740.0011 EW/5–845: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy)32
1935. The Russians apparently endeavor to have our armies hold back while Soviet troops occupy as much as possible of the remaining enemy-held territory, and then use the fact of Soviet occupation to further Russian political aims in Europe, refusing on the basis of prior possession to agree to accord us proper facilities for post-war cooperation. As examples, they are now refusing to agree to allot any of the five Vienna airfields or adequate troop recreation areas to any of the other Allies in the projected subdivision of Vienna for international occupation and have refused to permit our military and civil representatives to go to Vienna to survey the areas to be zoned, or to Kosice to communicate with the Czechoslovak Government.
While the demarcation of lines between the Soviet and Allied forces now approaching each other is a question which must naturally be decided primarily on military considerations by military authorities, [Page 282] the Department hopes that as the latter make these decisions Murphy and Erhardt will keep these political considerations before them, pointing out that the extent to which our own troops occupy the remaining enemy territory may help to minimize serious handicaps like these in our post-hostilities occupation and other relations with the Soviet authorities.
Repeated to Caserta for Erhardt as No. 443.
- Sent through the American Embassy at Paris. The Mission of the United States Political Adviser for Germany was located at SHAEF Main, Versailles.↩