J. C.
S. Files
No. 1192
Report by the Combined Military
Transportation Committee of the Combined Chiefs of
Staff1
confidential
C. C. S. 897
[Babelsberg,] 21 July
1945.
Provision of Personnel
Shipping for the Requirements of Allied Governments
the problem
1. To ensure the efficient coordination of the demands for
personnel shipping submitted by Allied governments, other than
British and American military movements, and to provide a
machinery for dealing with essential personnel movements other
than those already approved.
facts bearing on the
problem
2. See Enclosure “B.”
discussion
3. See Enclosure “C.”
[Page 1195]
conclusions
4. It is concluded that:
The following procedure will ensure the efficient coordination of
all those Allied demands:—
- a.
- The current procedure for handling the United States
and United Kingdom personnel shipping for military
requirements will be continued. This procedure will
permit on an operational basis the opportune use of such
shipping on return voyages, or legs of such voyages, to
move passengers of any of the Allied governments.
- b.
- All requirements of the Allied governments for the
movement of passengers, whether military or civilian,
involving definite additional commitments of shipping,
whether on a short- or long-term basis, should be
submitted to the United Maritime Authority (UMA) in terms of the
shipping space required. The Combined Shipping
Adjustment Board should confer with the Combined Chiefs
of Staff as to practicability of meeting such
requirements. On military requests of the other Allied
governments the decision will rest with the Combined
Chiefs of Staff.
- c.
- As regards the movement of civilians for which
provision is not made under a.
and b. above, the matter may be
referred to the appropriate agencies of the United
Kingdom and United States to decide whether passenger
vessels should be withdrawn at the expense of the
military effort. Ships, if so allocated, would operate
under the control of the United Maritime Authority on
the basis of the “Agreement on Principles”2 but would be retained in the
common pool and assigned for particular voyage
employment as might be decided from time to time.
recommendations
5. a. That the foregoing conclusions be
approved by the Combined Chiefs of Staff.
b. That the letter in Enclosure “A” be
forwarded to the Combined Shipping Adjustment Board.
[Enclosure A]
confidential
Draft
Memorandum for the
Combined Shipping Adjustment Board
- 1.
- The Combined Chiefs of Staff have been studying the
problem of providing passenger carrying shipping to meet
the urgent demands for the essential military operations
in the prosecution of the war against Japan, and for the provision of
such shipping of this type to
[Page 1196]
meet other requirements as can be
made available without adversely affecting military
operations.
- 2.
- The available passenger space is insufficient to meet
all the urgent requirements of the United Nations, and
coordination of demands is, therefore, essential in
order to determine priority and to secure shipping
efficiency as well as to ensure the fullest
consideration being given to all claimants.
- 3.
- The Combined Chiefs of Staff have, therefore, agreed
that in accordance with the “Agreement on Principles,”
dated 5 August 1944, contained in the UMA report, October, 1944,
the following procedure in respect of the submission of
demands should be adopted by all the Allied
nations:—3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- 4.
- Vital demands for shipping should therefore be
submitted to the United Maritime Authority for
consideration.
- 5.
- The Combined Shipping Adjustment Board is requested to
transmit the foregoing statement of policy to the United
Maritime Executive Board in Washington and
London.
[Enclosure B]
confidential
Facts Bearing on the
Problem
- 1.
- The tonnage of the Allied Nations under the control of
the United Maritime Authority (UMA) is administered in accordance with the
“Agreement of [on] Principles,”
dated 5 August 1944. As regards cargo, this agreement
and the procedures of the UMA provide fully for the requirements of
the contracting governments to be taken into account in
the disposition of available tonnage. This report deals
only with the sea transport of personnel.
- 2.
- The “Agreement on Principles” contains the following
provision in Article 7 (c):—
“… In order to meet the special case of military
requirements those ships which have been taken up
under agreements made by United States Government
and/or United Kingdom Government with the other
governments having authority for those ships for
use as troopships, hospital ships, and for other
purposes in the service of the armed forces, shall
remain on charter as at present to the War Shipping
Administration (WSA) and/or the Ministry of War Transport (MWT), as the case may be,
under arrangements to be agreed between the
governments severally concerned. (Any further
ships required for such purposes shall be dealt
with in a like manner.)
[Page 1197]
“The fact that these ships are assigned to
military requirements shall not prejudice the
right of the governments concerned to discuss with
the central authority the measures to be taken to
provide …4
shipping for their essential requirements within
the scope of paragraph 1 of the Agreement.”
- 3.
- As regards personnel ships suitable for long sea
voyage employment, estimates of military needs indicate
the necessity for every suitable vessel being under the
direct control (by time charter) of the WSA or the MWT. The estimates of
available trooplift as submitted to the Combined Chiefs
of Staff are based on the assumption that all the Allied
passenger ships at present in service, or recovered as a
result of liberation or capture, will be under the
direct control of the Combined (Anglo-American) shipping
authorities. On the other hand, it has always been
recognized that there might be requests for the movement
of military and civilian personnel sponsored by other
Allied governments. The last paragraph of Article 7 (c) as above, expressly reserves
“the right of the governments concerned to discuss with
the central authority the measures to be taken to
provide shipping for their essential requirements,” and
was inserted at the request of the other Allies to
provide for this expectation. These requirements might
include:—
- a.
- Movement of military personnel of the forces
under the control of these governments, or
repatriation of prisoners of war, or
- b.
- Movement of civilian passengers of high
priority (including essential civilian personnel
in colonial territories), displaced persons,
etc.
[Enclosure C]
confidential
Discussion
- 1.
- The procedure of the UMA for the allocation of shipping to
contracting governments depends upon the assumption that
there are appropriate authorities to approve and sponsor
the requirements of those governments for shipping
space. As regards cargo, this is provided for by
arrangements already in force. As regards other Allied
personnel movements, however, there is at present no
authority responsible for guiding the UMA on questions of
priority, and in this class of shipping, owing to the
acute shortage, it is clear that some guidance will be
necessary.
- 2.
- The available personnel lift is not adequate to meet
all the urgent requirements of the United Nations.
Coordination of demands is, therefore, indispensable in
order to determine priority and
[Page 1198]
to secure shipping efficiency. In
any case, it is presumed that the appropriate chiefs of
staff or theater commander would be concerned with any
substantial movement of personnel. Once it is determined
that a particular government has personnel movements of
an approved character to carry out, it would be in
accordance with the procedure of the UMA to allocate ships or
space to that government for the approved movements. It
should be noted that under existing conditions the
combined shipping authorities are bound to advise that
such arrangements can not be made on any substantial
scale at present without affecting existing plans for
military moves.
