Telegram, V. Molotov, L. Beria, G. Malenkov, and A. Mikoyan to Cde. Stalin

[all the texts are handwritten]

Telephone message

to Cde. Stalin,

On the 1^st of October the Allied Council in Austria decided to recommend to the governments of the USSR, US, Britain, and France that the authority of the Provisional Austrian Government, expanded as a result of a conference of provinces, be extended to all of Austria with the observance of the four conditions indicated in this decision of the Allied Council.

We request approval of the attached draft of Marshal Konev’s reply to Chancellor Renner:

“Dear Mr. State Chancellor,

The Soviet Government has charged me with informing you that it has approved the 1 October recommendation of the Allied Council extending the authority of the Provisional Government of Austria to all of Austria and has decided to establish diplomatic relations with the Provisional Government of Austria and exchange diplomatic representatives.

In taking this decision the Soviet government has proceeded from the position that the Provisional Government of Austria formed in April of this year with the participation of representatives of all the anti-fascist parties of the Provisional Government of Austria has done considerable work to restore Austrian statehood and the democratize the country, and has shown its readiness to cooperate with the Allies.

Guided by the declaration of the Moscow Conference about Austria since the moment the Provisional Government of Austria arose the Soviet Government has assisted in its activity. The Soviet Government is ready in the future to give the Provisional Government the necessary assistance in its work to restore the independence of a democratic Austria”.

The American and British governments have sent reports to the NKID [People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs] that they have decided to agree to the expansion of the authority of the Provisional Government of Austria to all of Austria.

The texts of the American and British notes were sent to you at the same time.

As is evident from comparing our reply to Renner with the texts of the American and British notes, in our statement to Renner it speaks not only about agreement to the expansion of the authority of the Provisional Government of Austria to all of Austria, but also suggests the establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Austria and an exchange of diplomatic representatives.

V. Molotov

L. Beria

G. Malenkov

A. Mikoyan

19 October 1945

sent via VCh

Embassy of the United

States of America

Moscow, 14 October 1945

Dear Mr. Vyshinsky,

It has been suggested to me that I inform you that the recommendations of the American government in the Allied Council in Vienna made in accordance with the 1 October Council decision have been accepted by my government. These recommendations relate to the extension of the authority of the Provisional Government of Austria to all of Austria reorganized by the 25-26 September Conference of Provinces. The Government of the United States is notifying the American representative in the Allied Council that it is ready to provide recognition of the reorganized Provisional Government of Austria with subordination of its Supreme Authority to the Allied Council, as presented in the 1 October decision.

As far as I know, the State Department is making a public statement, the gist of which is that the Government of the United States is examining the decision of the Council regarding elections which should be held no later than December 1945, and the restoration of a democratic press as an important step in the observance of the Moscow Declaration about Austria.

I know that the above point of view of my government has been made known to the British and French governments.

Yours truly, W. A. Harriman

British Embassy

Moscow, 16 October 1945

Dear Mr. Vyshinsky,

My government has examined the recommendations which the Allied Council in Austria recently made to the governments represented in the Council regarding the extension of the authority of the Provisional Government, which has been restructured in accordance with the decisions of the 24-26 September conference of Austrian provinces, to all of Austria.

For my part, my government regards these recommendations favorably and it hopes that the Soviet government will consider it possible to express the same point of view. If such is the case, and if the governments of the United States and France also agree, my government thinks that notification of the adoption of these recommendations of the four powers should be made to the Provisional Government of Austria by the Allied Council. My government is giving corresponding instructions to the British representative, and it would be pleased if the Soviet government sent analogous instructions to the Soviet representative.

My government also has charged me with informing you that from its point of view recognition of Dr. Renner should not be delayed until the adoption of a decision about the question of what authority remains with the Allied Council. It therefore suggests that when the Allied Council gives notification regarding the extension of the authority of the Provisional Government that Dr. Renner be informed at the same time that in the future he will be informed about the nature of these functions in accordance with the 1 October recommendations of the Allied Council. The list of functions relating to the Allied Council can then be coordinated in the Council. My government hopes that the Soviet government will agree to this procedure and give corresponding instructions to the Soviet Commander-in-Chief in Austria.

Yours truly, Frank K. Roberts