740.00119 Control (Bulgaria)/2–2645: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
693. This message sent to Moscow and Athens98 for action. Repeated to Sofia and Caserta99 for information.
Paragraph 1. British Embassy has informed Department that on February 28 Foreign Office instructed Clark-Kerr to notify Soviet Government of British concern regarding Greek claim against Bulgaria, specifically requesting that Soviet Government: (1) accede to Greek request of January 23 for facilities in Bulgaria similar to those granted to Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia in Hungary; (2) instruct ACC Bulgaria to arrange for immediate deliveries to Greece on basis of list already presented to Soviet Government; (3) give immediate consideration to question of fixing total Bulgarian liability to Greece and Yugoslavia, if necessary in terms of money, to be payable in commodities over a period of six years, as has been done in implementation of Rumanian, Finnish, and Hungarian armistices.
(Reference Department’s 67 to Moscow, 37 to Athens, 8 to Sofia, 27 to Caserta, all of January 10, and Moscow’s 162, January 17, to Department1 repeated to Athens, Sofia, and Caserta).
Paragraph 2. British memorandum embodying these views, with which Department is in substantial agreement, was originally prepared for Crimea Conference but was not discussed there. On February 11 it was transmitted to Department by Eden with proposal that it should be taken up through diplomatic channels. Moscow is hereby authorized again to invite the attention of the Soviet Government (ReDeptel 67, January 10) to the urgency which we attach to having Bulgaria take effective action regarding shipments to Greece; to urge prompt and favorable action on Greek desire for representation to ACC Bulgaria (ReUrtel 244, January 26); and to request effective steps to implement restitutions as provided in Article XI of Armistice and determination of amounts of reparations, in terms of money if necessary, as provided in Article IX of Armistice and Section One of Protocol. As regards the Yugoslav Military Mission’s dealing directly with Bulgarian Government on reparations matters, the Department thinks that such transactions, for both Yugoslavia and Greece, [Page 179] should be handled through official representatives empowered to present claims to ACC Bulgaria.
Paragraph 3. British delegation on ACC Bulgaria, believing Crimea Conference has made Russians more receptive to reparations deliveries, recommends that Greek Government be urged (1) to appoint representative(s) pending Russian decision; (2) to make provisional but official arrangements for receipt of deliveries at two or three obvious points on Bulgarian frontier; (3) to send immediately to British delegation in Sofia official list of claims in regard to material and property appropriated by Bulgaria. (Reference Caserta’s 706, February 26.1a)
Paragraph 4. Athens is hereby authorized to make suggestions to Greek Government along lines of Paragraph 3, (1) and (2). Greek Government should be urged to prepare list referred to in Paragraph 3, (3); but, although Department has no objection to such a list being sent to both British and American delegations in Bulgaria, it would seem advisable to postpone formal presentation to ACC Bulgaria until direct Greek access to Commission is implemented.