative structure later if they so desired.

Please furnish paraphrase to Generals Hilldring and Strong.

Winant

40. Not printed: it reported that the French Government had placed before the European Advisory Commission a request that a zone of occupation in Austria be assigned to French forces (740.00119 EAC/1–2445).
41. Arkady Aleksandrovich Sobolev, Soviet Minister-Counselor in the United Kingdom.
42. For text, see Recueil de textes à l’usage des conferences de la paix (Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, 1946), p. 123.
43. Not printed, but see footnote 24, p. 4.