740.00119 Control (Austria)/4–2845: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)
3343. The Joint Chiefs of Staff do not look with favor upon the French suggestion for a mixed rather than a zonal occupation of Austria. Mixed occupation is difficult of administration especially where differences of languages and legal concepts are involved. With occupation forces of different nationalities in the same area, an unfriendly or uncooperative population is in an ideal position to play one nationality off against the other and will be quick to take advantage of the situation. This suggestion would require submission to and acceptance by both the British and U.S.S.R. as well and could not be agreed to by the United States alone. Furthermore, it would require reopening and revising the entire theory of occupation as developed to date under the existing protocols. On the other hand no military objection is perceived to a French zone of occupation of Vorarlberg and Tirol in Austria. Any occupation of Germany or Austria by the French should be subject to all of the general conditions to which the United States, United Kingdom and the U.S.S.R. have already subscribed.
Sent to London as Department’s no. 3343; repeated to Caserta for Erhardt as Department’s no. 399.