740.00119 Control (Bulgaria)/1–445: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 4—8:35 a.m.]
28. ReDept’s 13, January 3, 4 p.m. It is my belief that Molotov will object to the statutes for the Control Commission in the form that I have presented them but it is my impression that we can get some assurance that our representatives on the Control Commission will receive consideration more in line with that accorded the Russians in Italy. I am hopeful that this question will be worked out in a manner acceptable to the Department.
As to reparations, since Churchill and Eden while in Moscow last October approved the sum now proposed it would seem most difficult if not impossible to reduce the Russian demands.
On the question of pricing, now that the Soviet Government has obtained the agreement of Finland and Rumania to the application of the 1938 price levels plus 10 to 15 percent and since these agreements have been made public it would seem most unlikely that Molotov would be willing to deviate from these precedents. The greatest concession that I believe it will be possible to obtain would be our participation in a sub-committee of the Control Commission on reparations.
I do not believe it would serve a useful purpose for me to have further talks with Molotov on the subject of reparations until I have [Page 956] final instructions from the department. The Hungarian delegation has arrived in Moscow and Molotov is pressing for conclusion of the armistice. Under the circumstances I hope the Department will send me at the earliest possible moment final instructions on the two matters referred to above.