Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, General: Political and Economic Matters, Volume II

Council of Foreign Ministers Files: Lot M–88: CFM London Documents

Memorandum by the United States Delegation to the Council of Foreign Ministers

C.F.M.(45) 35

London, 19 September, 1945.

Suggested Directive to the Deputies From the Council of Foreign Ministers To Govern Them in the Drafting of a Treaty of Peace With Bulgaria⁹⁸

Note: This suggested directive is submitted by the United States Delegation with the understanding that the United States will not negotiate a treaty of peace with Bulgaria until there has been established a government broadly representative of all democratic elements in the population and pledged to the earliest possible establishment through free elections of a government responsive to the will of the people, which can be recognised by the United States.

i. territorial provisions for bulgaria

1. The boundary between Rumania and Bulgaria as existing on January 1st, 1938 except with respect to Dobruja, where the line established by treaty of Craiova (September 7th, 1940) should be confirmed.

2. With respect to Yugoslavia, the boundary as existing January 1st, 1938, except for such minor rectifications in the Tsaribrod region, and, as between Bulgarian and Yugoslav Macedonia, as may be agreed upon.

3. Boundaries with Greece and Turkey as they existed January 1st, 1938.

ii. politico-economic provisions

1. Provision should be made for special free port and transit facilities for Bulgarian trade to flow through Salonika, Kavalla and Dedeagach.

2. International agreements for the control of the Danube should be confirmed by the treaty.

iii. human rights

By the treaty Bulgaria should voluntarily undertake to maintain a bill of rights which will guarantee freedom of speech, religious worship, language, political belief and public meeting and confirm the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the United Nations Organisation.

iv. educational, philanthropic, etc. rights

Provision should be made to continue to prevent any discrimination against Allied associations, institutions and persons engaged in educational, scientific, philanthropic and religious activity in Bulgaria.

v. armaments

The maintenance of armaments for land, sea and air will be closely restricted to the necessities of (a) maintenance of order in Bulgarian territory; (b) local frontier defense; (c) such military contingents, if any, in addition to the foregoing as may be required by the Security Council.

vi. war crimes

Appropriate provision will be made, preferably by a separate protocol, to deal with the war criminals, return of prisoners of war, etc.

vii. Reparations

Bulgaria’s reparation obligations should be limited to the payment of damages caused by Bulgaria in Greece and Yugoslavia and to compensation for war damage to United Nations property in Bulgaria. Reparation payments to Greece and Yugoslavia should consist primarily of deliveries of goods from Bulgaria, to be determined by an Allied Commission composed of representatives of the U.S.S.R., the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Greece and Yugoslavia.

The determination of reparations due to Greece and Yugoslavia from Bulgaria and the commencement of the delivery of reparations in kind should not await the conclusion of peace. These are matters that should be dealt with immediately, preferably by the proposed reparations Commission.

The treaty should provide for the restitution of property removed from United Nations territory by Axis forces as stipulated in Article 11 of the Armistice. It should also provide for the return of United Nations property in Bulgaria and for compensation therefor where the property is not returned in good order. The execution of these provisions of the treaty as well as those relating to reparations, should be carried out under the supervision of the Allied Commission referred to above.

The Bulgarian Government shall authorise each of the United Nations to take over and apply to their respective reparation claims such of the assets of the Bulgarian Government (excluding diplomatic and consular premises) and of Bulgarian nationals as are within the jurisdiction of the respective United Nations. Similarly, the Bulgarian Government shall undertake to transfer to the United Nations, for appropriate distribution, Bulgarian Government and private property in the neutral countries. The Bulgarian Government will undertake to indemnify, in accordance with Bulgarian law, the Bulgarian nationals whose property will thus have been requisitioned. Each of the United Nations will be free to allocate the amount received from Bulgaria to the indemnification of the State or its nationals, or the payment of debts, as it may determine as a matter of national policy.

The Bulgarian Government shall be required to recognise the transfer to the U.S.S.R., in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 9 of the Potsdam decision on German reparations, of German assets in Bulgara.⁹⁹ (This transfer shall be made by the Allied Control Council in Germany).

viii. economic and financial matters

Provisions should be included in the treaty implementing the United States proposal which was accepted in principle in Article XXI of the Potsdam Protocol,¹ including guarantees to Allied nationals of access, in equal terms, to Bulgarian trade, raw materials and industry. Similar provision should be made for equality of access to the use of Bulgarian ports, waterways, and aviation facilities. These provisions might be limited in their duration for a period of five years. Whether provisions respecting other economic and financial relations should be included in the treaty should be left for later consideration. In view of the complexities raised and the large number of states involved, these might preferably be left to separate treaties.

ix. sovereign position of Bulgaria

The treaty should provide for the restoration of Bulgarian sovereignty and the nations party to the treaty should have no rights or controls within Bulgaria except as may be specifically provided in the treaty.

98. A memorandum of October 11, 1945, from Leslie Squires, Secretary of the American Mission in Hungary, to H. F. Arthur Schoenfeld, Representative in Hungary, gives some background as to the preparation of this suggested directive. Squires, who arrived in London on September 13 to work with the United States Delegation at the Council of Foreign Ministers, wrote in part as follows: “Since it was necessary to substitute a new proposal, if we were to refuse to consider the Russian suggestion [regarding peace treaties for Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania], such a document was prepared for each of the three countries. These documents were basically the same and showed only minor variations under territorial provisions and reparations.… This document [suggested directive regarding the drafting of the peace treaty with Hungary] is, as indicated, basically the same as those submitted for Rumania and Bulgaria, and represents the joint work of Mr. Barnes, Mr. Berry and myself. Certain changes and alterations were made upon the recommendation of Mr. Cannon, Mr. Dunn and other members of the Secretary’s party. The directive, as attached, was accepted by the Secretary as the basis for his proposal regarding the Hungarian peace treaty.” (Budapest Legation Files: 711.9 Peace Treaty) Maynard B. Barnes, Representative in Bulgaria, and Burton Y. Berry, Representative in Rumania, were both in London to work with the United States delegation to the Council of Foreign Ministers.
99. For text of the Berlin Conference decisions on Reparations from Germany, see Section IV of the Report of the Tripartite Conference of Berlin, August 2, 1945, Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. ii, p. 1505, and Section III of the Protocol of the Proceedings of the Berlin Conference, ibid., p. 1485.
1. Reference is apparently to Section XX of the Protocol of the Proceedings of the Berlin Conference, ibid., p. 1497.