Office of the Historian

740.00119 E.W./10–1844: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)

Washington, October 21, 1944—3 p.m.

8735. With reference to the proposed text of the Bulgarian armistice and protocol as contained in your 8905 October 18, the Department desires to make the following observations:

1.
It is noted that the second sentence of article IX as given in previous drafts regarding the disposal of Bulgarian assets is omitted in the new version. Although the Department had regarded this provision as being suitable for inclusion in the armistice, it is not disposed to press for its inclusion in case there are good reasons for its omission.
2.
In article XI there should of course be inserted after the words “United Nations territory” the words “and now located in Bulgaria.” Otherwise this article is open to absurd interpretations.
3.
As stated in its 8526 October 14, the Department does not feel that the new text of article XVIII would be satisfactory. We do not believe that the inadequacy of the present language, which is apparent from its failure to deal with the second period, can be suitably corrected by separate “interpretations” or “understandings” between [Page 470] the British and Soviet Governments, but that the terms as they are to be made public should be complete and clear in this regard.
4.
The Department is agreeable to the remaining provisions of the present draft of the armistice and the attached protocol.
5.
With respect to article IV of the protocol, the Department does not, of course, intend that the expenses of its representation should be paid otherwise than by this Government. If this provision is designed to ensure suitable facilities for concluding necessary arrangements for services and supplies, more explicit language to this effect should be used.

Please present the foregoing comment of the Department in the EAC, expressing in particular the Department’s dissatisfaction with the new version of article XVIII. For your own information, we will not insist on a revision of this article to the point of refusing to agree to the armistice, but if you should not succeed in obtaining agreement to a more satisfactory version we want it to be clear to all concerned that we may find it necessary at some later date to reopen the question of interpretation of this article.

You are accordingly authorized, without further reference to the Department, to agree in the Commission on a final text, without reference to the Eden–Molotov letters, for recommendation to the respective Governments.

The text as received here contained a number of apparent errors probably due to faulty typing or transmission which the Department assumes will be eliminated in the final proofreading.

Sent to London, repeated to Moscow.16a

Hull
  1. Repeated as telegram 2490.↩