Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

her DEPARTMENT OF STATE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON December 2, 1946 SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS The President and the Secretaries of War and State have de- cided to begin immediately the repatriation of German prisoners of war in US custody or transferred by the US to liberated nations. We believe that despite the economic and political problems which this action will cause in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg, these governments will appre- ciate the necessity with which we are faced. The graduated repatriation proes gram will end October 1, 1947 at which time it is contemplated that all German POWs for whom the US is responsible and who are eligible for repatria- tion will have been returned to their homes. UNITED Our Delegation does not deem it wise at this time to press NATIONS the USSR too hard on the reconsideration by the Security Coun- cil of the five rejected membership applications. Assistant Secretary General Sobolev has told our Delegation that if the applications were reconsidered during the present Assembly session, the USSR would have to exercise its veto again but that at a later date there might be some hope of reaching an agreement. Commenting on the UN draft resolution on troops and bases abroad, the Panamanian representative told our Delegation that his country would have to declare that our bases in Panama were held contrary to Panama's wishes. The Soviet Delegation has intimated in connection with trus- teeship agreements that the USSR is not particularly interested in being a "state directly concerned" in African mandated territory but is adamant that the USSR should be a "state directly concerned" in enemy territory, specifi- cally the Italian colonies, the Japanese Islands and the Japanese mandated islands. The Soviet representatives believe that under the United Nations Charter there is no right to fortify mandated territories for national pur- poses but only a right to fortify for international peace and security and therefore, the administering body would be the Security Council. CHINA Our Consulate General in Shanghai reports that serious civil disturbances in the city are apparently inspired by anti- Government elements seeking to embarrass the Government but that a contrib- uting factor is unrest caused by a deterioration in the economic situation of the city's inhabitants. DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 State Dept. Guideline, June 12, 1979 By NLT- He NARS, Dute 11-12-to