740.00119 Control (Germany)/2–2546
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of War (Patterson)
My Dear Mr. Secretary: I am grateful for your letter of February 2582 with its enlightening information and comment on political developments in Germany. This Department has been following with some concern the tactics of the Soviet Military Government and the Communist Party in Germany. The following information and observations may be of interest to you in this general connection:
The Department of State has been maintaining its pressure on the French Government to recede from its stubborn opposition to the establishment of central German agencies and we have some reason to believe that the French Government is willing to modify its attitude. We have recently informed the French Government that we are prepared to support its aspirations for a permanent control of the Saar region provided that a satisfactory settlement can be reached on the question of central German agencies. The French Government has proposed an early meeting of representatives of France, the U.K., the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to discuss the question of western Germany and central agencies, and we are hopeful that such a meeting can be arranged in the near future. I shall not fail to keep the War Department informed of developments in this matter.
We agree with you that uncertainty respecting a settlement of Germany’s western frontier and French opposition to central German administrative agencies provides excellent material for German Communist propaganda, which is by no means distasteful to the Soviet occupation authorities. This propaganda obviously includes public criticism by Soviet-sponsored Germans of the conduct of affairs in the western zones. However, I doubt if we should yet want to be placed in the position of lending approval to public criticism by Germans of the policies of any of the four powers represented on the Control Council. Under our present policy, public meetings and discussions on political matters may be authorized by the Military Government. It would seem that this rule gives ample latitude to our Military Government authorities to permit public discussion of whatever issues we may desire.
The foregoing comment is, however, only part of the problem. Approximately a year has now passed since the basic American directives for Germany were drafted.83 The State–War–Navy Coordinating [Page 540] Committee has now authorized a review of these directives and the State Department proposes to present at an early date recommendations for our future policy in Germany. These recommendations will take fully into account the observations set forth in your letter of February 25.
Sincerely yours,
- Not printed, but see telegram 645, March 12, 6 p.m., to Berlin, p. 524.↩
- Reference is to JCS 1067, directive to General Eisenhower regarding military government of Germany; for text dated April 26, 1945, see Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. iii, p. 484; for documentation relating to its drafting, and to certain modifications made in May 1945, see ibid., pp. 369–539. For text of final directive as released to the press in October 1945, see Department of State Bulletin, October 21, 1945, pp. 596–607.↩