Cablegram D2293 LONDON, 22 December 1945, 8.55 p.m.
IMMEDIATE TOP SECRET
My telegram D. No. 2267 20th December. [1]
The Foreign Secretary reports that the Soviet Government have now accepted the list of States to be invited to the Peace Conference as in paragraph 1 of my telegram under reference and that at the informal meeting at Moscow on 21st December the United States Secretary of State pressed for immediate conclusion of work on procedure for [reviving] C.F.M. and making peace treaties. The Foreign Secretary insisted that France should be consulted before final agreement was reached and published.
2. Mr. Byrnes circulated a revised draft paper and discussion led to broad agreement on a compromise between the different points of view. After reference to drafting Committee and some hours of further discussion provisional agreement was reached on the draft text in my immediately following telegram [2] which was to be discussed at a further informal meeting on 22nd December.
3. The Foreign Secretary describes the text as best likely to be obtainable having regard to the extent to which Mr. Byrnes is ready to yield to the Soviet point of view for the sake of quick agreement. Mr. Bevin considers it a reasonable compromise in the light of absolute necessity of reviving C.F.M. and making progress towards European settlement. He points to the following advantages- 1. Deputies of Foreign Ministers will immediately resume work in London and he hopes to secure inclusion of bracketted passage in Clause 1(c) providing for this work to be on basis of September decisions.
2. A peace conference is to be called by C.F.M. as a body of five.
3. We have secured the presence at the peace conference of all states we wanted and for all five peace treaties.
4. Stage 4 is considerably improved by limitation to final drafting.
5. Although initially only those states both at war with the particular enemy and present at the conference will sign peace treaties these will be sent to all other United Nations at war for their signature.
4. It is proposed that the text approved at Moscow should be communicated forthwith to the French and Chinese Governments with a request for concurrence. Meanwhile the Foreign Secretary is informing the French Minister for Foreign Affairs [3] and is urging him to concur, in both the interests of France and of Europe.
5. Bevin, in asking me to inform you, expresses the hope that the proposed arrangement will be acceptable to the Dominion Governments.
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1 Document 469.
2 Cablegram D2294, dispatched 22 December. On file AA : A1066, E45/1/30.
3 Georges Bidault.
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[AA : A1066, E45/1/30]