740.00116 EW/12–1144
The British Ambassador (Halifax) to the Secretary of State
Ref: 152/238/44
His Majesty’s Ambassador presents his compliments to the Secretary of State and has the honour to refer again to his note of the 12th September last, proposing a tri-partite declaration warning neutral countries against giving asylum to war criminals, to which Mr. Hull replied in a note dated the 8th November indicating the general concurrence of the United States Government and suggesting that the other United Nations should be invited to adhere to such a declaration.
His Majesty’s Ambassador at Moscow has been unable to obtain the views of the Soviet Government, and has now pointed out that the Soviet Government have however just declined to issue a declaration [Page 1453] regarding the treatment of the leaders of the Slovakian revolt on the ground that their attitude is universally known, and that since the issue of the 1943 Moscow Declaration81 they have shown themselves unwilling to agree to further declarations about war criminals. Sir A. Clark Kerr comments that the flow of press articles on the subject never stops and it is one on which the Soviet Government certainly hold very decided views and he can only suppose therefore that they consider that they have made their position perfectly clear in the Moscow Declaration (which stated inter alia that war criminals would be pursued to the uttermost ends of the earth) and regard the issue of further Declarations covering much the same ground as redundant.
In the view of His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom, as more or less satisfactory assurances have been received from all the neutral nations (except for the case of Eire), the case for issuing the proposed tri-partite declaration appears to have lost much of its force. If the United States Government should upon reconsideration be disposed to agree in this view, His Majesty’s Government for their part would be content not to pursue the matter any further. Lord Halifax would therefore be grateful to learn whether the United States Government concurs.