740.0011 Moscow/8½
The British Embassy to the
Department of State
No. 612
His Majesty’s Embassy enclose the text of an amendment which His
Majesty’s Government desire to offer to the draft 4-Power
Declaration.36a The
proposed amendment has been approved by the Cabinet in London after
consultation with the Governments of His Majesty’s
[Page 532]
Dominions. Unless the United States
Government sees any objection, His Majesty’s Government propose to
communicate it to the Soviet Government.
Washington
, September
28, 1943.
[Enclosure 1]
British Amendments to Draft Four-Power
Declaration
The Governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet
Russian Union and China, united in their determination, in
accordance with the declaration by the United Nations of January
1st, 1942 and subsequent declarations to continue hostilities
against those Axis powers with which they respectively are at war
until such powers have laid down their arms on the basis of
unconditional surrender, conscious of their responsibilities to
secure liberation of themselves and the people allied with them from
the menace of aggression; recognizing the necessity of ensuring a
rapid and orderly transition from war to peace and of establishing
and maintaining international peace and security with the least
diversion of the world’s human and economic resources for armaments,
jointly declare
- 1.
- That their United action pledged for the prosecution of the
war will be continued for the organization and maintenance of
peace and security.
- 2.
- That those of them at war with a common enemy will act
together in all matters relating to the surrender and
disarmament of that enemy, and to any occupation of enemy
territory and liberation, of other States held by that
enemy.
- 3.
- That they will take all measures deemed by them to be
necessary to provide against any violation of the terms imposed
upon the enemy.
- 4.
- That they recognise the necessity of establishing at the
earliest practicable date a general international organization
based on the principle of sovereign equality of all nations for
the maintenance of international peace and security in which all
peace-loving nations, great and small, may play their
parts.
- 5.
- That for the purpose of maintaining international peace and
security pending the re-establishment of law and order and the
inauguration of a general system of security they will consult
one another and as occasion requires with other members of the
United Nations, with a view to joint action on behalf of the
community of nations.
- 6.
- That in connection with the foregoing purpose they will
establish a technical commission to advise them on the military
problems involved including the composition and strength of the
forces available in an emergency arising from a threat to
peace.
- 7.
- That they will not employ their military forces within the
territories of other States except for the purposes envisaged in
this declaration and after joint consultation and
agreement.
- 8.
- That they will confer and cooperate with one another and with
other members of the United Nations to bring about a practicable
general agreement with respect to the regulation of armaments in
the post-war period.
[Enclosure 2]
Observations by the Foreign Office on the British
Amendments to the Draft Four-Power Declaration
Paragraph 2: The re-draft is designed to meet
the susceptibilities of the European Allies and scarcely alters the
sense. The words “of the territory” should be inserted after the
word “liberation”.
Paragraph 3: The original American phrase
“the requirements imposed upon their present enemies” might be held
to mean that we proposed at some early date to make friends with the
latter. “Requirements” is rather vague and “terms” seems to meet the
case better.
Paragraph 4: There was at first a tendency
here to think the words “sovereign equality” might unduly encourage
the pretensions of the smaller Powers, but the Dominions were,
broadly speaking, in favour of keeping them in. We should like to
temper the doctrine of sovereign equality to the extent of adding
the words “in which all the peace-loving nations, great and small,
may play their part”. This would avoid the criticism that we were
intending at some early stage to admit the ex-enemy powers into our
new system on a footing of equality. It also implies that some
nations may have a greater part to play than others.
Paragraph 5: The American draft is open to
the interpretation of inaugurating a sort of four-power
dictatorship. This point was especially stressed by the Dominion
Governments. Our formula is designed to suggest a middle way. It
does not exclude consultation between the four powers only, but is a
little weaker than the American in form in that it says “with a view
to joint action” instead of “act jointly”. We believe this is the
minimum which would be willingly accepted by the smaller powers.
Paragraph 7: Remains as in American draft but
its implication ought to be examined at the Conference. Should we
and the Americans, for instance, be barred from operating in France
or Holland except after consultation with the Russians, and would
the Russians be unable to advance into Poland or Roumania except
after consultation with us?
Paragraph 8: Our addition is designed to make
the declaration more palatable to the smaller powers.
