Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1945, European Advisory Commission, Austria, Germany, Volume III

740.00119 Control (Austria)/4–1645

Memorandum by Mr. Ware Adams of the Division of Central European Affairs

[Washington,] April 16, 1945.

Ambassador Winant telephoned Mr. Matthews at the Pentagon yesterday regarding the planning for Austrian zones and control machinery now being negotiated in EAC.

He referred to the Department’s telegram 2927 of April 14³³ regarding the JCS decision to strike the word “naval” from Articles 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the American draft for control machinery, and said he was disturbed about this since he felt sure that we would want to have naval advisers in Austria to advise about the demolition of factories there producing naval equipment. The EAC is meeting again today, April 16, to continue negotiation of control machinery, and Ambassador Winant will no doubt be obliged to take a position one way or the other.

Ambassador Winant also wants to know urgently whether the proposed document in lieu of unconditional surrender for Germany is satisfactory.³⁴

He also inquired about the relationship to EAC planning of the proposal to send American and other Allied representatives to Vienna to determine zones in Vienna.

He said that in the EAC negotiations he will continue to try to get the Schwechat airport and all its facilities placed under American administration for use by the forces of all four Powers.

He intends to propose in EAC the following compromise regarding the Innere Stadt:

“The district of the Innere Stadt will be occupied by forces of the U.S.S.R. and the Inter-Allied authority (Komendatura) will regulate an equitable assignment of its facilities among the staffs of the Allied commission and the forces of occupation of the four Powers”.

(Ambassador Winant apparently also talked with General Marshall by long distance telephone yesterday to ask for quick action in Washington on the pending questions regarding zones in both Germany and Austria.[)]³⁵

33. See footnote 30a, p. 64.
34. Memorandum by the United Kingdom Representative on the European Advisory Commission, designated E.A.C.(45) 28, dated March 30, p. 208. For documentation regarding the participation by the United States in the European Advisory Commission negotiations relative to the surrender of Germany, see pp. 160 ff.
35. For the transcript of a trans-Atlantic telephone conversation between Ambassador Winant and General Marshall on April 14, see p. 61.