(a) Roumania.-General Gassouin considered that Roumania ought to be assisted by France, for the following reasons:

(1) The whole of the Balkan Peninsula is an area which should be assisted by one Power; it would be illogical to make France responsible for assisting Greece and Ukraine without at the same time giving her the means of communication between these two countries through Roumania (and Bulgaria).

(2) We have actually in operation rapid communication with Roumania by railway (via Paris-Bucharest), whereas Great Britain can only get there very much more slowly by sea; moreover, it appears more logical to reserve maritime tonnage for troop movements.

(3) France also has already on the site troops and missions of every kind, of which one is a railway mission organised by General Franchet d'Esperey, and in this connection one should remember the sacrifices France has already made for the instruction and maintenance of the Roumanian Army.

General Mance stated that before and after the German occupation England has had a mission of technical officers in Roumania itself, who have been working exactly on the lines required by the SubCommission. They have examined on the ground the lists of material required urgently by the Roumanian railways; the despatch of this material is awaiting financial sanction by the British Treasury. The Communications Section is the outcome of the British action in Roumania, and it would be anomalous to start its labours by suppressing all the work that had already been done.

As a compromise, General Mance suggested that the Mission to be sent to Roumania should be a joint Anglo-French Mission.

General Gassouin refused this on the grounds of what had been already decided at the first Conference, namely, that each country should only be assisted by one of the Allied Powers.

(b) Bulgaria.-General Levi stated that he had received instructions from his Government to ask that Bulgaria should be allotted to Italy.

General Gassouin objected to this demand for the reasons given above for Roumania, viz., that France desires the countries she assists to be situated in one compact group, namely, Greece, Bulgaria, Roumania, and Ukraine, so as to have uninterrupted communications between these countries.

(c) Czecho-Slovakia.-The representatives of Marshal Foch stated that they had been instructed to ask for the allocation of CzechoSlovakia to France. The American representatives considered it was essential that Czecho-Slovakia should be assisted by the Americans, for the reason that the latter had already studied the wants of this country as well as their means of communication. Also, as the

Americans are already feeding the Czecho-Slovaks, it appears logical that they should be in a position to continue this work.

The representatives of Marshal Foch wished no decision to be reached regarding the allocation of Czecho-Slovakia until they had had time to communicate with Marshal Foch.

3. An early decision is required therefore as regards—

(a) Countries about the allocation of which the Communications Section is agreed,

(b) The allocation of Roumania, Bulgaria, and Czecho-Slovakia, so that arrangements may be made at once for the Technical Missions to function, pending financial sanction, for the supply of material.

Appendix 18

Proposals for the Transport of Foodstuffs to Czecho-Slovakia by Way of the Elbe and the Rhine

The Blockade, Food, and Communications Sections recommend to the Supreme Economic Council that foodstuffs might be sent to CzechoSlovakia, both by way of the Elbe and the Rhine, under the following conditions:

(a) Any quantity to reach Czecho-Slovakia to be deducted from quantities allowed to Germany by the Supreme War Council.

(b) As regards the Elbe route:

1. Storage and transshipment at Hamburg to be under naval protection approved by the Associated Governments.

2. At any given moment not more than 8,000 tons to be in transit up river.

3. Proper control and surveillance to be exercised by the CzechoSlovaks over transshipment at Hamburg in conjunction with the naval authorities and in transit on the Elbe.

(c) As regards the Rhine route:

1. Storage and transshipment at Rotterdam and/or Antwerp, and subsequent transit to the point of transshipment to rail to be made by Allied or Associated bodies and by the Inter-Allied Rhine Commission.

2. Proper control and surveillance by Czecho-Slovakia over railway transit from Rhine ports.

3. Limit of quantity in transit by rail at any given moment to be fixed later.

NOTE.-Italy will furthermore do her utmost to concur in the supply of foodstuffs to Czecho-Slovakia over the Trieste route.

Appendix 19

Decisions Reached by Council of Ten on February 12 2

The Supreme War Council agrees that:

1. As a condition of the renewal of the Armistice, Marshal Foch shall stipulate that the Germans shall desist from all offensive operations against the Poles, whether in Posen or elsewhere.

2. The Armistice with Germany shall be renewed for a short period terminable by the Allied and Associated Powers at three days' notice. 3. Detailed and final naval, military, and air conditions of Preliminaries of Peace shall be drawn up at once by a Committee, to be presided over by Marshal Foch and submitted for the approval of the Supreme War Council; these, when approved, will be presented for signature to the Germans, and the Germans shall be at once informed that this is the policy of the Associated Governments.

