-2-
 
     The Department had also received a note from the 
Soviet Embassy inquiring as to our position. Apparently
the Soviet Government had supposed that the whole arrange-
ment had had American approval, and on learning of the 
three-months provision desired to "subject this matter to 
additional study."
 
        It is thus our reply to the Soviet note, a copy of 
which was sent also to the British, which best sets forth
the American position, which is briefly as follows:
 
        Our assent to the trial period of three-months was 
given in consideration of the present war strategy. Ex- 
cept for this overriding consideration, this Government 
would wish to make known its apprehension lest the pro-
posed agreement might, by the natural tendency of such 
arrangements, lead to the division in fact of the Balkan 
region into spheres of influence.
 
     It would be unfortunate, in view of the decisions
of the Moscow Conference, if any temporary arrangement 
should be so conceived as to appear to be a departure from 
the principle adopted by the three Governments at Moscow, 
in definite rejection of the spheres of influence idea. 
Consequently this Government hopes that no projected mea-
sures will be allowed to prejudice the efforts toward di-
recting the policies of the Allied Governments along lines 
of collaboration rather than independent action, since any 
arrangement suggestive of spheres of influence cannot but 
militate against the establishment and effective function-
ing of a broader system of general security in which all 
countries will have their part.                       
        
     It was supposed that the three-month trial period would 
enable the British and Soviet Governments to determine 
whether such an arrangement is practicable and efficacious 
as applicable only to war conditions and essentially re-
lated to the military operations of their respective forces, 
without in any way affecting the rights and responsibilities 
which each of the three principal Allies will have to exer-
cise during the period of the reestablishment of peace, and 
afterwards, in regard to the whole of Europe.
 
 
       Finally, this Government assumes that the arrange-
ment would have neither direct nor indirect validity as 
affecting the interests of this Government, or of other 
Governments associated with the three principal Allies.
                                   In