REPLY TO THE STATEMENT OF THE AMERICAN
DELEGATION ON THE QUESTION OF THE DRAFT
TREATY ON THE DEMILITARIZATION OF GERMANY

Made at the Sitting

of the Council of Foreign Ministers

April 24, 1947

Mr. Marshall said in his statement of April 23 that the
United States Government interpreted the attitude of the
Soviet Government towards the American draft treaty on
the demilitarization of Germany as a rejection! of the
treaty. This statement puts the position of the Soviet
Government incorrectly and contradicts the facts.
It is known that, far from rejecting the proposal to
conclude a quadripartite treaty for the demilitarization of
Germany, the Soviet delegation, already in July of last year,
proposed that such a treaty be concluded, not for twenty-five
years, as proposed by the United States, but for forty years,
and this was accepted.
At the same time the Soviet Government believed and
still believes it necessary to introduce a number of addi-
tions into the American draft treaty with the aim of im-
proving it. The main purpose of these additions is to
eliminate the discrepancy between the American draft and
the decisions of the Potsdam conference concerning the,
prevention of a repetition of German aggression.