740.00119 EAC/12–744: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)
10371. This telegram, which is in reply to your Comea 132 of December 1 and Comea 134 of December 7, has War and Navy concurrence.
The whole question of expediting decisions by the EAC has been under review here in high level conferences. The War and Navy Departments have expressed concern on two aspects of the problem: (a) that there is no general over-all directive agreed upon by the three powers for the initial phase of occupation, and (b) that under the existing system of presenting detailed directives for discussion in the EAC the military commanders will be tied down by such detailed directives whether applicable or not to the situation they may find in Germany. Furthermore, it is doubted here if the Commission will be able to reach agreement in time on thirty-odd directives. It is our opinion, therefore, that you should not seek EAC agreement on the detailed directives in their present form, but should extract from them the general policy provisions on which agreement should be reached in EAC negotiations. We believe, however, that some agreement on broad policy lines before surrender or defeat is essential.
We therefore think that you should urge the Commission to consider, at least initially, the preparation of an over-all directive. The details of policy and questions of procedure and administration should then be turned over for planning on a working military level under the Control Council.
In accordance with this aim, JCS 1067 is being revised here in a form which will make it suitable for presentation to the EAC as a broad general directive for the initial governing of Germany. This draft will be transmitted to you at an early date. In the meantime, you should consider JCS 1067 as representing U.S. views with respect to policy referred to therein, which may come up for discussion in the EAC.
In view of these decisions here, we feel that it is not necessary to resubmit to Washington draft directives upon which you have received U.S. comments. These U.S. comments should be followed closely in revising papers for submission to EAC but revised papers need not be resubmitted here so long as they are consistent with views already expressed here. In particular instances, the U.S. comments do not appear to have been fully taken into account. For example, the comments set forth in JCS 1103, transmitted to you by Department’s instruction No. 4665 of October 24, were not fully reflected in the [Page 419] revised proclamations and general orders received here.96 It is believed that draft orders presented to EAC should conform to views expressed in JCS 1103. Possibly consultation between your Military Adviser and U.S. side of SHAEF will be of assistance in guiding form and substance of such orders.
The question of United Nations prisoners of war and other subjects not included or not adequately covered in JCS 1067 or in the policy provisions of the other directives already transmitted to you, will be incorporated in further guidance to be formulated here and transmitted when approved.
We very much hope, however, that you can enter into discussions in the EAC on the material now in hand and the revised JCS 1067, and earnestly recommend the high desirability of having the Commission agree, if possible, on a broad over-all directive which can be utilized by the commanders in the early stages of occupation. (Halifax has asked that 1067 be submitted to EAC). If it is not possible for the Commission to recommend one directive, we should not object to splitting JCS 1067 into several, provided each was a broad policy statement consistent with JCS 1067 and not too detailed.
- The revised United States draft proclamations and general orders were transmitted in despatch 19456, from London, November 24; received November 29 (none printed).↩