Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume V

840.811/11–1549

The Secretary of State to the Chargé of the Soviet Union (Bazykin)

The Secretary of State presents his compliments to the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and refers to the meeting held November 11, at Galatz, Rumania under the terms of the Convention signed at Belgrade August 18, 1948 by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Czechoslovakia, the Hungarian People’s Republic, the People’s Republic of Rumania, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia.¹

The Government of the United States desires to advise the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that the Government of the United States does not recognize that Convention as having any valid international effect.

The Convention signed by seven delegations over the objections of the Governments of France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Austria and, in contravention of the concept of international waterways which has been recognized in Europe for more than 130 years. It fails to provide an adequate basis for freedom of navigation on the Danube. In this failure it negates the provision of the peace treaties with Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania, and also fails to carry out the decision of the Council of Foreign Ministers of December 6. 1946.² Moreover, the Convention omits any provision for nonriparian representation in a Danube Commission. It seeks to deprive the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium, and Greece, without their consent, of treaty rights established by international agreement in 1921³ and disregards the legitimate interests of non-riparian states. The rejection by the majority at the Belgrade Conference of any relationship between the Danube Commission and the United Nations indicates an intention to seal off the Danube area from normal intercourse with the rest of the world to the area’s own direct disadvantage.

Although the Convention professes to devise a regime of navigation in the interest of all riparian states, Austria is at present denied representation on the so-called Danube Commission and no provision whatsoever is made with respect to German participation.

The Belgrade Convention, when coupled with the device of Soviet-controlled joint companies which acquired long-term exclusive control of facilities essential to the conduct of Danube commerce, is clearly designed to enable the Soviet Union to maintain a monopoly of Danubian commerce.

For these reasons, the Government of the United States does not recognize the jurisdiction of the Danube Commission, established under the Belgrade Convention, over any part of the Danube River. The Government of the United States looks forward to the time when the states interested in the Danube as an international waterway, acting as free agents and true representatives of their people, agree upon a new Convention which effectively promotes non-discriminatory constructive utilization of the Danube. Until then the Government of the United States considers the Definitive Statute of the Danube, signed in Paris July 23, 1921, to be in force for the entire Danube River.

In view of the importance of the Danube River to European economic and social development, and the United Nations’ expressed interest in the Belgrade Conference, a copy of this note is being forwarded to the Secretary General of the United Nations.

Washington, November 15, 1949.

1. For documentation on the participation of the United States in the Belgrade Conference on the régime for free navigation of the Danube River, see Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. iv, pp. 593 ff. The text of the convention signed on August 18, 1948 (with two Annexes and a Supplementary Protocol) is in United Nations Treaty Series, vol. xxxii, pp. 181–225.

   The Embassy in the Soviet Union was informed by the Department of State in telegram 847 on November 18, 1949, that this note had been delivered to the six signatories of the Convention which had missions in Washington (the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic did not have a separate mission). In delivering the note to the Yugoslav Embassy it was pointed out that the United States realized that Yugoslavia, through its own experience, had discovered that the “Convention did not guarantee equality of treatment” on the river, and that it had “publicly denounced Sov[iet] exploitation”. While in consequence Yugoslavia was not in the same position as the other signatories, it was deemed necessary to deliver the note anyhow, because Yugoslavia had not repudiated the Convention and had attended the meeting of the Danube Commission held at Galatz. (840.811/11–1849) The text of the United States note was published in the Department of State Bulletin, November 28, 1949, p. 832.

2. Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. ii, p. 1446.
3. Convention Instituting the Definitive Statute of the Danube, singed at Paris on July 23, 1921. For text, see League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. xxvi, pp. 175–199.