Cablegram unnumbered LONDON, 3 October 1945, 12.32 a.m.
MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET
The session of the Council of Foreign Ministers terminated tonight. The concluding stages since the end of last week were given over entirely to the arguments on Protocol questions described in Dominions Office telegrams [1] and so came to an end without agreement on any of the substantial points involved. No date was fixed for resumption of the session.
Today, realising that there was no chance of agreement on other aspects, Byrnes supported by Bevin, strongly urged that the Council should come to some conclusion on the proposal which we have put forward from the first, namely that a Conference should be called of the Five Powers plus European Allies and other active belligerents. Molotov, however, would not agree discussion of this because he objected to France and China participating in the European settlement where they had not been belligerents.
Bevin will be in consultation with us and I think will issue a declaration supporting in substance our request for a Conference.
Such a Conference can hardly be avoided and the failure of the Council to agree on important points strengthens the claim for it.
In truth, most of the members came to the Council unprepared for their great task, yet prepared to exclude the Dominions and other belligerents from a real share in the peacemaking.
There is no real reason to be pessimistic about the breakdown. On the contrary, I think it may be an augury of a just and more democratic approach to the peace. Our case for Far Eastern participation is now fairly established.
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1 See cablegrams D1841 (dispatched 1 October) and D1850 and D1852 (dispatched 3 October) reporting statements regarding rights to participate in drafting and signing of the protocols. On file AA :
A1066, E45/1/20.
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[AA : A1066, H45/1016/5/2]