740.00119 Control (Austria)/4–2345
The United States Political Adviser on Austrian Affairs (Erhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 28.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department that the planning for the occupation of Austria is in its final stages at the United States Group Control Council here in Caserta. It may be of interest to have a general picture of the progress to date.
Basic Planning Documents for Austria
The basic planning documents for Austria, prepared in the field, consist of the following:
- 1.
- AFHQ Detailed Plans for the Military Occupation of Austria, prepared under the general authority granted by the Combined Chiefs of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, to occupy Austria;
- 2.
- Field Handbook on Military Government;
- 3.
- Functional Manuals;
- 4.
- Basic Plan;
- 5.
- Policy Directives.
With the exception of one, which is of a strictly military character, they will be discussed in the order listed above.
[Page 87]Field Handbook on Military Government
The Field Handbook on Military Government in Austria was prepared jointly by the American and British Planning Groups in London. As a matter of fact, about 95% of this Handbook was written by the American planners. The first draft was mimeographed and sent to Washington under date of October 20, 1944.66 Subsequently, it has been reviewed and approved by AFHQ, with very few changes. The only exception to this is Chapter 5, on De-Nazification, concerning which there existed a divergence of views between the Americans and British. This chapter is now being considered by AFHQ. At the present time, the printed editions of the Handbook are coming off the press in London, with the exception of Chapter 5.
Functional Manuals
The Functional Manuals, of which there are 12,* were likewise prepared by the American and British planners in London, and subsequently reviewed by AFHQ. They are, as the name implies, detailed guides covering the work of each of the Divisions which are likely to be set up under the quadripartite control machinery during the period in which the administration of Austria is under an Allied Commission. Each manual is based on the corresponding chapter in the Handbook, but it goes into the subject more thoroughly, so that it will offer detailed guidance for the specialists in each branch. Four of the manuals, which will be required by all military government officers in Austria, will be printed, viz., “Administration and Local Government”, “Public Safety”, “Displaced Persons”, and “Legal”. The other manuals will be mimeographed. A list of the titles of these manuals is enclosed.
Basic Plan
The U.S. Group Control Council—Austria has prepared what is known as the Basic Plan for Military Government in Austria. It is designed solely for possible use during the phase of Allied Commission government in the event that no approved basic policies are received from higher authorities. It should be pointed out that the Basic Plan represents strictly American thinking—the British did not participate in its preparation—and the annexes and appendices to it consist of statements of what each Division Chief conceives to be his primary tasks and how he proposes to accomplish them. Of course, the Basic Plan may never be used at all, and it is subject to modification at all times by approved policies received in the future.
[Page 88]The Basic Plan, which is not yet completed, will consist of a general statement of objectives, with 27 annexes and 98 appendices. A list of the annexes is enclosed.
Policy Directives
The U.S. Group Control Council—Austria has undertaken the preparation of a number of policy directives on various subjects along the lines of those prepared by the German Control Council group. These Austrian directives are based on the Moscow Declaration, and on various policies approved for Austria by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Combined Chiefs of Staff, the Department of State, and the President. The German directives, some of which were approved in Washington, were also used for guidance. At the present time, 29 such Austrian directives have been submitted to the American element of G–5,67 AFHQ, for comment, and 10 others are in various stages of preparation. After the G–5 MTOUSA comments have been received and discussed, it is planned to submit the directives in final form to General McNarney for approval. When they have been cleared by him, they are to be submitted to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and copies forwarded to Ambassador Winant in the EAC for his information.
It should be pointed out that these Austrian directives are not interim directives but have been prepared in such form that, if time permits† their consideration and approval by the Governments concerned at the EAC level, they could be issued to each Commander-in-Chief on the Governing Body of the Allied Commission in Vienna.
A list of these 39 directives is enclosed.
Despatch of American Officers to SHAEF for Military Government in Austria
On April 12, a mission from AFHQ was sent to Paris, and subsequently to SHAEF Forward, to discuss military government matters involved in the occupation of Austria by forces under SHAEF. In this group were included Colonel George E. Carey, Chief of Staff to General Flory, and Lt. Col. Charles P. Howard, Assistant Planning Coordinator of the U.S. Group Control Council—Austria. As a result of these discussions, it was decided that certain officers of the task force element now in Caserta should be sent immediately to the SHAEF Theater. Accordingly, on April 22 and 23, some 30 officers and 35 men left here for Paris, where they will be formed into military government teams to enter Austria with SHAEF troops in the event that Austria is occupied from the North. It is planned to send an additional 60 officers and 35 men from this theater about the end of April, to supplement the group leaving tomorrow.
[Page 89]A part of the military government team for Greater Vienna will remain here. It now consists of 20 officers and about 20 men, and it is hoped to augment this to 64 officers and 128 men through the acquisition of additional personnel from the Balkan areas and from this theater.
School for Military Government Officers at Portici
From February 1 to April 15, there was held under British auspices at Portici, a small town near Caserta, a school for military government officers, who are subsequently to be assigned to Austria. Approximately 50 percent of the lectures were delivered by American officers. Two types of courses were offered; one for men with no experience in military government, who were given one week of general instruction on the theory of military government and one week of background instruction on Austria; while the other course was for men with some experience in military government, who were offered one week to give them a general Austrian background. Approximately 130 American officers, drawn from the Fifth Army, the Allied Commission for Italy, the task force element of the U.S. Group Control Council—Austria, and other sources, went through this school. Some 200 British officers took these courses. After the American officers had finished the school some 50 of them were returned to the Fifth Army; others were sent back to the Allied Commission for Italy, earmarked for future service in Austria, while the remainder came back to the task force element.
