U.S. State Department (December 3, 1943)
The British Ambassador to the Greek Government-in-Exile in Egypt to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Cairo, December 3, 1943
Secretary of State
I spoke to you yesterday about our desire for a very much closer co-operation with the Americans in the Balkans, both as regards policy and execution of policy. Both Mr. Stevenson and I are in full agreement on this point, and I cannot do better than attach a copy of a paper he has written on the subject, which is on the Agenda for the Middle East Defence Committee this morning. I understand that most members of the Defence Committee have already signified in advance their warm approval of these proposals.
R. A. LEEPER
Cairo, 3 December 1943
[Attachment]
Memorandum by the British Ambassador to the Yugoslav Government-in-Exile in Egypt
Co-ordination of OSS and SOE
General Donovan has demanded a very largely increased share in special operations in the Balkans. We should welcome this demand, provided that an agreed policy is carried out.
At present the OSS organisation as a whole is answerable only to the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and is entirely independent of the State Department. On the other hand, SOE carries out a policy agreed between the Chiefs of Staff and the Foreign Office.
There is definite danger that General Donovan’s organisation will not necessarily pursue the same policy as SOE. Such a development would obviously lead to incalculable difficulties, and should be avoided if possible.
The best, if not indeed the only, way of doing this would be:
(a) to concert our Balkan policy with the United States Government:
(b) to integrate the carrying out of that policy, so far as special operations are concerned, at all executive levels.(a) would presumably be done on the highest political level.
(b) would mean:(i) that SOE and OSS should be two separate, but not independent, organisations:
(ii) that by means of working committees the closest possible integration should be achieved in operational policy and control between the two organisations:
(iii) that by some similar means the closest contact should be established between PWE and the moral operations section of OSS:
(iv) that not only OSS but the United States State Department should be represented on the Special Operations Committee at GHQ Middle East, the State Department representative being the United States Ambassador to Greece and Yugoslavia:
(v) that the United States State Department should be represented by the United States Ambassador on the Middle East Defence Committee:
(vi) that operational control of all special operations should remain in the hands of the C. in C. Middle East who would be advised, as now, by the Special Operations Committee and, when necessary, the Middle East Defence Committee.
- It is suggested that advantage should be taken of the present conference to obtain an agreed decision on the lines of paragraphs 4 and 5 above.
(Intd.)
RCSS