U.S. State Department (August 30, 1944)
740.00116 EW/8–3044
Press Statement by the Secretary of State
August 30, 1944
The Polish Government has communicated to this Government details of the unprecedented brutality with which the Germans are acting against the unarmed and helpless civilian population of Warsaw. This communication states that without regard for age or sex, tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children are being herded into concentration camps where, under appalling conditions of want, they are being tortured and left to die.
We have repeatedly warned the Germans of the certain consequences of inhuman acts of this character. Those guilty of the present outrages against the civilian population of Warsaw will not escape the justice they deserve.
Lot 60–D 224, Box 55: DO/PR/7
Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State to the Secretary of State
Washington, August 30, 1944
Subject: PROGRESS REPORT ON DUMBARTON OAKS CONVERSATIONS – EIGHTH DAY
Meeting of the Special Military Subcommittee
a) Provision of forces
The Subcommittee, meeting for the first time this week, resumed its discussion of the nature of forces to be provided for enforcement action. Admiral Willson submitted for the American group a formula which would obligate each state to maintain, in accordance with a general agreement, a stipulated quota of air, sea and land forces in readiness for immediate movement upon receipt of an order from the Council. A warning order would indicate at what time these forces would come directly under the command of the Council. Our formula was agreeable to the British but the Russians asked whether it would exclude an international air force corps under direct control of the Council. Our view was that the American formula was more comprehensive than the Soviet proposal because sea and land forces, as well as air forces, as provided for under the agreement, would be subject to control of the Council when and as required. The Soviet group asked for a few days in which to consider the American proposal.
b) Composition of the Military Committee of the Council
The British set forth their view that the four principal powers should be continuously represented on this Committee, presumably by representatives of their respective Chiefs of Staff, Representatives of other states would be associated with the Committee as occasion arose on a basis to be determined later by the Committee and the Council. The American and Soviet groups were in general accord with this proposal, subject to later agreement upon exact language.
Meeting of the Subcommittee on General Organization
The Subcommittee on General Organization, meeting for the first time this week, discussed but did not undertake to reach agreement on the questions which follow. Ambassador Gromyko explained that the Soviet group would be able to contribute little to the discussion because they had not given much previous consideration to these questions.
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Should amendments to the basic instrument be binding on dissenting states?
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Enforcement of obligations over non-member states.
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Has a non-member of the Council a right to vote on special questions affecting its interests or should it merely have a right to be heard?
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Nomenclature.
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Should the Council be “in continuous session”?
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Director-General’s right to call the attention of the Council to threatening situations.
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Character of the Secretariat.
Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (August 30, 1944)
Communiqué No. 144
Allied forces, continuing their sweep beyond PARIS, have crossed the AISNE and the MARNE rivers. In the upper MARNE valley, mopping-up is in progress in VITRY-LE-FRANÇOIS, and our troops have reached MARSON and LÉPINE, southeast and east of CHÂLONS-SUR-MARNE. Other units are less than one mile south of CHÂLONS on the west side of the river.
CHÂTEAU-THIERRY, on the MARNE, has been occupied, and our armored units have moved north to take SOISSONS and established a bridgehead across the AISNE at PONT-ARCY, 14 miles to the east. Other troops are advancing through the area between the MARNE and the AISNE, north of MEAUX and CHÂTEAU-THIERRY.
In the PARIS area, advances have been made through the northeastern outskirts of the city beyond LE BOURGET and MONTMORENCY, and further west, elements have cleared the FORÊT DE SAINT-GERMAIN and moved northward to a point less than two miles south of PONTOISE.
The bridgehead across the SEINE in the vicinity of MANTES-GASSICOURT has been further enlarged to the north and to the east beyond MEULAN. Contact was made with troops from the bridgehead to the north.
Advancing from the VERNON bridgehead, our troops pushed across the PARIS–ROUEN road to the town of ETREPAGNY and from there to the village of LONGCHAMPS. The PARIS–ROUEN road was also cut near the village of ECOUIS by troops from the LOUVIERS bridgehead. In the evening, contact was established between these two bridgeheads.
Southeast of ROUEN, our forces advanced in the face of persistent opposition and captured the village of BOOS, some five miles from the center of ROUEN. In the CAUDEBEC area, fighting was heavy, but the FORÊT DE BROTONNE was cleared and the whole of this loop of the river is now in our hands.
In BRITTANY, hard fighting continues at BREST as Allied forces close in slowly on the port.
Air operations yesterday were restricted by weather.
Fighter and fighter-bombers attacked enemy rail and road movement over a wide area in the LOW COUNTRIES, western GERMANY and in FRANCE as far south as LYONS. Large numbers of locomotives, railway cars and motor transport were attacked successfully, and 20 enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground near BRUSSELS. Six of our aircraft are missing.