740.00119 EAC/1–645

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of War ( McCloy ) to the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee 5

Pending Draft Directives 6 Prepared by the U.S. Advisers EAC,7 Not Acted Upon by This Committee or by the JCS8

1.
The draft directives, which are listed in Appendix A,9 prepared by the United States Advisers, European Advisory Commission, have not as yet been acted upon, either by this committee or by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At conferences10 preceding the dispatch from the State Department to Ambassador Winant11 of the Cable No. 10371, dated 12 December 194412 (Annex B to Appendix “A” SWNCC l13), it was determined that no further draft directives would be submitted for the criticism of the War and Navy Departments or of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at this time. The draft directives listed in Appendix “B”14 have been the subject of comment already transmitted to London, although in two instances (JCS Memo for Information 341 and JCS Memo for Information 34615) revised drafts of directives, criticized [Page 370] at an earlier date here, have been submitted by the United States Advisers in London for further comment which has not yet been furnished.
2.
It has been brought to my attention that it may be helpful to the United States Advisers, EAC, to have prepared in summary form statements of policy on points not dealt with either in JCS 1067 as presently revised17 or in draft directives hitherto approved in Washington. As stated in the above mentioned cable of 12 December 1944, any such statements of policy should be confined to broad basic principles and should not deal with details of procedures or administration. It seems to me desirable to have the ad hoc subcommittee on German matters, either directly or through subsidiary working parties, prepare such statements of policy, so that this committee may be ready (either directly or after consulting the Joint Chiefs of Staff) to assist the State Department in furnishing to London general guidance on points of policy as to which no guidance has heretofore been furnished.
3.
It is requested, therefore, that the draft directives listed in Appendix “A” be referred to the ad hoc subcommittee on German affairs for study, recommendation, and the preparation of appropriate statements of policy confined to broad basic policy principles not dealt with in JCS 1067, as presently revised, or in directives hitherto approved for transmittal to London.
John J. McCloy

[Draft directives (none printed) prepared by the United States Delegation to the European Advisory Commission and awaiting approval from Washington as of January 6, 1945, were as follows:

[Page 371]
Control of Education Institutions in Germany September 14, 1944.
Property Control October 6, 1944.
Disposition of Political Prisoners October 12, 1944.
International Agreements October 20, 1944.
Control of Food and Agriculture October 20, 1944.
Apprehension and Detention of War Criminals October 21, 1944.
Control of Labor October 23, 1944.
Dissolution of Nazi Party and Purge of Nazi Personnel October 23, 1944.
United Nations Prisoners of War (Revised) October 24, 1944.
Control of Aviation in Germany December 29, 1944.
Control of Public Health December 6, 1944.
Control of Coal Industry October 28, 1944.
Removal of German Officials and Civilians from Territory Formerly Under German Control (Revised) November 3, 1944.
Control of German Foreign Relations November 3, 1944.
Control of Displaced Persons and Refugees November 8, 1944.
Disarmament of the German Armed Forces and Disposal of Enemy Equipment (Revised) November 18, 1944.
Control of Oil Industry November 30, 1944.
Control of Foreign Trade December 6, 1944.
Control of Internal Trade December 6, 1944.
Control of Finance December 18, 1944.
Control of Aviation in Germany December 29, 1944.
Control of Public Health December 6, 1944.

  1. At its 4th meeting, on January 6, 1945, the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee approved the recommendation contained in paragraph 3 of this memorandum, and the memorandum was submitted to the ad hoc Subcommittee on German Affairs of the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee for action.
  2. The United States Delegation on the European Advisory Commission during 1944 prepared and forwarded to Washington for comment and clearance a series of suggested policy statements to meet the short-range problems of the occupation in Germany. These suggestions were drafted as directives designed, after approval by the Governments, to be issued by the Governments to each of the Commanders in Chief in Germany in order to provide them with a basis for uniform action. For a review of the evolution of these draft directives during 1944, see memorandum of January 22, 1945, Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. i, p. 429.
  3. European Advisory Commission.
  4. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  5. Appendix A not printed; for a listing of draft directives awaiting approval from Washington at the beginning of 1945, see bracketed note infra.
  6. See letter from the Deputy Director of the Office of European Affairs, H. Freeman Matthews, to the Assistant Secretary of War, John J. McCloy, dated November 15, 1944, and enclosure, Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. i, p. 407.
  7. Ambassador in the United Kingdom John G. Winant, who was also the United States Representative to the European Advisory Commission.
  8. Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. i, p. 418.
  9. Document designation for State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee paper.
  10. Appendix B not printed; it listed 12 draft directives which had been the subject of Department of State or Joint Chiefs of Staff comments to London and which subsequently were submitted to the European Advisory Commission for consideration. For a complete list of United States draft directives circulated in the European Advisory Commission, see bracketed note, p. 537.
  11. Draft directive on the removal of German officials and civilians from territory formerly under German control and draft directive on the disarmament of the German Armed Forces and disposal of enemy equipment, neither printed.
  12. For text of the directive to SCAEF regarding the military government of Germany in the period immediately following the cessation of organized resistance (post-defeat), dated September 22, 1944, which was circulated to the Joint Chiefs of Staff as J.C.S. 1067, see Foreign Relations, The Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945, p. 143; for revision dated January 6, 1945, see post, p. 378.