740.0011 European War/7–2744: Telegram

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

5944. For Dunn from Phillips. At a meeting of the Combined Censorship Committee yesterday, Colonel Jacobus, Chief Censorship Officer at SHAEF informed the Committee that he had negotiated and [Page 1520] signed on behalf of SHAEF a working agreement with Lt. Colonel Manuel representing the French Controles Techniques (censorship organization) providing for Controles Techniques personnel to operate as SHAEF officers in operational areas and in areas declared by SHAEF to be non-operational, Controles Techniques to operate as the French censorship subject to liaison with SHAEF.

Although the wording of this working agreement differs from the Committee’s proposed draft (based on the Belgian agreement modified in accordance with the Department’s telegram No. 4630 of June 1041) which had not as yet been discussed with the French, the substance is the same. The Committee has therefore approved the SHAEF agreement as a satisfactory working arrangement covering immediate needs.

The Committee is of the opinion that if a civil affairs agreement is concluded with the French Committee of National Liberation as the result of the talks now taking place in Washington, it would be advisable for our Committee to negotiate and for General Eisenhower to sign a further agreement with the appropriate representative of the French Committee, confirming on a higher level the present working arrangement, and including a clause to the effect that before the said censorship or control is terminated or substantially modified, the French authorities will hold discussions with the Government of the U.K. and the U.S. to determine whether it is desirable in the common interest that such operation on control be continued. This would make the agreement similar in substance to the others. My concurrence was contingent upon receiving the Department’s approval. May I have your views?

For your information, the Belgians have agreed in writing to the Committee’s draft with a few inconsequential drafting changes.42 The Netherlands representatives have also approved, subject to confirmation by the Netherlands Government, which is expected momentarily.43 These two agreements, it is expected, will be signed at an early date without waiting for the Norwegian Government which has not as yet replied to our note of June 744 presumably because the Norwegian censorship experts have been absent from London. [Phillips.]

Winant
  1. Not printed.
  2. The Belgian Government formally agreed to sign the draft agreement on June 28.
  3. The Netherlands representative approved the draft agreement on July 10 pending confirmation by the Netherlands Government.
  4. See footnote 19, p. 1511. The Norwegian agreement was signed on September 18. The originals were sent to the Norwegian Government and SHAEF for inclusion in the archives.