Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

Ar DEPARTMENT OF STATE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON November 8, 1946 SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS We will release for publication Sunday the formal notice of intention to conduct trade agreement negotiations with the following 18 states: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Csechoslovakia, France, India, Lebanon (Syro-Lebanese Customs Union), Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Union of South Africa, USSR and UK. UNITED Gromyko has told our Delegation that it would be extremely NATIONS difficult for the Soviet Delegation to accept our trusteeship proposal for dealing with "states directly concerned because of the Soviet belief that the Charter requires formally signed trusteeship agreements among the "states directly concerned". Gromyko added that while it was most desirable to set up the Trusteeship Council as soon as possible, it would nevertheless be better not to do so at all than to establish it on an unsound constitutional basis and by virtue of agreements which might not be satisfactory to the "states directly concerned. FRANCE Caffery reports that firm predictions as to the outcome of the elections in France on Sunday are exceptionally difficult because of the complexity of the electoral system and the apathy of the voters. However, the general conclusion is that unless a large proportion of newly converted MRP followers have turned against the party, the MRP's prospects are better than those of its rivals. GERMANY Murphy reports that though the question of the evident use of force or intimidation by the Soviets in many of the individual deportations which have taken place in the last fortnight in Germany was settled by the Coordinating Committee only by the reluctant and not very convincing Soviet denial, it is hoped that a public statement by the Committee on future policy which should be reached at the next meeting may be of considerable value. THE In order to counteract the growing impression in Philippine PHILIPPINES circles that we are demanding base rights and other special privileges in the Philippines and that the Philippine Government is yielding, although unwillingly, to our demands, McNutt proposes to state in an Armistice Day speech that the US will not ask concessions from a weaker power against the will of the people and government of that power. He plans to say that if the Philippine Government and people decide that the presence of US troops on their soil is so onerous as to outweigh the benefits to them DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 State Dept. Guideline, June B, MLT HL 11-12-10