740.00119 Control (Germany)/3–2048: Telegram

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

secret

528. Caffery has cabled Dept1 that Schneiter, State Secretary for German and Austrian Affairs, told him he had discussed with Premier relations between French and US authorities in Germany. In effect Schneiter had said: “We are somewhat confused. We do not know whether you really desire early trizonal fusion or whether you would prefer it a little later, in two or three months. If you wish it soon I shall try to persuade Schuman to bring pressure on some of my colleagues to meet your wishes”.

Dept has noted US Delegation paper L/G/48, Mar 2,2 on proposed recommendations on trizonal fusion and we recognize the force of some of the arguments against trizonal fusion under the present circumstances. Reurtel 647, Mar 20,3 Dept also notes the discussions proposed in pars 3 and 4. We believe that in any event certain preparatory rearrangements might well be developed in the near future in anticipation of trizonal fusion, possibly along the lines of some of the recommendations in Depths position paper for the London tripartite conference. In connection with approval by the next Ambassadors’ [Page 151] meeting of the sum total of recommendations, we consider it would be desirable to obtain an agreement in principle on trizonal fusion to be made public at appropriate time together with other agreements. Details of implementing fusion could be worked out later. It should be our understanding with French that administratively fusion may take place gradually in several steps so as not to disturb unduly present arrangements for bizonal economy but that fusion should be fully realized prior to establishment of western German constitutional government, or alternatively that when a provisional government is established over the bizonal area and the French zone agreement at least as to financial responsibility and authority commensurate with it will be obtained.

Ambassador Douglas concurs. Request your views and those of General Clay concerning how matter may best be handled with the French.

Marshall
  1. Telegram 1527, March 22, from Paris, not printed.
  2. The paper under reference read in part as follows:

    “1. If we can get either now or within the next month or two agreement on the establishment of a provisional government for Western Germany by this time next year at the latest, we should not seek to effectuate complete trizonal economic fusion prior to the creation of such a government.

    The basic reason for this recommendation is that economic fusion prior to that date would have to take place on the basis of integrating the French administratively into the rather elaborate bipartite military government supervisory bodies which would either be drastically reduced in functions and personnel or entirely abolished on the surrender of authority to a provisional German government. Such a task which would create serious administrative headaches would be all the more thankless in view of the early establishment of a provisional government which would make the entire bipartite (or tripartite) machinery out-of-date.”

    The paper went on to outline measures to achieve limited trizonal fusion. (CFM Files, Lot M–88, Box 2172, File—504 Verbatim Minutes 1948) These latter measures for limited fusion were advanced by Ambassador Douglas at the 8th Meeting of the London Conference on Germany, March 2; see telegram 829, Delsec 1599, March 2, from London, p. 114.

  3. Supra.