740.00119 EAC/1–245: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 2—9:45 p.m.]
59. Comea1 141. My 11575, December 30, 8 p.m.2 At tonight’s meeting of the European Advisory Commission Massigli3 discussed briefly his memorandum on French participation in occupation and control of Germany.
The basic French demand is to be placed on a footing of equality with the other three powers with regard to German affairs. Massigli urged strongly an early decision in principle on this issue in order to speed the work of the Commission. He implied strongly that, if a favorable decision is made in principle, the detailed working out of arrangements for French participation could be done gradually, without disrupting the consideration of other urgent matters before the Commission. In general Massigli has so far taken a helpful and constructive part in the discussions of the Commission. With regard to assignment of a zone of occupation, Massigli set forth two alternatives. One would be to give France initially a small zone, with provision for later increasing its size; the other would be to assign to the French forces from the beginning a definitive zone of occupation. Massigli stated that he had no preference as between these alternatives. Gousev4 and I reserved our positions with respect to the French [Page 162] proposals. The British Representative5 stated that his Government had considered the French memorandum and that it approved in principle the French proposals, including equal French participation in the signature of the surrender instrument, occupation of a zone and in the control machinery, but that it reserved its final position until it had examined the draft amendments to the agreements, which Massigli has promised to present. Please furnish paraphrases of this message to Generals Hilldring and Strong.6
- Series designation for telegrams from the Embassy in London dealing with the work of the European Advisory Commission↩
- Not printed; it reported the circulation in the European Advisory Commission by the French Representative of a memorandum setting forth the views of the French Government with respect to the instrument of unconditional surrender for Germany, the protocol on zones of occupation, and the agreement on control machinery (740.00119 EAC/12–3044). For text of the memorandum, see Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. i, p. 427 ↩
- René Massigli, French Ambassador in the United Kingdom and Representative on the European Advisory Commission↩
- Fedor Tarasovich Gousev, Soviet Ambassador in the United Kingdom and Representative on the European Advisory Commission↩
- Sir William Strang, British Representative on the European Advisory Commission↩
- Maj. Gen. George V. Strong, senior Army Representative on the Joint Postwar Committee↩