Office of the Historian

CFM Files

United States Delegation Journal

Saturday, August 24, 1946, 10 a.m.

USDel (PC) (Journal) 24

The Commission discussed the preamble of the draft treaty and considered amendments submitted by the Australian Delegation (C.P.Gen. Doc. 1.B.1[46]), a declaration by the Czechoslovak Delegation (C.P. Gen.Doc. 1.Q.1) and a statement of the Hungarian Delegation (C.P. H./P. Doc. 3).52 The Czechoslovak Delegation emphasized Hungary’s close association with Hitler and full responsibility for the war and wished to see these facts more clearly stated in the preamble. After several Delegations expressed understanding of the Czechoslovak point of view but urged the Czechoslovak Delegation to withdraw its amendment, M. Clementis (Czechoslovakia) said that he would not insist on tabling it so long as the Czechoslovak declaration was inserted in the record of the meeting.

The Hungarian statement proposed the insertion of a reference to Hungary’s contribution to the final victory over Germany. M. Gusev (USSR) did not think it necessary or justified to accept the Hungarian suggestion. No member of the Commission offered to support it and no vote was taken on it.

The Australian amendment was similar to that proposed for the four other treaties, and the Secretariat had apparently suggested that it be referred to the General Commission. The Australian Delegation agreed to this procedure. M. Gusev said it would be perfectly proper to consider the amendment in the present Commission, and that it was not within the province of the General Commission to consider [Page 277] amendments to any individual treaties. The Czechoslovak and Yugoslav Delegations supported this position. The U.K. Delegation thought that, while the decision rested, with the Hungarian Commission, the General Commission might discuss the amendment and make recommendations to the Commission. Further discussion of the Australian amendment was then deferred until the next meeting.

  1. C.P.(H/P) Doc. 3 is identical with paragraph 2 of C.P.(Gen) Doc. 5, August 26, Observations on the Draft Peace Treaty with Hungary by the Hungarian Government, vol. iv, p. 249.↩