840.414/6–1545: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:44 p.m.]
3613. From Murphy for Matthews.73 Our 2770 May 18, 10 p.m. from Paris referred to a batch of secret microfilms of German Fon-Off74 documents which were captured by CIOS representatives operating under SHAEF auspices. Under SHAEF rules such material could not be removed without its permission. After the capture of the documents I agreed, at the request of the Brit representative, to the shipment of these microfilms to London for microfilming by the Air Ministry after specific agreement with the Brit a microfilm copy would be returned to the office of the US Political Adviser for Germany for secret reference purposes. From what we know of the documents we believe that they would have a distinct utility in future interrogation of German FonOff and other captured personnel.
Much to my surprise I learned during the course of my visit to London accompanying Gen Eisenhower75 on Monday76 that subsequent [Page 1110] to an exchange of telegrams between the Emb in London and the Dept about which we had not been informed, an instruction was given (Dept’s 4344 June 1 to London77) that this office be not provided with the microfilm copy which had been agreed.
It is of course disturbing and awkward for us here to have been kept in complete ignorance of this decision, the nature and purpose of which are obscure.
I should be grateful for your advice and I submit that the original agreement made in this case should be sustained. Will you please issue the necessary instructions. I am sure that the Dept wishes this office to be as fully informed as may be possible regarding these and similar features of the German situation if it is to deal competently with the problems that confront it daily.
Sent Dept, rptd to London as 431. [Murphy.]