740.00119 Council/9–1845: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received September 18—8: 48 p.m.]
9637. Sent to AusPolAd, Vienna as 36, September 18. Repeated to Department as Delsec 29, September 18. For Erhardt from the Secretary. A note of which substance follows was sent me by Bevin today. The views expressed in it coincide with our views. Please so advise General Clark. Bevin and Bidault are cabling it to their representatives.
Begin substance of note:
It is essential that urgent consideration be given the best means of setting up a representative provisional government in Austria which the occupying powers and other governments can recognize and which can conduct free elections with a view to forming a regular government in due course. It is of the utmost importance that the provisional government be representative of all democratic parties and all the provinces.
It is proposed that the Allied Council should ask Renner to invite to Vienna the heads of all existing provincial administrations accompanied by two other representatives in order that each of the three recognized political parties should be represented in the group from [Page 598] each province. The provincial delegates would constitute a national group to choose freely a provisional government composed of the various political elements. After the delegates had chosen such a government they would submit the names to the Allied Council which would make recommendations to the respective governments as to recognition.
The new provisional government would be responsible for holding elections as soon as practicable in any event within one year for a constituent assembly to decide upon the form of constitution and to provide for the setting up of a regular government.
One of the great weaknesses of pre-war Austria was the cleavage between the rural and urban populations and Vienna’s disproportionate influence in relation to the whole country. These defects must be remedied if Austria is to develop satisfactorily in the future. The Allied Council should be instructed to examine this whole matter with special reference to the future of Vienna and offer appropriate advice to the Austrian authorities. End substance of note.
Winant