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{
    "localId": "294549927",
    "label": "Memorandum from Robbins Gilman, Policy Review for Possible Talks with the Soviets: The Terms of Reference and Agenda for the Council of Foreign Ministers",
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    "id": "294549927",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/294549927",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum from Robbins Gilman, Policy Review for Possible Talks with the Soviets: The Terms of Reference and Agenda for the Council of Foreign Ministers",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/294549927",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "Subject Files"
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    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 23,
            "logicalDate": "1951-01-23",
            "month": 1,
            "year": 1951
        }
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{
    "seq": 2,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750372/750372-07-002.tif",
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    "ocrText": "DONET\nTHE TERMS OF REFERENCE AND AGENDA OF THE\nCOUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS\nAo Terms of Reference\nThe section of the Protocol of the Berlin (Potsdam)\nConference providing for the establishment of the Council\nof Foreign Ministers (Section I A) begins with a covering\nsentence indicating that agreement had been reached to set\nup a CFM \"to do the necessary preparatory work for the peace\nsettlements\". The exact text of the agreement on this\nsubject is then set forth in the subsequent eight sub-\nparagraphs which are set off in quotation marks in the\npublished version of the Protocol. Among these\nsub-\nparagraphs is no (3) (111) which says that \"Other matters\nmay from time to time be referred to the Council by agree\nment between the Member Governments.\"\nThe question arises as to whether these \"other matters\"\nreferred to in paragraph (3) (111) are subject to the general\nlimitation apparently imposed on the CFM by the covering\nsentence. In other words, must the \"other matters\" be\nrelated to the \"preparatory work for the peace settlements\"?\nFrom a study of the Potsdam minutes it appears that\nthis question must be answered in the negative. The covering\nsentence was not a part of the actual text approved by the\nForeign Ministers and the Heads of Government and this fact\nis accurately reflected in the use of the quotation marks\nin the published version of the Protocol. The covering\nsentence was apparently added at the last minute by the\ndrafting committee which organized the agreements into a\ncoherent Protocol.\nFrom the discussions at Potsdan of the scope of CFM\nactivities by the Foreign Ministers and by the Heads of\nGovernment it appears that there was general agreement that\nthe CFM should first address itself to the preparation of\npeace settlements, but It is also clear that the reference\nto \"other\n1. See A Decade of American Foreign Policy,\n1941-1949, ppo 34-35.\nSECRET"
}