Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume IV

Defense Files: Telegram

The Combined Chiefs of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater (Morgan)

top secret

[Washington,] 6 February, 1947.

WARX 91496 (Fan 720). Supplementing Fan 715¹ and answering Naf 1252² and Naf 1262.³

1. Command arrangements in paragraph 2, Fan 715 will be as follows:

a. Command of U.K. and U.S. contingents in Free Territory of Trieste will be separate for operations with U.K. and U.S. contingent commanders reporting individually to the Governor (along with Yugoslav commander) in connection with the mission of their respective contingents in the Free Territory.

b. Administration and logistics common to U.K. and U.S. forces in the Free Territory of Trieste will be coordinated under a combined commander who will be British and will be responsible to the Combined Chiefs of Staff.

c. The British commander appointed to command the British contingent will also perform the duties of the combined U.K.–U.S. commander responsible to the Combined Chiefs of Staff for administration and logistics.⁴

2. We endorse your assumption in paragraph 6 of Naf 1262 that from “R” Day until the Governor assumes office, Allied Military Government in the Anglo-United States zone of the Trieste Free Territory will be under control of the U.K.–U.S. combined commander, referred to in 1 b above, who will be responsible to the Combined Chiefs of Staff.⁵

3. It may take some time for the Governor after assuming office to get the machinery of civil administration fully working. In all probability therefore he may ask for Allied Military Government personnel to assist him until he can replace them by his own civilian staff. This does not alter the fact that Allied Military Government as such will cease on the Governor assuming office and that all duties subsequently performed by Allied Military Government personnel whose assistance may be requested by the Governor will be performed in his name and will be subject to his approval.

1. WARX 90317, January 22, not printed; it explained the expected roles of the national contingents in the Free Territory of Trieste from “R” day to the assumption of office by the Governor, and for the 90-day period thereafter (Defense Files).
2. See footnote 2, p. 56.
3. FX 74184, January 9, not printed; it stated General Morgan’s estimate that the U.S. contingent would be one reinforced infantry regiment, the British force, one reinforced infantry brigade; and his planning assumption that from “R” day until assumption of office by the Governor, Allied Military Government in the Anglo-American zone would be under control of the allied force commander responsible to the Combined Chiefs of Staff (Defense Files).
4. WARX 93880 (Fan 739), March 12, not printed; it extended the responsibilities of the Combined Commander to include operational command for this period (Defense Files).
5. WARX 95044 (Fan 743), March 28, not printed; in it the Combined Chiefs of Staff notified Morgan that it had approved the appointment of Maj. Gen. Terrence Sydney Airey as Commander of the British Element of the Trieste Free Territory Force (Defense Files).