Office of the Historian

740.00119 Control (Germany)/8–945: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State

[Extract]
Moscow, August 9, 1945—2 p.m.
[Received August 10—8:30 a.m.]

2819. Following is draft memorandum referred to in my immediately preceding telegram:

Draft Memorandum to Various United Nations.

1
On August 1, 1945 the heads of Govt of the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics signed a protocol on German reparations a copy of which is enclosed.60 Particular attention is called to paragraph 3 of the protocol which reads as follows:

“The reparations claims of the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries entitled to reparations shall be met from the Western Zones and from appropriate German external assets.”

2
The Govts of the Provisional Govt of France, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America being the three powers with zones of occupation in Western Germany invite the Govt of . . . . . to supply by Sept. 15, 1945 data relating to the reparation claim of the Govt of . . . . . against Germany and the value of pre-war German assets situated in its territory. Suggestions as to the nature of the data to be included and the form in which they are to be presented are set forth in the annexes A and B to this memorandum.61
3
The data under reference may be submitted through regular diplomatic channels. It is suggested that two copies of the data requested be supplied to the diplomatic representatives of France, UK and US, respectively.
4
It is contemplated that a conference will be arranged for the conclusion of a general agreement on the allocation of reparation deliveries from the Western Zones of Germany among the countries entitled thereto.

. . . . . . .

Rptd London for Winant and Clayton as 393, Paris for Caffery as 279. Dept please rpt to Berlin for Parten and Ambassador Murphy, Political Division, USGCC (United States Group Control Commission).

[Harriman]
  1. For text, see Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. ii, p. 1485.↩
  2. Neither printed; for text of memorandum and annexes as finally sent, see identic notes transmitted on August 28, p. 1267.↩