279

Attlee to Curtin

Circular cablegram D651 LONDON, 13 September 1943, 4.40 p.m.

MOST SECRET AND PERSONAL

My immediately preceding telegram. [1] Following is text-

‘The Governments of the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and China, united in their determination, in accordance with the declaration by the United Nations of 1st January, 1942 and subsequent declarations, to continue hostilities against those Axis powers with which they respectively are at war until such powers have laid down their arms on the basis of unconditional surrender, conscious of their responsibilities to secure liberation of themselves and the peoples allied with them from the menace of aggression; recognizing the necessity of ensuring a rapid and orderly transition from war to peace and of establishing and maintaining international peace and security with the least diversion of the world’s human and economic resources for armaments, jointly declare- (1) that their united action, pledged for the prosecution of the war, will be continued for the organisation and maintenance of peace and security;

(2) that those of them at war with a common enemy will act together in all matters relating to the surrender and disarmament of the enemy, and to any occupation of enemy territory and of territory of other states held by that enemy;

(3) that they will take all measures deemed by them to be necessary to provide against any violation of the requirements imposed upon their present enemies;

(4) that they recognize the necessity of establishing at the earliest practicable date a general international organisation, based on the principle of sovereign equality of all nations, and open to membership by all nations, large and small, for the maintenance of international peace and security;

(5) that for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security pending re-establishment of law and order and the inauguration of a general system of security, they will consult and act jointly on behalf of the community of nations;

(6) that, in connection with the foregoing purpose, they will establish a technical commission to advise them on military problems involved, including composition and strength of the forces available in an emergency arising from a threat to peace;

(7) that they will not employ their military forces within the territories of other states except for purposes envisaged in this declaration and after joint consultation and agreement;

(8) that they will adopt and co-operate to bring about a practicable general agreement with respect to regulation of armaments in the post war period.’

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1 Document 278.

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[AA:A989, 43/1/1]