Office of the Historian

740.00119 E. W./5–2945

No. 145
The Acting Secretary of State to the President

top secret
[Washington,] May 30, 1945.

Memorandum for the President

Subject: Suggested British List of Subjects To Be Discussed at Next Meeting of the Heads of Government.

I have been informed by the British Embassy1 that in his telegram No. 40 to you,2 Prime Minister Churchill stated that the British Government was drawing up, in accordance with your suggestion, a suggested list of subjects for discussion at the next meeting of the Heads of Government. The British Embassy enclosed such a list of suggested topics for discussion and I attach a copy hereto.

If you so desire, I shall be glad to prepare a memorandum containing our comments with regard to the British list.3

Joseph C. Grew
[Enclosure]
top secret

1. Poland.

(a)
Main question.
(b)
Russian action in handing over German territory to Poland before peace settlement and without consulting either United States or British Governments.

2. Germany. Inter-Allied policy and machinery as regards Germany including

(a)
Conditions and timing for bringing into force of occupational zones.
(b)
Establishment of a German Government or local administrations.
(c)
Feeding of Germany as a whole.
(d)
Disposal of displaced persons in Germany especially Russians.
(e)
Problem of German reparation with particular reference to Russian habit of stripping bare territories which they control (see 5 (a) (3) below).
[Page 159]

3. Austria.

(a)
Establishment of zones, particularly in Vienna, and of Control Commission.
(b)
Recognition of an Austrian Government satisfactory to all4 Allied Governments.
(c)
Feeding of Austria.

4. Yugoslavia.

Maintenance of status quo with regard to Yugoslav-Italian and Yugoslav-Austrian frontiers pending peace settlement.

5. Balkans.

(a)
Russian behaviour generally in Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary.
(1)
As regards treatment of British and American representatives on Control Commission.
(2)
As regards the setting up of puppet governments in those countries.
(3)
As regards removal by Soviet authorities of industrial equipment especially in Rumania under the guise of booty.
(b)
Question of concluding peace treaties with these minor enemy states with a view to withdrawal of Russian armies of occupation (see 7 (b) below).

6. Persia.

Question of mutual withdrawal of troops.

7. Italy, Greece and Turkey.

(a)
Re-definition of our policy and interests in these countries.
(b)
Conclusion of a peace treaty with Italy.

8. Russian access to the sea.

(a)
[?Agreement]s5 of Montreux Convention6 (if raised by the Russians).
(b)
Special [? interests]7 regarding entrances to the Baltic (if raised by the Russians).

9. General.

(a)
Refusal of Soviet Government to allow Yalta declaration on liberated Europe8 to be applied to countries in which they are interested.
(b)
Refusal of Soviet Government to allow representatives of the Press to function freely in countries under Soviet military administration.
(c)
Transfer of German population from Poland and Czechoslovakia.
  1. See document No. 144.↩
  2. Document No. 3.↩
  3. Grew handed the enclosure to this memorandum, and presumably the memorandum itself, to Truman on the morning of May 31, and inquired whether Truman wished the Department of State to prepare studies on the various points listed. Grew’s memorandum of the conversation (file No. 890d.01/5–3145) states: “The President expressed gratification at receiving this proposed agenda and said that not only would he be glad to have studies on the points proposed by trie British, but that he wanted to be very thoroughly briefed on all matters which we ourselves might wish to have brought up at the meeting, together with an indication of what points we should stand out for and upon what points we could compromise or yield. I said to the President that I would have such studies prepared at once.” See documents Nos. 152 and 177.↩
  4. The text received from the British Embassy (see document No. 144) and the text which Davies received from Eden (see document No. 34) both read “all three Allied Governments”.↩
  5. As received from the British Embassy and as transmitted to Truman. The text Davies received from Eden (see document No. 34) reads “Modifications”.↩
  6. League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. clxxiii, p. 213.↩
  7. As received from the British Embassy and as transmitted to Truman. The text Davies received from Eden reads “regime”.↩
  8. See vol. ii, document No. 1417, section v .↩