740.00119 Control (Germany)/2–1846: Telegram

The United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to the Secretary of State

secret

538. War Department has requested USFET to comment on a further request from the French for the inclusion of Karlsruhe and Mannheim in the French zone of occupation.38 OMGUS has recommended that USFET include the following comment in its reply to the War Department.

“Military Government has organized United States zone of occupation into these units. The separation of any further territory to include Karlsruhe and Mannheim at this time would indicate lack of stability of our state boundaries. If and when central administrative machinery is established, it should be possible to fix permanently state boundaries within Germany. When this is accomplished and state governments are functioning uniformly under a federalized structure, the origin of occupation troops becomes less important. Moreover, existing difficulties in communications between zones would increase greatly with loss of Karlsruhe and Mannheim and importation of civil needs into the United States zone would be made more difficult with our Rhine imports under French jurisdiction. Also, would be removing industrial area which would make United States zone even less independent economically than at present. Prestige of American Military Government necessitates the holding of present boundaries until the future governmental structures of Germany is agreed by the Four occupying powers. Otherwise, execution of our Military Government mission will be made most difficult.”

Sent to Department as 538; repeated to Frankfurt as 18.

Murphy
  1. For earlier documentation on this subject, see telegram 211, December 29, 1945, from Frankfurt, Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. iii, p. 1025.