The attached doeumentst have to do with the appointment of Macdonnell as Minister to Czechoslovakia and Kirkwood as Minister to Poland. You will recall that the Cabinet on February 12 approved of these two appointments and that the King has given his approval. The Governments of Czechoslovakia and Poland have been asked for their agrément. The agréments have not yet been received, but they may be received any day.¹⁵

Our plans had been to make a simultaneous public announcement of both appointments as soon as the agréments had been received from the two Governments concerned.

An announcement of Macdonnell's appointment as Minister in Prague immediately after the Communist coup d'État there might be misinterpreted. The danger of misinterpretation might be lessened if we could postpone the announcement for a couple of weeks. The decision, however, is not entirely in our hands and it may be that the Government in Czechoslovakia might make the announcement as soon as they have given their agrément for Macdonnell's appointment. In that event, I assume that there is nothing which we can do except to confirm the appointment as soon as we hear officially that the agrément has been given.

It seems to me that it would he difficult now that matters have gone so far to reconsider the decision to make Macdonnell a Minister. Besides, we have already sent a minister to the out and out Communist government in Yugoslavia and we are appointing Kirkwood as Minister to a Government in Poland which is just as communist as that which now exists in Czechoslovakia.

Of course, if the United Kingdom should refuse recognition to the new government in Czechoslovakia, we would have to reconsider our position.

I should be grateful if you would let me know whether you would agree that for the present our objective should he to postpone the announcement of the appointments of Macdonnell and Kirkwood for about two weeks and to make the announcements of both appointments simultaneously.¹⁶

There are four documents attached for your signature and for Submission to Council.

ESCOTT REID

¹⁵L'agrément concernant la nomination de Kirkwood a été reçu le 8 mars, en dépit d'un délai de transmission à Ottawa.
The agrément for Kirkwood's appointment was received on March 8, although there was a delay in transmission to Ottawa.

¹⁶Saint-Laurent a approuvé cote façon de procéder. Ni Kirkwood ni Macdonnell n'ont présenté de lettres de créance.
St. Laurent agreed to this course of action. Neither Kirkwood nor Mcdonnell presented credentials.