C.F.M. Files: Lot M–88: Box 2061: CFM Documents
Report of the Committee of Naval Experts on the Draft Peace Treaty With Italy82
C.F.M.(46)121
1. The Naval Committee have examined the following documents in response to the instructions given by the Deputies in their 59th Meeting (1st of June):83
- C.F.M.(D)(46) 103—French proposal
- C.F.M. (46) 118—U.K. and U.S. proposal
- C.F.M. (46) 112—Soviet proposal
A joint plan for the distribution of Italian naval units has not yet been settled.
2. The Naval Committee consider that the most urgent problem is the designation by name of the ships to be left to Italy, a list of which has to be inserted in the Treaty; the Committee have devoted particular attention to this question and the annexed list has been adopted. Unfortunately, this list does not include cruisers and destroyers on which no agreement has been reached. The position as regards the specific designation of the cruisers and destroyers to be left to Italy is as follows:
3. Cruisers
| U.K. and U.S. proposal | French and Soviet proposal |
| Duca Degli Abruzzi | Duca D’Aosta |
| Garibaldi | Eugenio di Savoia |
| Duca D’Aosta | Montecuccoli |
| Eugenio di Savoia | Cadorna |
The French Expert in his capacity as Chairman, expressed the view that an agreement might be reached by taking two names out of each list, viz:
- Duca Degli Abruzzi
- Garibaldi
- Montecuccoli
- Cadorna
This solution was acceptable to the U.K., U.S. and French Experts. The Soviet Experts objected to the Chairman’s proposal as it foresaw, from one side that Italy will retain the best cruisers and from the other side the cruisers for distribution among Allied Powers will be in a worse condition, one of which (Savoia) needs a long time repair.
4. Destroyers
| U.K. and U.S. proposal | French and Soviet proposal |
| 4 Artigliere class | Riboty |
| Da Recco | |
| Grecale | |
| Orlani |
The Soviet Expert proposes the following compromise, provided that the Soviet proposal on cruisers is accepted
- 2 Artigliere class
- Da Recco
- Grecale
The U.K. and U.S. Experts would agree to the Soviet compromise on destroyers if the Soviet Expert would accept the Chairman’s proposal on cruisers.
The French Expert points out that the above compromise on destroyers still interferes with the French claim, but is prepared to accept it if an agreement is reached on cruisers whereby the Cadorna is left to Italy.
5. Three Delegations think that after settling the question of cruisers and destroyers to be left for Italy, the question of the division of Italian surplus units should be referred back to the Naval Committee.
6. The Soviet Experts do not object in principle against such order of settling these questions but they think that the designation by name of the cruisers and destroyers to be left to Italy is closely connected with the question of distribution of the surplus Italian Naval units between the four Powers. Therefore, these questions should be considered together.
Besides that, in accordance with the decision of the Deputies (1st of June, 59th Meeting), the Soviet Experts think that as the Committee [Page 586] were unable to produce a joint plan for the distribution of Italian Naval units, that the three plans prepared by the Experts of the Four Powers as it stated in para. 1 above should be annexed to the present Report.
- This Report was considered by the Deputies at their 80th Meeting, June 23, 1946. After an exchange of views without any agreement having been reached, the Deputies agreed to submit this Report to the Council of Foreign Ministers. The Report was considered by the Council at its 25th and 29th meetings, June 24 and June 28, respectively, and a decision with respect to the Report was reached by the Council at its 30th meeting, June 29. For the United States Delegation Records of these meetings, see pp. 601, 668, and 683.↩
The instructions given to the Committee of Naval Experts by the Deputies were as follows:
“—to continue the study of the naval clauses of the Draft Peace Treaty with Italy with the object of arriving at an agreement;
“—to prepare a table containing seven columns showing, in the first column, the names of the ships which are to remain in Italy’s possession, and in the six remaining columns the respective shares of the surplus ships to be alloted to Greece, Yugoslavia, France, the U.S., the U.K. and the U.S.S.R.
“If the Experts reach no agreement on one plan they may submit alternative plans.
“—The Committee shall complete its Report for presentation by Thursday, 6th June.” (C.F.M. Files, Lot M–88, Box 2065, Deputies Documents)
None of the documents under reference in paragraph 1 of this Report are printed.
↩- In the Draft Peace Treaty with Italy under consideration at this time by the Deputies, the list of naval units to be retained by Italy was to appear as Annex 5.↩