Office of the Historian

CFM Files

United States Delegation Journal

September 26, 1946, 6:30 p.m.

USDel (PC) (Journal) 53

The Chairman (Mr. Byrnes) opened the meeting by saying that the time had come after over a month of the most free and open debate to try to complete the work of the Conference. The floor was given to M. Kardelj (Yugoslavia) who began speaking on the question of the Greek-Albanian frontier. The Chairman called the speaker’s attention to the fact that he was not speaking on a matter set out in the agenda. He said that the Delegate could speak in favor of a motion to substitute another question in the agenda and if the motion were accepted by the Conference the subject could be discussed; otherwise not. M. Kardelj continued and the Chairman had to again call him to order. M. Baranovsky (Ukraine) unrecognized by the Chair called out that the speaker should be allowed to continue. He was silenced once but had to be quieted a second time before subsiding. M. Kardelj [Page 570] completed his speech asking for a definite settlement of the 30th of August decision of the Conference that the Greek-Albanian frontier question be discussed at the next Plenary meeting.60 The Greek Delegation withdrew the motion upon which this decision had been made and after some debate by M. Molotov it was agreed that the question was no longer on the agenda of the Conference.61

The Secretary General read a letter from M. Bidault written in the name of the Council of Foreign Ministers which suggested a schedule for the remaining work of the Conference. The Conference agreed to the four points of M. Bidault’s letter together with the proposals of the Secretary General for implementing them.62

  1. See the United States Delegation Journal account of the 25th Plenary Meeting, August 30, p. 321.↩
  2. The Greek Delegation indicated that it was willing that the subject be withdrawn from the agenda, but reserved the right to bring the matter to the attention of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM Files: Verbatim Record).↩
  3. The text of Bidault’s letter is contained in the Verbatim Record of the meeting. For the substance of the four-power proposals it presented, see the United States Delegation Minutes of the 5th Informal Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers at the Paris Peace Conference, September 24, p. 538.↩