740.00119 Control (Germany)/10–1545: Airgram
The United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 1.]
A–239. USFET Bi-weekly Political Summary No. 3 for 29 September 1945 contains an interesting evaluation of present German attitudes toward the American occupation authorities. While their generally compliant attitude towards our occupation has not changed, close contact with Americans is said frankly to puzzle Germans as to our personal or national character. They find us quite unpredictable whereas the lines of action of the French and English can be better foreseen by them. In outward appearance and manner we seem better disposed and less severe than some of our Allies but surprise house to house checks, sudden burdensome requisitions or a new [Page 986] and more thorough application of our de-Nazification policy makes them realize that our extreme matter-of-factness covers a determined intention to carry out our policies.
According to the USFET study, the Germans complain of our direct control and contrast it to the general indifference to small details on the part of our Allies. Many people, especially of the middle and upper classes, are impatient of the inefficiency which they claim is demonstrated by new local government appointees and these people profess that they would prefer for us to do all the governing. Counter-balancing such groups are others, including the new German administrators, who would like for us to assume a purely supervisory role.
Many Nazis are said to feel that the network of connections they built up during [apparent omission] years will tide them over the present “period of inconvenience”; they are confident that we are moving quickly towards a “forgive and forget” policy.