740.00119 Control (Germany)/4–2345: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)
Washington, April 23,
1945—7 p.m.
3193. The following statement of views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with reference to the British proposal for French participation in the occupation of Berlin have been concurred in by the State, War, and Navy Departments:
- 1.
- The proposal would alter the subdivisions in Berlin as designated in the present protocol by creating a 4th subdivision for the French and allocating to the French the districts of Pankow and Prenzlauerberg (formerly allocated to U.S.S.R.) and Reinickendorf (formerly allocated to U.K.). It also transfers from the U.S. subdivision to the U.S.S.R. subdivision the district of Neukollen.
- 2.
- Elimination of Neukollen (of a 1941–1942 estimated population of approximately 300,000 persons) from the U.S. subdivision is not expected to reduce the space or facilities allocated to the U.S. below the requirements necessary for the support of U.S. forces. The U.S. subdivision as outlined by the proposal is therefore considered acceptable from a military point of view. The informal French proposal adds to the U.S. subdivision, at the expense of the Soviets, rail and storage facilities in Treptow, which are believed essential to the Soviets and are not needed by the U.S. forces. This change would entail, also, the loss to the U.S. of desirable residential areas which the French propose to remove from the U.S. subdivision and transfer to the French subdivision. Therefore, the British proposal is considered definitely preferable and should be accepted from the U.S. point of view.
- 3.
- In considering the occupation of Berlin by French forces in addition to those of the other three powers, it has been assumed that the use and exchange of common facilities and utilities will be made available for the support of all of the occupational forces and that arrangements for access to installations and facilities, such as railroad stations, will be subject to adjustment among the respective subdivision commanders or the district commanders (commandants) in “Greater Berlin”.
- 4.
- The French proposals containing suggestions for amendments to the protocol and the agreement on control machinery participation are satisfactory to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, except for the proposed designation of the French zone as “west central zone”. Until the area to be allocated to the French has been specified, it would seem unwise to designate it as other than the “western zone”.
Stettinius