4. After the signature of these Preliminaries of Peace, Germany will be permitted to receive such controlled quantities of food and raw materials for the rehabilitation of her industry as shall be deemed just, having regard to the prior claims of Allied countries, especially those on whose industries Germany has deliberately inflicted damage.

5. The question of the quantities of food and raw material to be allowed to Germany after the signature of the preliminaries of Peace shall be referred to the Economic Council for examination and report.

Appendix 20

Decisions Reached by Council of Ten on the 21st February

3

The Council decided to refer the transitory measures to the Economic Council, formed by the Conference in accordance with the proposal made by President Wilson.

The terms of reference regarding transitory measures were as follows:

To consider what economic measures, if any, should be taken in common during the period of reconstruction following the war, with a view to ensuring:

(a) The due supply of materials and other commodities necessary for the restoration of devastated areas.

(b) The economic restoration of all the countries which have suffered most from the war.

(c) The supply of neutral and ex-enemy countries, without detriment to the supply of the needs of the Allied and Associated countries.

'BC-30, minute 1, vol. III, p. 1001.

'BC-36, minute 4, vol. IV, p. 62.

Paris Peace Conf. 180.0501/6

Supreme Economic Council: Emergency [Sixth] Meeting Held at the Ministry of Commerce [on 7th March, 1919, at 12 noon]:

The Supreme Economic Council held its Sixth Meeting on 7th March, 1919, at 12 noon under the Chairmanship of Lord Robert Cecil.

The Associated Governments were represented as follows:

With reference to Minute 27 a report of Admiral Hope (21) of the Conference with German Delegates at Spa on 4th and 5th March and resolutions regarding the conditions on which the Associated Governments would be prepared to consider the supply of foodstuffs to Germany until the next harvest, were submitted:

(a) Resolution proposed by the British Delegates (22),

Resolutions proposed by the American Delegates (23), (c) Resolution proposed by the French Delegates (24).

It was agreed that as the Council was unable to agree upon the final form of the resolution to be adopted the drafts submitted by the different Delegates should be submitted to the Supreme War Council for their decision.1

The British Delegates reported that the Technical Experts were about to proceed to Rotterdam to discuss with German Representatives the question of arranging contracts for the supply by Germany of certain miscellaneous goods such as timber, dyes, potash, etc. and enquired, whether in view of the present position, it was considered

1 See BC-47, minute 5, vol. IV, p. 274.

desirable that the above negotiations should be suspended for the present.

It was agreed that the Technical Experts should be authorised to proceed to Rotterdam as previously arranged.

Appendix 21'

Preliminary Report of Meetings Held at Spa on the 4th and 5th March, 1919, Between Delegates of Associated Governments and Delegates of the German Government With Regard to the Financial, Shipping, and Food Supply Arrangements for Carrying Out the Revictualling of Germany

The first meeting of the German Delegates at Spa was held at 6 p. m. on the 4th March.

Admiral Hope opened the meeting by making a statement as to the questions which were to be discussed.

He informed the German Delegates that no foodstuffs would be permitted to enter Germany until substantial progress had been made in the handing-over of the German passenger and cargo vessels. It was pointed out that it was impossible to secure the revictualling of Germany without having the ships, and he concluded by demanding that the German Government should take immediate steps to ensure the departure of the German ships now ready and to take all steps necessary to place the whole German fleet at the disposal of the Allied and Associated Governments in accordance with the agreements already made.

A statement referring to the financial questions was then read, in which certain questions which had been put by the Germans at Trèves on the 14th-16th February, 1919, were answered.

The Germans were informed that they would be allowed to import cereals from the Argentine into Germany up to a maximum of 100,000 tons in the first instance, in addition to the supplies already promised, provided the German Government was able to make its own financial arrangements, subject to the approval of the Supreme Economic Council. They were also informed that the Associated Governments would raise no objection to the grant of credits by banks or other institutions in neutral countries, provided arrangements were made for the transfer of the net proceeds of such credits in payment for food supplies to Germany. The paper concluded with a statement that the whole of these arrangements were conditional upon the delivery of the German mercantile marine in accordance with existing arrangements.

'Appendixes 21 to 24 are filed separately under Paris Peace Conf. 180.0501/33.