Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Council of Foreign Ministers; Germany and Austria, Volume II

CFM Files: Lot M–88: Box 60

Provisional Record of Decisions of the Council of Foreign Ministers, Forty-Third Meeting, Moscow, Aviation Industry House, April 24, 1947, 4 p.m.

Moscow, April 24, 1947, 4 p.m.

secret
CFM(47) (M) 43rd Meeting

	Present
	U.K.
	Mr. Bevin (Chairman)
	Sir Maurice Peterson
	Sir William Strang
	Lord Hood
	Sir E. Hall-Patch
France		U.S.S.R.
M. Bidault		M. Molotov
General Catroux		M. Vyshinski
M. Couve de Murville		M. Smirnov
M. Alphand		General Kurasov
M. de St. Hardouin		M. Kiselev
	U.S.A.
	Mr. Marshall
	Mr. Smith
	Mr. Cohen
	Mr. Dulles
	General Clark
	Mr. Bohlen

I. Treaty for the Disarmament and Demilitarization of Germany

The Council heard the statement of the Soviet Delegation on this subject (CFM/47/M/155²⁹).

II. Treaty for the Re-Establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria

There was an exchange of views concerning the establishment of Four Power Commission for the consideration of disagreed questions of the Austrian Treaty (USSR–CFM/47/M/156³⁰).

It was agreed:

1. To establish a Commission consisting of representatives of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and of France, charged with the examination of all disagreed questions of the Austrian Treaty; this Commission shall include a Committee of Experts to give special consideration to Article 35 and the appropriate parts of Article 42, and to the establishment of concrete facts [with the aim of possible co-ordination of the points of view of the Governments represented on it].

[The U.K. Delegation proposes to insert instead of the words in brackets in paragraph 1 the following separate paragraph: “2. The aim of the Commission shall be the co-ordination of the points of view of the Governments represented on it”. The U.S.A. and French Delegations agree with this wording.]

2. The Commission shall submit its report without delay to the Council of Foreign Ministers.

3. The Commission will sit in Vienna and shall begin its work on May 12, 1947.

III. Treaty for the Re-Establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria. Report by the Deputies

The Council heard the report of the Acting Chairman of the Deputies Meeting (CFM/D/47/M/A/57th Meeting).

Article 10.

The text submitted by the Deputies was agreed. All disagreed questions are referred to the Commission established in accordance with Section II of the present Record of Decisions.

IV. Limitation of the Occupation Forces in Germany

There was an exchange of views on this subject.

Finding it necessary to limit the occupation forces in Germany the Council agreed to suggest that the Allied Control Council in Germany should consider this question and determine the size of armed forces of the USA, United Kingdom, France and the USSR in Germany.³¹ The Control Council will report its decision to the Council of Foreign Ministers not later than June 1, 1947.

V. Next Session of the Council

It was agreed to hold the next regular session of the Council in London in November 1947. The Agenda shall be settled through diplomatic channels. If all of the Four Ministers will be in New York for the session of the General Assembly of UNO in September [they would be able to agree to hold there a short session of the Council]. [The U.S.A. Delegation proposes to insert instead of the words in brackets in the above paragraph the following: “they will hold there a short session of the Council”. The U.K. and French Delegations agree with this wording.]

VI. Work of the Deputies for Germany

The Ministers agreed to settle through diplomatic channels the question of the place and the time of the beginning of the work of the Deputies for Germany.

VII. Approval of Records of Decisions

It was agreed to approve the Records of Decisions of the 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40th Meetings of the Council.

VIII. Closure of the Fourth Session of the Council

It was agreed to close the present session of the Council.

29. For the text of Molotov’s statement under reference here, see Molotov, Problems of Foreign Policy, pp. 448–450.
30. The document under reference contained the text of Molotov’s statement on the draft Austrian treaty which included a proposal for the establishment of four-power commission to examine all the unagreed clauses in the draft treaty; for the text of Molotov’s statement, see Molotov, Problems of Foreign Policy, pp. 451–453.
31. It was the understanding of the Department of State that the Council of Foreign Ministers had agreed that September 1, 1947, would be the target date for the reduction of occupation forces in Germany. As a result of a request by the United States, the concluding phrase “as on September 1, 1947” was added to this sentence of the Council’s decision as it was transmitted to the Allied Control Council for Germany in document CFM(47) (M)158, May 10, 1947, p. 470.