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

740.00119 Control (Germany)/9–2845: Telegram

The United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to the Secretary of State

[Extracts]

Berlin, September 28, 1945—2 p.m.
[Received September 29—1 a.m.]

638. Tenth meeting of the Coordinating Committee was held Sept 27, with General Robertson presiding.

. . . . . . .

In connection with the minutes of the ninth meeting concerning the setting up of a central German Transport Dept,¹⁸ General Clay requested that his remarks be included to the effect that, in the absence of a unanimous agreement, each zone commander is free to act as he sees fit and to enter into agreements with other zone commanders if he desires. General Robertson, while agreeing to the inclusion of these remarks, stated that he felt that this was contrary to the EAC¹⁹ procedure where a question was referred to the four Govts if agreement was not obtained. He felt that General Clay’s statement constituted, to some extent, a wedge into the solidarity of the Control Council.²⁰

. . . . . . .

General Clay’s proposal that German officials of the proposed new central German administration and Germans engaged in approved enterprises such as clergy, doctors, certain factory technicians, and certain buyers and sellers be given inter-zonal passes by the appropriate bodies in the control authority, was approved in principle. General Clay hoped that general categories could be worked out so that passes might be issued within the zones. General Sokolovsky remarked that as soon as approval was given to the central administrations, it made these communications necessary. General Koeltz raised the usual French reservation in connection with the central administrations, to which General Clay remarked that there is a tendency to “tilt at windmills” in the committee without accomplishing enough results.

. . . . . . .

Murphy

18. See telegram 597, September 23, from Berlin, p. 871.
19. European Advisory Commission.
20. For information on the question of a central German Transport Administration discussed at the Control Council meeting October 1, see telegram 666, October 2, from Berlin, p. 842; the statement made at that meeting by General Koenig, U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, Documents on German Unity, vol. i (Frankfurt/Main, 1951), p. 9; and CONL/P(45) 42, a paper on the establishment of a central German transport department submitted to the Control Council October 1, p. 841.