740.0011 EW (Peace)/5–847
The Department of State to the British Embassy
Memorandum
Reference is made to the British Embassy’s memorandum of May 8, 1947, regarding ratification of the Peace Treaties with Italy, Hungary, [Page 547] Rumania and Bulgaria.1 The Department of State agrees that upon United States ratification the British, French, Soviet and American Governments should consult together to decide whether, and if so when, the treaties can be brought into effect without further formalities. The Department also shares the preliminary view of the British Government that each of the treaties should be brought into force, through deposit of the necessary Allied ratifications, as soon as possible following ratification by the ex-enemy state concerned.
As regards ratification by the ex-enemy states, the Department questions the advisability of any public statement along the lines suggested, feeling that it would be preferable to continue the informal approach which the American Government has heretofore followed in discussions of this matter with the ex-enemy states.
- In this memorandum, not printed, the British Government referred to the Department’s memorandum of April 24, 1947 (ante, p. 537, footnote 2) and recognized that it would not be possible to establish a precise date for the deposit of ratifications until after approval of United States ratification by the Senate; recommended that the British, Soviet, and French Governments agree not to deposit ratifications until after action by the U.S. Senate; suggested that each treaty could be handled separately, that is that the Big Four could act together on each treaty separately; and proposed that after positive action by the U.S. Senate the Big Four make a statement that they consider ratification by the ex-enemy states necessary to bring the treaties into force (740.0011 EW (Peace)/5–847).↩