Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, Volume II

J. C. S. Files: Telegram

No. 1206
The War Department to the United States Delegation

secret
priority

Washington, 25 July 1945.

War 38253. CCAC is considering answer to request¹ from SACMed² which refers to Belgrade Agreement of 9 June³ regarding Venezia Giulia. Paragraph 3 of agreement provided that use will be made by AMG of any Yugoslav civil administration which is already set up and which SACMed thinks is working satisfactorily.

SACMed has taken the position that this does not require him to make use of committees and subcommittees of liberation set up by Yugoslavs in various administrative fields which have been exercising executive power. He asks approval of this position, which Yugoslavs oppose.

US side of CCAC has previously cleared a proposed answer approving this position. British, saying that affirmative instructions should be given, now propose to add additional paragraph reading as follows:

“You should as far as possible administer the area, on following lines:—Yugoslav system of national committees should be eradicated in whole area, and Italian system reinstalled. In predominantly Yugoslav towns and villages, token Yugoslav administration might be retained and national committee used in advisory capacity. In predominantly Italian towns, particularly Trieste, firmness should be used to sweep away Yugoslav system.”

State Department working level has approved British suggestion, but War and Navy representatives are reluctant to concur, though they recognize primary State Department interest.

Mr. Lovett requests your views be obtained. He feels additional paragraph should be eliminated or at least word “eradicated” should be changed to “discontinued” and last sentence should be eliminated.

1. Document No. 572, printed in vol. i.
2. Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander.
3. For the text of the agreement referred to, an Anglo-American-Yugoslav agreement “respecting the provisional administration of Venezia Giulia” signed at Belgrade, June 9, 1945, see Executive Agreement Series No. 501; 59 Stat. (2) 1855. For the text of article 3, see vol. i, document No. 558, footnote 4.