Disarmament and Demobilization School.
A joint Air-Ground Disarmament-Demobilization School has been started at the U.S. Group Control Council—Austria in Caserta to give a two weeks’ course in general Austrian background and orientation to American officers, who are to serve with the Army Corps and Division staffs of the American occupation forces in Austria. These officers are scheduled ultimately to be moved to the SHAEF Theater to come in with the troops from the North. The first course started April 19, the second is to begin May 3, and the third on May 17. It is contemplated that 90 officers from the Army, 75 from the Air Forces and 15 from the Navy will attend this school. The Political Division has agreed to furnish officers for three of the lectures to cover Austria from the political, economic, and agricultural standpoint.
Transfer of USGCC–Austria to Fifth Army
On April 4, 1945, General Order No. 21, dated January 30, 1945,68 which established the U. S. Group Control Council—Austria, was rescinded, and this organization, with the exception of Air, Navy, and Political divisions was assigned to the Fifth Army, effective [Page 90] April 14, 1945. It will remain in Caserta pending further developments.
Liaison with USGCC—Germany
Arrangements have been made to exchange liaison officers between the Control Council groups of Austria and Germany. In accord therewith, Lt. Dale Clark (USNR69) has arrived in Caserta to represent the German group, and Colonel Donald M. Pearson of the Austrian group has departed to take up his liaison duties with the German group in France.
UNRRA70
Mr. David H. Sulzberger, UNRRA representative, arrived on April 10, on a permanent assignment to plan with General Flory’s group for UNRRA work in Austria. At the present time, consideration is being given to a draft of an UNRRA–SACMED agreement along the lines of the SCAEF model.71 It is contemplated that UNRRA will furnish assembly center cadres consisting of a director, welfare officer, and a medical officer. Once in Austria these three officials will recruit from among suitable displaced persons an additional seven to nine people, the whole forming an UNRRA team of ten or twelve persons. It is impossible at this stage to know how many such teams will be formed, but the number may go as high as 100.
At present UNRRA is empowered to deal solely with displaced persons but the question has been raised as to whether or not this organization may receive special authorization to engage in relief and rehabilitation work.
Red Cross
At the present time, eight experienced American Red Cross officers, who are now in Northern Italy, have been earmarked for service in the American Zone in Austria. These officers are scheduled to go in with the Task Force—either from the North or the South—and will be prepared to distribute to Austrian civilians 100 tons of selected items of clothing, totaling 240,000 pieces. They expect to have some ambulances. Likewise they will concern themselves with civilian hospitals and general welfare work and, in addition, it is their hope to revive the Austrian Red Cross.
[Page 91]In the zone to be assigned to the United Kingdom, the British Red Cross will be used, which in contrast to the American Red Cross, will deal, not only with Austrian civilians, but also with displaced persons.
OSS
According to present plans, the Office of Strategic Services has earmarked a team of 35 men to serve in Vienna, and an additional force of 134 people are to serve in the American zone. If SHAEF troops enter Austria from the north, 30 OSS men, drawn from the above allocations, plan to go in from there.
Personnel on Duty at the USGCC—Austria
On April 23, there were on duty at the U. S. Group Control Council—Austria the following:
| Officers | E.M.72 | |
| Army Ground Forces | 94 | 123 |
| Air | 30 | 35 |
| Navy | 10 | 2 |
Note: For liaison duties in London there are at present one officer from the Political Division, three from the Air Division, one from the Navy Division, and one officer and two enlisted men from the Army Ground Forces.
An additional 19 officers of special qualifications are expected from Washington to augment the Planning Group in Caserta. General Flory has received authority from the Chief of Staff to General McNarney to recruit twenty more officers for this purpose. General McNarney wishes at least one officer from every division of the Planning Group to enter with the SHAEF forces from the north in order to familiarize themselves with military government problems in Austria at first hand. This will be done, if and when the officers can be spared.
Respectfully yours,
- Not printed.↩
- This may subsequently be reduced to 11 by the inclusion of Agriculture under Economics. [Footnote in the original.]↩
- Civil Affairs Division.↩
- If time does not permit, these directives can be used for guidance at the Governing Body level on the Allied Commission. [Footnote in the original.]↩
- See footnote 54, p. 18.↩
- United States Naval Reserve.↩
- United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. For documentation regarding the participation by the United States in the work of UNRRA for the year 1945, see vol. ii, pp. 958 ff. Regarding the work of UNRRA in Austria, see telegram 315, November 29, to Vienna, and telegram 561, December 12, from Vienna, post, pp. 667 and 681, respectively.↩
- For text of agreement to regularize the relations between the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force, and UNRRA during the military period, signed by General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Herbert H. Lehman, 25 November 1944, see George Woodbridge, UNRRA: The History of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (Columbia University Press, New York, 1950), vol. 3, Appendix 5, 1a, p. 180.↩
- Enlisted men.↩
- None printed.↩
- None printed.↩
- None printed.↩