Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, General, Volume I

740.00116 European War 1939/1187: Telegram

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

Washington, December 30, 1943—3 p.m.

8230. The Department has received a communication from the Embassy here⁴⁶ on the subject presented to you by the Foreign Office as related in your 8526 of December 7.

The Department would have no objection to allowing Mr. Pell to participate in discussions with the Foreign Office, Sir Cecil Hurst, and McKinnon Wood, but in view of the important political aspects of the question it has grave misgivings regarding the desirability of having it aired in the Commission for Investigation. It feels that the matter is a very delicate one and must be handled with extreme care. The logic of the British position as to the implications involved in such representation is appreciated, but this Government is particularly desirous that nothing should occur which might in the slightest degree in any wise impair the closest cooperation with the Soviet Union in this and other matters relating to the general war effort and post-war arrangements. It, therefore, doubts the advisability of having the Commission express itself on the subject. It appreciates the desire of the British Government to acquaint the other Allied Governments with the situation, but it at the same time feels that the matter should not be agitated any more than is absolutely necessary and it wonders whether the suggested procedure would be best calculated to resolve the differences that have developed.

The Department is wondering whether the next step might not be in the nature of a further appeal to the Soviet Union along the lines of the earlier suggestion by the British that when matters affecting any particular republic are under consideration, that republic might have an adviser to the USSR representative, calling attention to the fact that if each political subdivision of the states represented on the Commission (there are 48 political subdivisions in the United States, not including the outlying possessions) is to have direct representation, the Commission would become an unwieldy body and its effective work would be correspondingly impeded.

In view of the understandings reached at Moscow, every effort should be made, in keeping with the spirit of cooperation displayed there and at Tehran,⁴⁷ to avoid an impasse.

You will fully appreciate what the Department has in mind, and the Department relies upon you to seek an early occasion to counsel with Mr. Pell and the two of you with the Foreign Office with a view to avoiding the raising of sharp issues and giving them publicity.

Hull

46. British Embassy aide-mémoire, December 10, 1943, not printed.
47. See section entitled “The Tripartite Conference in Moscow, October 18–November 1, 1943,” pp. 513 ff.; and Foreign Relations, the Conferences at Cairo and Tehran, 1943, pp. 459–652.