860F.01/7–545: Telegram
The United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:02 a.m.]
109. On basis of Agwar39 signal to SHAEF, W–26489,40 SHAEF is proposing to send message to Twelfth Army Group, which will be repeated to JCS,41 setting forth Dept’s policy concerning continued occupation of Czechoslovakia and mentioning it is estimated that Russian occupational forces in Czechoslovakia are now being reduced from 150,000 to about 40,000. Twelfth Army Group is instructed to arrange gradual withdrawal as soon as possible which [Page 470] will continue until US forces are reduced to about one fourth present strength. Meanwhile existing line of contact with Russians will be maintained. Twelfth Army Group is further instructed to keep this headquarters informed of its estimate of situation in Czechoslovakia so that recommendations can be submitted to JCS as to the appropriate time for complete withdrawal.
- Adjutant General, War Department.↩
- The contents of this message from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to General Eisenhower are summarized in Pogue, The Supreme Command, pp. 507–508.↩
- Message S 95715, July 6, 1945, from British Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur W. Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force, to the United States 12th Army Group, and repeated to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that policy regarding withdrawal from Czechoslovakia was that U.S. forces should be withdrawn simultaneously and in proportion to withdrawal of Russian forces, and went on to make the other points contained in Ambassador Murphy’s telegram (United States Political Adviser for Germany Files).↩