Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume V

740.0011 EW (Peace)/3–2549: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Douglas) to the Secretary of State

secret
urgent

London, March 25, 1949—3 p. m.

1188. Talbot¹ informed us British agree to act with US in invoking treaty machinery (Deptels 867 March 15² and 998 March 23³) and will present parallel notes to 3 satellite govts at same time as US presents notes. Foreign Office would like as much time as possible to prepare texts their notes and therefore requests that US and UK notes not be presented until Saturday, April 2. Foreign Office wishes know whether Dept agrees this date.

Foreign Office requests that Dept telegraph US texts to American Legations Sofia, Budapest, Bucharest with instructions they be shown to British Legations those posts. Talbot said Foreign Office has no comments on US texts but that British notes may be shorter.

According Talbot, Foreign Office inclined to favor immediate publication notes on presentation and urgently desires know Dept’s thinking this regard.⁴

Douglas

1. Lord Talbot de Malahide, Acting Head of the Southern Department, British Foreign Office.
2. Not printed: it stated that the Department was prepared to postpone delivery of notes to Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania but believed that they should be delivered at the latest during the week of March 28 (740.0011 EW (Peace)/3–1549).
3. Not printed; it transmitted, at the urgent request of the Foreign Office, the draft text of the note to be presented to Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania (740.0011 EW (Peace)/3–2349).
4. Telegram 1053, March 26, to London, not printed, replied that the Department was gratified by the British decision and agreed to the presentation of notes on April 2 and the immediate release of text to press (740.0011 EW (Peace)/3–2649).