660F.6231/8–2145

The Secretary of State to the United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy)

333. Dept would appreciate your views as to post Potsdam status of CRAB and its various subcommittees. Is there any evident inclination to de-emphasize the role of these bodies in favor of anticipated quadripartite organization or do they remain fully operative? In particular, are the proposed foreign trade transactions (urtel 335, Aug 21) to be engaged in under the authority and supervision of CRAB or are these transactions envisaged as barter deals between the US zone and the countries concerned requiring policy determination only on the US side?

Byrnes