Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, The British Commonwealth, The Far East, Volume VI

711.4127/11–2245

The British Ambassador (Halifax) to the Secretary of State

Aide-Mémoire

His Majesty’s Ambassador presents his compliments to the Secretary of State and has the honour to refer to the Memorandum of November 19th from the Department of State regarding the proposals for an interim agreement on trans-Atlantic Commercial Air Services put forward by the Embassy on November 13th 1945.

2. His Majesty’s Ambassador is instructed to express the regret of His Majesty’s Government that the United States Government is not prepared to entertain these proposals and that the Department of State does not believe an interim agreement is essential at this stage in view of the proposed negotiations for a bilateral agreement between the two Governments covering all phases of the air transport problem.

3. His Majesty’s Government wish to place on record their view that the failure to find a basis for a working agreement covering the Third and Fourth Freedoms²³ on the North Atlantic routes seriously impairs the prospects of wider negotiations. They wish to recall that in his conversation on November 15th with the President and the Secretary of State²⁴ the Prime Minister expressed his desire to discuss with the United States Government in conference points of difference in regard to a long term bilateral agreement in the expectation that the two Governments were already on the point of agreement on an actual working arrangement for an interim period on the North Atlantic routes.

4. His Majesty’s Government is reluctant to believe that the Memorandum under reference from the Department of State represents the final position of the United States Government in this matter, more especially as it in no respect enters into the merits of the proposals which His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom put forward. His Majesty’s Ambassador is, therefore, instructed to inquire whether the State Department are prepared now to state the proposals which in their view should form the basis of negotiations on all phases of the air transport problem together with any suggestions they may have to offer for the transatlantic operations of the commercial air lines while the negotiations are in progress.

5. In view of the desire of His Majesty’s Government to settle the arrangements for the United Kingdom representation in the prospective negotiations, His Majesty’s Government would be glad to receive the observations of the Department of State as a matter of urgency.

Washington , November 22, 1945.

23. These two freedoms covered respectively the right to carry passengers, cargo, and mail from the country whose nationality the plane possessed to another country, and the right to carry such traffic from another country to the country whose nationality the plane possessed. For texts, see Proceedings of the International Civil Aviation Conference, vol. i, p. 179.
24. No record of this conversation has been found. Prime Minister Attlee’s discussions with various officials on the occasion of his visit to the United States dealt principally with atomic energy matters.