740.00119 Control (Rumania)/10–344

The British Embassy to the Department of State

Memorandum

The British Embassy has the honour to inform the United States Government that an advance party of the British Mission which is to constitute the British section of the Inter-Allied Control Commission for Roumania arrived at Bucharest on September 26th. The advance party consisted of Air Vice Marshal Stevenson, head of British Mission, Mr. LeRougetel, Foreign Office representative and small number of assistants. The Soviet Government were informed in advance of the departure of this party. A further small party of members of the British section was to be sent to Bucharest on September 29th.

As the Department of State are aware, the Soviet Government’s proposals regarding Inter-Allied Control Commission for Roumania restrict the size of the British and American sections and would debar them from having any direct contact with the Roumanian Government. On the assumption therefore that the Soviet authorities will not allow members of the Commission other than the President to have direct communication with the Roumanian Government the Foreign Office are detaching Mr. LeRougetel from the Commission and appointing him “British Diplomatic Representative” in Roumania on the analogy of Soviet representative in Italy, with instructions to gain contact with the Roumanian Government forthwith.

The Foreign Office also propose to send an advance party into Bulgaria within the next few days. Although the situation is not analogous to that in Roumania since no armistice has been signed with Bulgaria, the Foreign Office feel that it is very important to have the British representatives on the spot as soon as possible in order, among other things, to prevent further unfortunate incidents such as the recent expulsion of British officials and to supervise the withdrawal of Bulgarian troops from Greece and Yugoslavia, if such evacuation is made a pre-condition of the presentation of armistice terms to Bulgaria. The Soviet Government, as in the case of the Mission for Roumania, will be advised before the advance party leaves.