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

740.00119 (Potsdam)/8–145

No. 1397
The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs (Bidault)

secret
No. 671

Paris, August 1, 1945.

Excellency: Acting under instructions from my Government, I have the honor to transmit herewith a communication on behalf of my Government to the Government of France relating to the transfer of German populations, or elements thereof, at present in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

I avail myself [etc.]

Jefferson Caffery

[Enclosure]

“The Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom and of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have reached the following agreement regarding the transfer of German populations to Germany:

[Here follows, with minor variations, the text of document No. 1383, section XIII (XII).]

It is the earnest wish of the three Governments that the Provisional Government of the French Republic will be able to associate itself with the agreement set out above and to send appropriate instructions, after the conclusion of the conference, to the Commander-in-Chief of the French forces of occupation in Germany, and, if they see fit, to their representatives with the Polish Provisional Government and the Czechoslovak Government.

The three Governments will be grateful if the French Provisional Government would treat the present communication as strictly secret until such time as an official statement is issued by the conference.”

Paris, August 1, 1945.