740.00119 Control (Germany)/2–2446: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy)
645. Secretary of War has written letter to me58 of tenor comparable to your 602 of Feb 24. He reports Military Govt belief that unwillingness of Western Powers to take a stand on frontier issue is giving Soviet Military Govt and Communist Party great propaganda advantage. Letter concludes “It is also reported that it will be difficult to prevent the spread of this development unless the political parties in the Western Zone can be given license to discuss the above and similar issues, that to permit a discussion of the French position will no doubt arouse French resentment; and it is believed that the prohibition against political discussions of critical issues interferes [Page 525] with the achievement of our objectives in Germany. In view of the foregoing it appears desirable that our present policy concerning political discussions in Germany should be reviewed as a matter of urgency.”
Your comments would be appreciated.
- Dated February 25, not printed.↩