740.00119 EAC/10–1844: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)
8902. Eacom 37. See your 8274, October 3, 6 p.m., Comea 105, and 8885, October 18, 4 p.m. With regard to the definition of the phrase “control of the ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven” a statement has been received from the Joint Chiefs of Staff reading in substance as follows:
It is contemplated that rehabilitation and operation of the ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven will require the use of large forces of [Page 369] local labor and of available local facilities such as power plants, communication facilities, and the like.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are therefore of the opinion that, from a military point of view, it will be essential that the United States commander have exclusive control of the port area of Bremen and Bremerhaven, with the necessary contiguous areas essential to the logistical support of the American forces of occupation, to the extent that the entire region in question should be made a part of the American Zone of Occupation. An exact delineation of boundaries is under study by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and cannot be furnished at this time.