BASIC TEXTS AND PUBLICATIONS

U. S. Department of State.-Moscow Agreement, 1945, Between the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United Kingdom. Formulated at the Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of those countries held at Moscow December 16-26, 1945. Signed at Moscow December 27, 1945. Treaties and Other International Acts Series 1555; 60 Stat. 1899.

Allied Council for Japan. Verbatim Minutes of the Meetings. April 17, 1946–. Tokyo.

Council of Foreign Ministers

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

London, England

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The Council of Foreign Ministers was established pursuant to the Potsdam Agreement, signed on August 2, 1945, as the principal body "to continue the necessary preparatory work for the peace settlements and to consider any other matters which may from time to time be referred to it by agreement of the governments who are members of the Council." Prior to its establishment, broad policies for the peace settlement had been set by the heads of the Governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union at Yalta in February 1945 and at Potsdam in July and August 1945. Detailed plans for the occupation and control of the defeated nations previously had been worked out by a specially constituted three-power body, the European Advisory Commission, which met in nearly continuous session at London during 1944 and the first half of 1945 and which was dissolved on August 1, 1945, in accordance with the terms of the Potsdam Agreement.

There have been six sessions of the Council of Foreign Ministers, at London (September 11-October 2, 1945); Paris (April 25-May 15, 1946 and June 15-July 12, 1946); New York (November 4-December 12, 1946; Moscow (March 10-April 24, 1947); London (November 25-December 15, 1947) and Paris (May 23-June 20, 1949). There also have been special meetings during the intervals between the sessions, such as those held during the Paris Peace Conference to consider particular details of the treaties and in September 1948 to consider the question of the Italian colonies. In addition, the Deputies of the Foreign Ministers (see Structure, p. 155) have met frequently between sessions of the Council.

B See Basic Texts and Publications, p. 157.

MEMBERSHIP

The membership of the Council of Foreign Ministers is limited to the Foreign Ministers of those states specified in the Potsdam Agreement, namely, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, and France.

There are, however, special restrictions regarding membership depending upon the task in which the Council is engaged. In drawing up the peace settlement with a given country, membership is limited to the Foreign Ministers of states which were signatory to the terms of surrender imposed upon the enemy state concerned. There is also provision to permit members not signatory to the surrender terms for a given country to participate in the discussion when matters directly concerning them are being considered.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union have participated in all sessions of the Council. In practice, China has not been a participating member since the first session at London in September-October 1945 when the Soviet Union protested that China should not be a member for the purpose of discussing the peace treaties with the European states since it did not sign the surrender terms with those states. France has been a member, although not always with full participation rights, at all sessions of the Council.

PURPOSES, POWERS, AND FUNCTIONS

The basic purposes of the Council of Foreign Ministers are stated in the Potsdam Agreement as follows: (1) to draw up treaties of peace with Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, and Finland; (2) to propose settlements of territorial questions outstanding on the termination of the war in Europe; (3) to prepare a peace settlement for Germany; and (4) to carry out other duties which may be assigned to it from time to time by the member governments.

The Council is given authority to adopt any procedures which it requires for performing its assigned tasks. In drawing up peace treaties, the Council is empowered to hold preliminary discussions prior to the participation of other interested states. The Council is also empowered, in other cases, to convoke a formal conference of the states chiefly interested in a particular peace settlement.

STRUCTURE

The participating Foreign Ministers themselves make all basic decisions of the Council, but it has under it a number of constituent organs which assist in the special and technical aspects of treatymaking. Each of these organs has the same membership as the Council itself. The most important of the subsidiary bodies, the Foreign Ministers' deputies usually meets concurrently with the

Council at its regular sessions and frequently during the intervals between regular sessions. There are also special deputies appointed to perform perticular tasks; examples are (a) the deputies for the Italian Colonies; (b) deputies for Germany; and (c) deputies for Austria. Also, special commissions have been appointed from time to time to carry out special assignments. These include the Austrian Treaty Commission, the Commission of Experts for the Investigation of the Italo-Yugoslav Boundary, the Commission for the Investigation of the Italian Colonies, and the Trieste Commission of Inquiry.

In addition to the deputies, which are a permanent body, a number of temporary, ad hoc, and technical committees have been appointed to assist on special assignments. For example, in the work on the Italian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Rumanian, and Finnish treaties, there were the following committees: political experts for Italy, political experts for the Balkans and Finland, economic experts for Italy, and economic experts for the Balkans and Finland. In the work on the German and Austrian peace settlements, a coordinating committee and a special committee were appointed to expedite the work and to handle technical problems.

In addition to these subsidiary bodies the Council of Foreign Ministers has a small secretariat with headquarters in London.

The Foreign Ministers themselves are the highest ranking officials of the Council. Each has equal rank; the chairmanship rotates among them during successive meetings. The deputies and other subsidiary bodies are governed in a similar fashion, with rotating chairmanships.

