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

The United States Deputy Military Governor for Germany (Clay) to the War Department ¹⁷

[Extract]

Berlin, October 13, 1945—4:45 p.m.
[Received October 14.]

CC 17554. To Warcad¹⁸ for Secretary of War ref nr CC–17554 from Office of Military Government for Germany US signed Clay.

There follows a summary of political situation in Germany in September prepared in consultation with Ambassador Murphy and in continuation of CC 14937, 181700C August.¹⁹

1. Political activity. Political re-education of German people got under way slowly as parties were formed in all large cities of American Zone under directives permitting party activity at Kreis level. In Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Kassel Communists and Social Democrats showed most activity and organization meetings were attended by moderate sized and orderly crowds. In Munich these parties are also organized but political activity throughout Bavaria has been retarded by our own delay in issuing procedural directive to Military Government Detachments. In all four cities mentioned parties also found corresponding in orientation if not exactly in name to Christian Democratic Union in Berlin. They are left center nonclerical parties of both Catholics and Protestants. Parties corresponding to Liberal Democratic Party in Berlin also emerged in Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart. These are more conservative center parties without Christian orientation.

Almost without exception parties so far organized have in platforms and meetings avoided doctrinal discussions and joined in demanding adherence to democratic ideals, cooperation with Military Government, intensive concentration on Germany’s reconstruction, and thorough denazification of German life. On latter point many parties’ leaders like individual Germans throughout zone are critical of alleged indiscriminate removal of Nazis. Others, particularly Communists, take opposite view and criticize alleged slowness of denazification process.

Except for cities mentioned above and some smaller cities where political parties are in process of formation, complete political apathy is reported from nearly every section of American zone. Smaller centers and rural districts are not producing any political activity and there is significant unanimity in reports from Military Government detachments in stressing this fact and in observing that German masses are entirely unready for self-government and ignorant of democratic processes and responsibilities.

So far as the limited activity which developed in September is concerned there further seems to be emerging in the urban centers of the American zone a fairly uniform pattern of two left parties, Communist and Social Democratic, and two center parties, variously named.

There is further tendency for left parties to cooperate closely though not to merge. Communist leaders are generally younger and more energetic than those of other parties though Social Democrats appear to be gaining largest following except in Bavaria where new Christian Socialist Union may succeed former Bavarian Peoples Party as strongest group. Reports indicate similar development in British zone with possible formation of more numerous minor parties particularly in Hannover.

It is significant that Germany’s complete political collapse has so far produced no mass sentiment of a revolutionary political nature. Such relatively slight political activity as is described above is largely led and inspired by holdover leaders of pre-Hitler parties. No cleansing convulsion of political reform has yet gripped the German body politic.

. . . . . . .

Clay

17. Microfilm copy of this telegram obtained from Department of the Army files.
18. War Department, Civil Affairs Division.
19. This telegram, not printed, was based on intelligence received in July. Concerning political activity the following observations were made: “At end of July the political picture remained virtually unchanged in our zone. No mass movement of any kind had developed anywhere. Relatively small groups continued to crop up, mostly in large urban centers. Available evidence indicates that Germans generally everywhere disinterested in politics due to their extreme preoccupation with vital questions such as food and housing and to mental state following years of Nazi dictatorship and impact of recent total defeat.” (Copy obtained from Department of the Army files.)