740.00119 Council/2–2647: Telegram
The United States Deputy for Germany at the Council of Foreign Ministers (Murphy) to the Secretary of State
1305. Delsec 1282 from Murphy. Drafting Committee set up by deputies for Germany on February 2284 to prepare one consolidated document making clear different positions of delegations on question of procedure was unable accomplish this task due to withdrawal of Soviet representatives during meeting Feb 23.
When it became apparent during consideration of composition of permanent committees that British, French and US delegations were maintaining original positions re inclusion of Allied representatives, Soviet member of Drafting Committee announced that he could not continue work further, until receiving fresh instructions from his deputy. Soviet member failed to appear at next scheduled meeting.
At lengthy meeting of deputies Feb 24,85 Soviet deputy refused to refer procedural question back to Drafting Committee, despite agreement of other three deputies that report to CFM, on procedure would best be fulfilled by type of document under preparation. In view of Soviet veto, it was finally agreed to transmit as report to CFM separate proposals on procedure with brief covering note,86 stating (one) adoption by deputies of Part I on procedure subject to US and UK reservations and (two) failure of deputies to agree on procedure for consultation with Allied states. Initial paragraphs of part I in approval of which USDel joined are substantially as reported in Delsec 1238.87 Further paragraphs agreed with some brackets by UK, French, USSR delegations differ little from Soviet text (Delsec [Page 108] 1226.88). Re these paragraphs, USDel inserted in adopted paper explicit reservation of US position on grounds that it is premature at present time to attempt to decide on procedure for this period. US and UK delegations also included in covering note general reservation on Part I to [effect?] that their acceptance was subject to an agreement being reached on both parts of document on procedure. This reservation was required in particular, because Soviet deputy repeatedly sought interpret paragraph one, which states CFM will prepare peace treaty, as excluding genuine Allied participation in preparatory work.
Unwillingness of Soviet deputy to complete collation of views on consultation with Allied govts apparently derives from fact that report in this form would have demonstrated most complete agreement of France, UK and US, over against Soviet, on method of consultation and near agreement on the committees to study problems of the settlement. Despite such agreement, however, British and French deputies indicated finally no readiness to prepare agreed tripartite report, the French withdrawing their compromise proposal which accepted our list of committees and came close to British and our ideas by providing for Allied membership in the subcommittees.
In the past six weeks the Soviet deputy made only one compromise towards the idea of Allied consultation and participation. That was in suggesting a denatured version of the French idea of a Committee on Information and Consultation, but denying membership therein to Allied representatives.
Aside from that slight concession Soviet deputy was resolute in opposing any true Allied consultation or participation in the peacemaking and equally determined there should be no agreement on detailed organization and procedure for the post-Moscow stage. The hearings showed a majority of the invited states as opposed to Soviet aims and conception of peace. The American committee set-up providing a broad coordinated approach to the questions of the settlement would have hampered the Soviets in piecemeal bargaining for priority for their claims which would be viewed in their relation to the whole problem.
At Feb 25 meeting deputies for Germany signed report on Allied views as well as one on procedure. Report on Allied views is being printed in 250-page book.89
Sent Dept as 1305; repeated Berlin 164; Moscow 62; Paris 150.
- The Drafting Committee designated by the Deputies for Germany at their 28th Meeting, February 22, 1947, consisted of: U.S.–Trivers, U.K.–Young, U.S.S.R.–Saksin and Filippov, France–de Courcel.↩
- This was the 29th Meeting of the Deputies for Germany.↩
- The reference here is to the Report by the Deputies to Council of Foreign Ministers, CFM(D) (47) (G)69(Revised), supra.↩
- The telegram under reference here, which is not printed, reported on the text of the Report of the Committee of Experts, CFM(D) (47) (G)65 (Revised), February 21, 1947, p. 34.↩
- The telegram under reference is not printed. It transmitted the text of the Soviet proposal circulated as CFM (D) (47) (G)56, February 12, 1947, p. 30.↩
- The Report by the Deputies on Germany to the Council of Foreign Ministers on the views of the Allied States, dated February 25, 1947, is printed on p. 40. As printed by the Council of Foreign Ministers, this Report together with Annex I thereto, setting forth the texts of the statements and memoranda of the Allied Governments on the German problem, comprised over 250 printed pages. The Annex is not reproduced in this compilation of documents.↩