Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, General, Volume I

740.00119 EAC/11–644: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in the United Kingdom (Gallman)

Washington, November 7, 1944—8 p.m.

9320. Referring to your telegram number 9643, November 6, 11 p.m., there is quoted below the text of a memorandum regarding the allocation of zones of occupation in Germany. This document has been approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and by the Department and therefore represents the official views of this Government. It is now before the Combined Chiefs of Staff where final action is delayed pending the receipt of instructions from London by the British Chiefs of Staff.

“Memorandum by the United States Chiefs of Staff

1. The United States Chiefs of Staff have considered the suggestion of the British Chiefs of Staff in CCS. 320/28.⁴⁸ They consider it desirable to delineate the boundaries of the United States and British Zones of Occupation in more complete detail than is given in C.C.S. 320/28. They recommend therefore that the Combined Chiefs of Staff approve the delineation of the United States and British Zones of Occupation set out below.

a. U.S. Zones of Occupation should be delineated as follows:

(1) The Southwestern Zone: That portion of Germany east of the Rhine inclosed within a line commencing at the junction of the boundaries of Saxony, Bavaria (Bayern) and Czechoslovakia and extending southeast, along the 1937 Czechoslovakian frontier thence southwest, south, and west along the Austrian-German and Swiss-German frontiers to the junction of the Swiss, French, and German frontiers (near Basel, Switzerland) thence north along the international boundary of the river Rhine to the southern boundary of Pfalz (Palatinate of Bavaria) thence continuing to follow the Rhine along the center of the navigable channel to the extreme western boundary of the Prussian province of Hessen-Nassau (near Koblenz) thence along northern boundaries of Hessen-Nassau to the junction of the boundaries of the Prussian provinces of Hessen-Nassau, Hanover, and Sachsen (Saxony); thence south along the western boundary of Sachsen and the western and southern boundary of Thuringia (Thuringen) and the northern boundary of Bavaria to the point of beginning at the Czechoslovakian frontier.

Attention is invited to the fact that the divisions of the State of Hesse whereby the Province of Rhinehessen and the Government District of Pfalz (Palatinate) of the State of Bavaria are included in the British zone follow existing lines of provincial/government district lines and hence do not give rise to important administrative difficulties.

(2) The Bremen Area (See map in Annex, page 146):⁴⁹

(a) The Land (State) of Bremen in its entirety, including the Stadt (City) of Bremerhaven.

(b) The Landkreis of Wesermunde and the Stadtkreis of Wesermunde and the Kreis of Osterholz, all in the government district of Stade, Province of Hanover.

(c) The Kreis of Wesermarsch in the division of Oldenburg, State of Oldenburg.

b. The British Zone of Occupation should be delineated as follows: western or northwestern Germany (except exclusions expressed in paragraph a (2) above to include that area bounded by a line drawn through the town of Heiligenhafen (inclusive) along the western shore of Lubeck Bay to the town of Lubeck (inclusive) thence along the western boundary of Mecklenburg to the extreme western point of Mark Brandenburg thence southeast along the boundary of Mark Brandenburg to its junction with the boundary of the Prussian province of Sachsen (Saxony), thence west and south along the northern and western boundary of the province of Sachsen, thence east to the junction of Brunswick (Braunschweig), Anhalt and the northern portion of the province of Sachsen, thence south along the boundary between Anhalt and Brunswick to the southern portion of the province of Sachsen thence west along the northwest boundary of the province of Sachsen to the junction of the boundaries of the Prussian provinces of Hessen-Nassau, Hanover and Sachsen; thence west, north, southwest and south along the Hessen-Nassau boundary to the river Rhine thence south along the center of the navigable channel of the Rhine to the northwest corner of the State of Hesse thence continuing to follow the Rhine along the center of the navigable channel between the provinces of Rhinehessen and Starkenburg, both of the State of Hesse and continuing south along the center of the navigable channel of the Rhine between the government district of Pfalz (Palatinate of Bavaria) and the State of Bavaria to the southernmost point of Pfalz thence west and north along the French-German, Luxemburg-German, Belgian-German and Dutch-German frontiers to the North Sea.

c. The delineations of boundaries between the Soviet-British Zones and the Soviet-U.S. Zones are set forth above for planning purposes only, are considered to conform to the tripartite agreement reached by the European Advisory Commission in EAC (44) 9th Meeting, 12 September 1944, and are subject to changes or detailed delineations by tripartite agreement.

2. Problems requiring cooperation and coordination, such as access by the British to the Ordnance Group Headquarters in Kassel, are bound to arise. It is the view of the United States Chiefs of Staff that these problems should be resolved between the appropriate commanders under the policy that there should be an equitable interchange of German material and personnel resources among all zones of occupation.

3. The United States Chiefs of Staff consider that the logistical arrangements regarding transit facilities as between the U.S. and British zones are not a matter for communication to the Russians.

4. The entire subject of complete requirements for logistical support of the zones of occupation in Germany is now under study by the Combined Administrative Committee.”

Stettinius

48. Not printed; the substance of the British proposals which constituted the document were transmitted in telegram 8237, Comea 102, September 29, from London, p. 342.
49. A map of the Bremen and Bremerhaven enclave is printed in Foreign Relations, The Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945, facing p. 200.