500.CC/3–2545
The Soviet Ambassador (Gromyko) to the Secretary of State
Your Excellency: In accordance with instructions of the Soviet Government I request you to bring the following to the attention of the Government of the United States of America.
The Crimea Conference took a decision regarding the calling of a conference on April 25, 1945 at San Francisco for the creation of a world international organization for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is fully evident, that the states participating in the conference at San Francisco will appear as charter members of the new organization.
In accordance with the proposal of the Soviet Government, the Crimea Conference took the following decision:
“When the conference on a world organization takes place, the delegates of the United Kingdom and the United States will support a proposal for the admission to charter membership of two Soviet Socialist Republics, namely, the Ukrainian and the White Russian.”32
This decision leaves no doubt that the question of the admission of the Ukraine and White Russia to charter membership should be raised at one of the first sessions of the conference at San Francisco and that, after the favorable vote of the conference, the representatives of these two republics should be guaranteed full participation in the proceedings of the conference mentioned, in the category of charter members of the world international security organization. The Soviet Government does not see any necessity to repeat here the arguments set forth by it in support of the above mentioned decision at the Crimea Conference; however, it considers it opportune to recall the statement of Mr. Churchill at the Crimean deliberations33 to the effect that it is illogical to invite to the conference at San Francisco all the small countries, which have contributed almost nothing toward victory and only at the last moment have declared war, and, at the same time, withhold an invitation to the two Soviet republics which have made such great sacrifices in the struggle with Germany.
It follows from the above that the Soviet Government cannot agree with the interpretation of the decisions of the Crimea Conference which is given by the Government of the United States of America, namely, that the Ukraine and White Russia should not participate in the conference at San Francisco and that only after the San Francisco Conference, when a suitable decision will be taken, will they be able to participate in the Assembly of the organization.
[Page 159]The Soviet Government insists that in conformity with the decision of the Crimea Conference, the Soviet Ukraine and the Soviet White Russia be guaranteed participation in the Conference at San Francisco as charter members.
Accept [etc.]
- Conferences at Malta and Yalta, p. 976, par. 2(b).↩
- Ibid., p. 775.↩