740.00119 Control (Germany)/6–345
The United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I have the honor to transmit for the Department’s information a copy of a directive from Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, [Page 943] United States Army, dated May 24, 1945,49 setting forth the organization for the Military Government of the United States Zone and other areas in Germany in which United States forces are deployed.
The purpose or mission is stated to be the establishment of an organization to apply and administer efficiently approved policy to the Military Government of Germany and to establish the allocation of responsibility within that organization. The plan is to be made effective when Combined Command is terminated and prior to that time it is to be developed as far as practicable without violating existing SHAEF policies.
Within the United States Zone in Germany it is the Theater Staff of the Commanding General, USAF, ETO, which is charged with the execution, implementation and supervision of approved United States and Allied control authority policy. Specifically, within the Theater Staff, G–5 is directed to develop basic policies for, to prepare directives and instructions for, and to supervise for the General Staff, activities pertaining to Military Government control in liberated countries and pertaining to Military Government control and supervision generally over the German civil government within the United States Zone in Germany. In the exercise of these controls and supervision, the fields of activity are:
- (1)
- Local Government, German civil service, public safety, public health, postal services, education and religious affairs.
- (2)
- Public finance, public and private financial institutions, foreign exchange, accounting and auditing, currency and financial intelligence.
- (3)
- German courts, Military Government courts and prisons.
- (4)
- United Nations displaced persons, German refugees and German welfare agencies.
- (5)
- Economic affairs, including supplies for civilian needs, production of food, trade, labor, local civilian road transport and, except as assigned to G–4, production, transportation and communication.
- (6)
- Restorations and reparations, property and preservation and restoration of monuments, fine arts and archives.
In view of the nature of the assignment of the Department’s personnel to US Group CC, I wish to suggest that this directive be given only limited circulation within the Department and that if its contents are discussed with any outside department or agency, reference to source be avoided.
Respectfully yours,
Counselor
- During the latter part of May and the first part of June, the Political Division of U.S. Group C.C. was moved in stages from Versailles to Hoechst, a district of Frankfurt-am-Main. Mr. Murphy’s own office was moved to SHAEF in Frankfurt. This move was necessitated by the gradual closing down of SHAEF Headquarters in Versailles, and the transfer of the American element to Frankfurt, where it became Headquarters, U.S. Forces in the European Theater (USFET) after the dissolution of SHAEF on July 14.↩
- Copy of directive not printed; the directive itself was dated May 13, and the covering memorandum transmitting it to the Commanding General of the 12th Army Group was dated May 24.↩