740.00119 EAC/7–644: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)
5314. Eacom 24. Your 5205, July 1, 3 a.m. (Comea 65). Since in our opinion the plan for the joint administration of Berlin should form an integral part of the plan of control machinery for the whole of Germany, the incorporation of the Soviet proposal into a general protocol of the nature indicated in the above-cited telegram seems out of place. For the purpose of that document, as interpreted from your brief account, it would appear adequate to state that the administration of the area of Greater Berlin is to be under the control of a combined administrative authority as proposed in WS–15c.89
Pending consideration of a comprehensive plan for the entire administration of military government in Germany, concerning which the United States and United Kingdom have already submitted proposals, we offer the following comments on the Soviet text:
- 1.
- The Soviet proposal to divide Berlin into zones is acceptable in principle on the assumptions that the actual administration of the city is a combined function and that the zones are for billeting and police purposes only. Under such assumptions the disposition of troops would appear to be largely a matter of detailed planning for final decision on a military level rather than a matter for immediate consideration by EAC. An agreement on specific delimitation of the zones at this time seems premature, since due to destruction, facilities in zones delimited now may be inadequate at the time of occupation.
- 2.
- We believe that the text of the Russian proposal would need clarification with respect to the functions of the inter-allied governing authority, and specifically an explanation of why it should be necessary to empower that authority to communicate directly or indirectly through “the necessary technical machinery” with the municipal [Page 241] organizations in Berlin. We would also wish to understand the distinction made in Section C between administering the city and exercising day-to-day supervision over the activities of the municipal organizations.
- 3.
- Rather than to make reference to airdromes or other specific facilities, it would be desirable to state that all facilities in the combined area shall be accessible to the USSR, the United Kingdom and the USA under the overall control of the tripartite authority.