The meeting place for the Council rotates among the members in the following order: London, Paris, New York, and Moscow. The deputies and other subordinate bodies meet in the same places as the Council, except for the Austrian Treaty Commission, which met in Vienna, Austria.

The official languages of the Council are English, French, and Russian. Documents are printed in all three languages.

FINANCES

The nation in which a session of the Council is being held pays the administrative costs of that session and the living costs of the delegations. The costs of the secretariat are met by the United Kingdom.

UNITED STATES RELATIONS

Authorization. United States participation in the Council of Foreign Ministers is based on the Potsdam Agreement, signed by President Truman on August 2, 1945.

"See Basic Texts and Publications, p. 157.

Payments. The United States pays the cost of serving as host Government when a session takes place in this country. It makes no regular contribution toward the secretariat expenses of the Council.

United States Agencies Chiefly Concerned. The Department of State formulates United States policy toward the Council of Foreign Ministers and carries out the Government's responsibilities toward the Council. The Department furnishes the funds required for United States participation in the work of the Council.

Participation. The official United States representative on the Council of Foreign Ministers is the Secretary of State, who may, however, appoint a high-ranking deputy to represent him on the Council.

RELATIONS WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The Council of Foreign Ministers has no formal relationships with other international organizations, since it operates as a special body with specific tasks to perform. In carrying out these tasks, it has from time to time had informal working relationships with various international organizations, including the Allied Control Council for Germany, the Allied Commission for Austria, and the Inter-Allied Reparation Agency.

BASIC TEXTS AND PUBLICATIONS

U.S. Department of State. Protocol of the Proceedings of the Berlin Conference. Done at Berlin August 2, 1945. Press release 238 (March 24, 1947). 16 pp. (Contains the Potsdam Agreement.)

Paris Peace Conference, 1946: Selected Documents. Pub. 2868, Conference Series 103, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1947, 1442 pp. Contains the original drafts of the treaties of peace with Italy, Rumania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, which were prepared by the Council, pp. 71-162, 649-700, 833A-882, and 1011-1060, respectively.

Treaty of Peace with Italy. Dated at Paris February 10, 1947. Entered into force September 15, 1947. Treaties and Other International Acts Series 1648. Pub. 2960. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1947. 511 pp. Treaty of Peace with Roumania. Dated at Paris February 10, 1947. Entered into force September 15, 1947. Treaties and Other International Acts Series 1649. Pub. 2969. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1947.

158 pp.

Treaty of Peace with Bulgaria. Dated at Paris February 10, 1947. Entered into force September 15, 1947. Treaties and Other International Acts Series 1650. Pub. 2973. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1947. 150 pp.

Treaty of Peace with Hungary. Dated at Paris February 10, 1947. Entered into force September 15, 1947. Treaties and Other International Acts Series 1651. Pub. 2974. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1947. 165 5 pp.

Report on First Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers by the Honorable James F. Byrnes, Secretary of State, October 5, 1945. Pub. 2398. Conference Series 78. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1945. 10 pp.

Paris Meeting of Foreign Ministers: Report of Secretary Byrnes, May 20, 1946. Pub. 2537. Conference Series 86. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1946. 16 pp.

Paris Conference of Foreign Ministers, June 15-July 12, 1946: Report by the Secretary of State. Pub. 2572. Conference Series 87. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1946. 20 pp.

Third Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, New York City, November 4 to December 12, 1946. Pub. 2747. Conference Series 93. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1947. 13 pp.

Moscow Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, March 10-April 24, 1947: Address by the Secretary of State. Pub. 2822. Conference Series 98. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1947. 18 pp.

Bulletin, December 28, 1947, pp. 1244-1257. "The London Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers: November 25-December 15, 1947. Report by George C. Marshall, Secretary of State."

The official minutes, records of decisions, and other documents of the Council of Foreign Ministers have never been published, nor can they be without the joint permission of all four Governments concerned. Frequently, statements made in the Council by one of the Foreign Ministers have been released by the Foreign Minister making the statement. In addition, reports on the work of the Council have been made by each of the Foreign Ministers, but these are not official publications of the Council itself.

Far Eastern Commission

Department of State, Washington, D.C.

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

Immediately after the surrender of Japan the United States proposed to the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and China that a Far Eastern Advisory Commission (FEAC) be organized for the purpose of making recommendations on the formulation of policies, principles, and standards for directing the occupation of Japan in accordance with the Instrument of Surrender. The Soviet Union accepted the United States proposal but subsequently withdrew its acceptance. Instead the Soviet Union proposed the creation of a Control Council for Japan similar to the Allied Control Councils organized in each of the defeated enenmy state in Europe. Although the FEAC started to operate on October 30, 1945, without Soviet representation, it was felt that a further effort should be made to secure Soviet participation in the international machinery to govern the occupation of Japan.

At the Moscow Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union in December 1945,