DAILY SUMMARY - 1946/02/20

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Daily Summary Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 03164667
• Document Creation Date: August 3, 2018

Approved for Release: 2018/03/26 C03164667 APPROVED FOR RELEASE - Historical Programs Staff DATE: 15-Mar-20181 144. qjs-: � .0 1. Bevin's reply on Polish forces i22. Italy�Embassy London has forwarded the text of a 17 February letter from Bevin to the Secretary-General. a the UNO regarding 14sh1nskes letter of " 15 February, with which was enclosed the Yugoslav Govern- ment's memorandum concerning the Polish Army in Italy. Bevin's letter includes the following points: (a) The Yugoslav Government, which had not previously complained to the British Government on this score, should have discussed its charges with Britain through diplomatic channels before they were sub- mitted to the UNO. (b) The charges that PoliSh troops are con- centrated near the Italo-Yugoslav frontier and have been ' tgradually moving closer to that frontier are "entirely mis- leading". (Ambassador Kirk reports separately that no Polish troops in Italy will be used east of the River Tagliamento.) (a) There is no intention to relieve the 89th US Division by Polish troops. (d) Polish forces in Italy are not attempting to recruit Yugoslays; there is no evidence that they are aiding Yugoslav dissidents. 2. aoljah_2=e_21:21�. campaign foreseen--Embassy London has learned that members of the former London Polish Government intend to initiate an extensive press campaign in the United States and Great Britain on the question of Polish elections. The objective appears to be to place pressure on Mikolajczyk to refuse to agree to "block elections" and possibly to raise the election issue in Congress and Parliament. 3. Britieh disturbed by Polish note on POlish troQps abroad--. Embassy London reports that the British Foreign Office was reatly surprised by a note from the Polish Government on Polish troops abroad, which insisted (a) that these troops be Immediately disbanded and (b) that every individual upon re- leaf,e from military control should be free to apply for per- mission to return to Poland,. The second stipulation was most disturbing to the British. The fact that the note was delivered jto3t as the British Foreign Office and the Polish Embassy in London were completing a joint statement to induce as many of these troops as possible to return to Poland indicates that the Polish Government does not want most of these troops back. r Document No. O. .'NO CHANGE in Class. 0 DECLASSIFIED ass. CHANCED TO: TS DDA Memo, 4 Apr 77 DDA REG. 77/1763 011 110 moiz 1978 Auth: Date: Approved for Release: 2018/03/26 C03164667 Approved for Release: 2018/03/26 C03164667 _APPROVED FOR RELEASE - Historical Programs Staff DATE: 15-Mar-2018 y 4. Views of Syrian Prime Minister on UNO deliberations�The US Charg4 at Damascus reports that on 18 February he talked with Prime Minister jabri of Syria, who spoke "bitterly and pessimistically" about the UNO deliberations on the Levant question. jabri stated that only the Soviet Union had taken a "clear and precise" position on that question. He objected to the US proposal because (a) it fixed no time limit for evacua- tion of foreign troops and (b) it failed to confine future nego- tiations (between Britain, France, Lebanon and Syria) to "technical" matters and thus would offer France an oppor- tunity to extract privileges from Syria as the price of evacua- tion. The US Charge concludes that the Soviet Union is the only nation whose prestige has been increase'd among the local Arabs as a result of the UNO deliberations. 5. Cruiser HELENA and destro ersenroute to pro e�Navy states that the USS HELENA, a heavy cruiser, and destrbyers GLENNON and CONE are enroute to UK to become the Flag Group for the Commander in Chief US Naval Forces Europe. EUROPE 6. AUSTRIA: arae_p' note raises DDGS issue with Molotov-- Secretary Byrnes has transmitted to Molotov a letter concern- ing the Danube Shipping Company (DDGS), which has been seized as a former German asset by Soviet authoritie 3 in Austria. The Secretary recalls that Molotov had agreed that the various joint commitments in Austria did not exclide the Possibility of consideration by the Allied Council of concrete cases of German assets in Austria, if those assets are dis- tributed over various zones of occupation and if their origin is doubtful. He notes that the Soviet representative ht,,s de- clined to bring the case before the Allied Council in Vienna, and points out that the company's assets are distributed among the occupation zones and that 'its origin provokes doubt". The Secretary, therefore, urges that the USSR empower its represen- tative in Vienna to seek settlement of the case within :he Allied Council. Approved for Release: 2018/03/26 C03164667 Approved for Release: 2018/03/26 C03164667 APPROVED FOR RELEASE - Historical Programs Staff DATE: 15-Mar-2018 tqlf 7. USSR: Anglo-American Committee barred from Sold...qt. zones--The USSR has refused Embassy Moscow's request that the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine be per- mitted access to the Soviet-occupied zones in Europe. The Soviet note stated that the USSR and the respective Allied Coun- cils are carefully watching enforcement of armistice bans on race discrimination,and evidenced irritation because the USSR was not consulted before the creation of the Committee. 8 FRANCE: Blum's US visit uncertain�Leon Blum has told Ambassador Caffery that he has not yet set a date for his visit to the US and that he might wait until after the International Bank Conference at Savannah. Blum also said that President Gun was opposed to sending Andre Philip, Minister of Finance, to the Conference because of Critical domestic financial issues. 9. SPAIN: Wheat demands refused by US--The Spanish Ambassador has been informed.that,because of increased commitments to liberated and Allied countries, the US cannot increase Spain's wheat quota. FAR EAST 10. JAPAN: Size ofsmunation forces--MacArthur has reported that the overall strength requirements for the occupation of Japan will be 179,000 by 1 July 1948, and by 1 July 1947 willtaper to 151,000, of which 91,000 to 111,000 will be US and 38,000 UK personnel. 11. CHINA: LSTs requested for famine rtklief--General Marshall has requested that Admiral Cooke have 10 to 20 LSTs declared surplus for immediate transfer to UNRRA. These or other cargo vessels of equivalent size are required to help avert a famine in Hunan Province. 12. N.E.I.: Natives in outer islands welcome Dutch�In general, the nativesf of Borneo, the Celebes, and other important outer possessions have welcomed Dutch forces and are returning to Approved for Release: 2018/03/26 C03164667 Approved for Release: 2018/03/26 C03164667 APPROVED FOR RELEASE - Historical Programs Staff DATE: 15-Mar-2018 :7.!ork, accordire; �ro Consul General Batavia_ where the natives and Chinese are RTIXi0136 to have in min �s roperleATI,"the reception was enthusiastic. TH_E AMERIC.A.� A.R.r3ENT1NA: Trnnlitd Saviet attitude�Embassy Moscow notes a significant underlying connection between the follow- ing: (a) the pro-Peron attitude of a Brazilian Communist (b) the Soviet proposal to send a trade delecration to Argentine, and (c) the conspicuous absence in soviet newspap;.?.rs of a.nti-Nazi enthusiasm regarding the Blue Book. BRAZIL: Views op world situation�Ambassador Berle � reports that, in a disoussion with a number of Brazilian foreign policy makers, we-Foreign Minister Aranha devel- oped the thesis that the Russians are building a machine for :,%:.ushing the British Empire, and that the British are being forced into the LIS orbit, He maintained that in preparing a general defense, the integration of the Americas ,--including .Argentina -- was essential. Berle stated that Argentina should be so handled that it would become an addition, rather than a threat, to American defense.. Approved for Release: 2018/03/26 C03164667