Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Paris Peace Conference: Proceedings, Volume III

CFM Files

United States Delegation Journal

September 5, 1946, 10 a.m.

USDel (PC) (Journal) 34

Approval of the records of the previous two meetings was deferred until the next session.

The deadline for tabling amendments based on the Italian memorandum on the draft peace treaty was set for midnight Thursday, September 12.

The debate on the Greek amendment to Article 58 [C.P.(Gen.)Doc.1.J.8] and on the question of whether to vote on Article 58, at once, was resumed and occupied the rest of the meeting without any decision. The Delegate of the USSR supported by the Ukrainian and Yugoslav Delegates argued that a vote on Article 58 should be taken at once without waiting for a definitive interpretation of the word “property” requested from the Economic Commission for Italy.³⁹ Mr. Alexander (UK) opposed the Russian proposal on the ground that it would not be keeping good faith with the Greek Delegation who had withdrawn their amendment with the reservation that the word “property” would be interpreted as including war matériel.

There was some discussion on the merits of the substance of the Greek amendment, the Soviet bloc maintaining that the war matériel taken from Greece by Italy was war booty, and after the defeat of Italy all such matériel passed to the control of the Four Great Powers and that the Greek amendment proposed handing back responsibility for the matériel to Italy. They further maintained that the Greek proposal was a camouflaged reparations claim, that Greece was trying to get the matériel twice, and that satisfaction of the Greek demands would result in the building up of Italian war industries.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 p.m., after some opposition to its adjournment by Mr. Alexander.

The next meeting is to be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday September 7.

39. General Mossor, the Chairman of the Military Commission, had requested Sir Joseph Bhore, the Chairman of the Economic Commission for Italy, to render an interpretation. The latter declined, but suggested that the Military Commission present its request in writing. General Mossor then proposed that Greece accept the statements made by members of the Council of Foreign Ministers at the 10th Meeting, September 4, regarding the definition of the word “property.” (CFM Files: United States Delegation Minutes) For the United States Delegation Journal account of the 10th Meeting, see p. 360.