840.811/7–1045
No. 266
Department of State
Memorandum1
secret
[Washington,] July 10,
1945.
Policy With Respect to the Administration
of the Danube
The underlying recommendation of a provisional arrangement for
the administration of the Danube has been prompted by a telegram
from Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces (
Scaf
471, July 3, 1945).2
This telegram is summarized as follows: Before surrender of
German forces, Danube shipping under German control was moved
into the United States area; Soviet officers claim that some of
the vessels did not reach the United States area before
surrender and ask to have them delivered. Reply has been made
that restitution of such property is under consideration by the
Governments.
Soviet commanders contiguous to the United States area have no
authority to enter local agreement for the use of Danube
shipping, which in large proportion belongs to Czechoslovakia,
Yugoslavia and other
riparian states.
SHAEF recommends initial
measure in restoration of international control of the Danube to
be the creation of an interim Danube Navigation Agency on which
initially would be represented the United
[Page 330]
States, the United Kingdom and the
Soviet Union; membership subsequently would be expanded to
include all states interested in Danube navigation. This problem
has appeared so urgent to SHAEF that it has suggested discussion at the
meeting of the three heads of states.
So far as is known in the Department of State, the War Department
has taken no action on this telegram. A copy of the attached
recommendation is being sent to the Pentagon.
This recommendation was prepared by an ad
hoc committee of interested divisions of the Department
and has been cleared with Major
Kindleberger of the White House Staff.
[Attachment]
secret
[Washington,]
July
10, 1945.
Memorandum Regarding Policy With
Respect to the Administration of the Danube River
recommendations
- 1)
- The ultimate objective of policy with respect to the
administration of the Danube River is the
reestablishment of the international character of the
Danube waterway and the eventual reestablishment of a
permanent international Danube authority representative
of all nations interested in Danube navigation and tied
in with a permanent European transport organization if
such is established.
- 2)
- As an initial step there should be set up as soon as
possible an interim Danube navigation agency.
- (a)
- The functions of this agency should be the
restoration and development of navigation
facilities in the Danube, the supervision of river
activities in the interest of equal treatment for
various nationalities and establishment of uniform
regulations concerning leasing, rules of
navigation, customs and sanitation formalities,
and other similar questions. The functions of this
body should extend to all questions involving
water use on the Danube.
- (b)
- The membership of this body should include the
U. S., U. K., U. S.
S. R., France and the sovereign riparian states
recognized by these governments.
- (c)
- This body should be of a purely interim
character, and while carrying on in part functions
formerly performed by the International Commission
of the Danube and the European Commission of the
Danube it should not be considered as prejudicing
the organization and functions of a permanent
Danube authority which should be set up in the
future. Its jurisdiction should cover the entire
navigable length of the Danube.
- 3)
- The problems of the use of inland transport equipment,
the pooling of such equipment, the restoration of such
equipment to
[Page 331]
former owners and the regulation of traffic of common
concern should be the subject of separate agreement
between the occupation authorities and the states owning
equipment operating on the Danube.
- (a)
- The best procedure for handling this
arrangement would be through the Provisional
Organization for European Inland Transport,
provided the U. S. S. R., Czechoslovakia and
Yugoslavia
participated in that organization.
- (b)
- If the U. S. S. R., Czechoslovakia and
Yugoslavia do
not participate in the Transport Organization, a
separate agreement should be reached between
occupying authorities and those states owning
equipment on the Danube which would put into
effect the principles embodied in the Inland
Transport Agreement.3
These would relate primarily to Article VII,
Sections 7, 9, 10, 12 and 15, and Article VIII,
Sections 2, 5 and 6, and the annex covering
traffic on inland waterways.
- 4)
- This Government has subscribed in the ECITO agreement to the
principle that identifiable transport equipment should
be restored to the country of previous ownership subject
to any general policies determined by the appropriate
authorities of the United Nations regarding restitution
of property removed by the enemy. Such delivery of
equipment, however, should only be made on condition
that this equipment is used with greatest efficiency for
the handling of traffic of common concern under some
form of arrangement as indicated above.
discussion
This Government believes that it is essential to set up an
interim body pending the establishment of a permanent
authority in order to deal with the immediate problems of
restoration of navigation and control equipment and traffic
movements. This interim body should function until a new
permanent authority can be established which would supersede
the previous Commissions which have only been suspended by
the war and not abrogated.
The fact that a considerable portion of the waterway
equipment is located within the American zone of occupation
in Germany provides a strong bargaining point in securing an
adequate organization for the pooling of inland water craft
and the administration of its use in handling traffic of
common concern. Equipment belonging to enemy countries might
be assigned to participating countries for operation in
conjunction with the pool, but such assignment should be
without prejudice to its ultimate disposition. This would
enable the craft to be put into use and the question of
ultimate reparations to be deferred.
[Page 332]
In order to adequately handle this problem the first step
would be the taking of a complete inventory of all water
craft under the control of each of the riparian states or
the respective control authorities.
The second step would be an analysis of the requirements for
traffic within the U. S. occupation area.
The third step would be the working out of the transfer of
surplus equipment to the countries outside of the U. S. zone
upon the conclusion of a satisfactory agreement with respect
to its use.
Close contact should be maintained with the Provisional
Organization for European Inland Transport as that body is
in a position to deal with the legal and technical problems
involved.
