CFM Files
United States Delegation Journal
USDel (PC) (Journal) 25
The Commission discussed the preamble of the Peace Treaty for Bulgaria. The first and second paragraphs of the draft preamble proposed by the Council of Foreign Ministers were accepted unanimously. In connection with the third paragraph, M. Novikov (USSR) made a statement which disputed the position taken by the Greek Delegation at the second meeting concerning Bulgaria’s participation in the war on the side of the Allies. The Yugoslav Delegation made a similar statement praising Bulgaria’s efforts and accomplishments in fighting the Germans after September 1944. The Soviet and Yugoslav statements were attached to the record of the present meeting at the request of those delegations. The Byelorussian Delegation proposed an amendment based on the Bulgarian request that the preamble indicate that Bulgaria took part in the war against Germany from September 1944 instead of after the Armistice of October 28,1944, and that Bulgaria became a co-belligerent against Germany.62 Mr. Caffery (US) said that he saw no reason to change the draft preamble merely as a favor to Bulgaria. The French Delegation asked that the amendment be withdrawn, but the Byelorussian Delegation refused to withdraw it. The amendment was then put to a vote and was defeated by nine votes to four, only the Byelorussian, Ukrainian, Czechoslovak, and Yugoslav Delegations voting in favor of it. Paragraph 3 of the draft preamble was then unanimously accepted.
The Australian Delegation presented an amendment to paragraph 4 (C.P. Gen. Doc. 1 B 1). Mr. Hodgson explained that when a similar amendment was discussed in the Italian Commission, it had been decided to accept the words “conforming to the principles of justice” and to defer consideration of the reference to human rights until the article on that subject should have been discussed. He proposed that the same decision be taken in this case. The Soviet Delegation wished to discuss the amendment on its merits without regard to the decisions [Page 287] of any other commission. On the motion of the UK Delegation it was decided to adjourn the meeting, deferring to the next meeting the discussion on this point.
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The Bulgarian proposal, circulated as C.P.(Bul/P) Doc. 1, was identical with section I of C.P.(Gen) Doc. 4, vol. iv, p. 238. The Byelorussian amendment incorporated into the third paragraph two changes proposed by C.P.(Bul/P) Doc. 1. The revised paragraph thus proposed was as follows:
↩“Whereas, however, Bulgaria having ceased military operations against the United Nations, broke off relations with Germany, and, without waiting for the conclusion, on October 28, 1944, of an armistice with the Governments of the USSR, the UK and the USA, acting on behalf of all the United Nations at war with Bulgaria, took an active part in the war against Germany and thereby became a co-belligerent against Germany.”