840.50 Recovery/4–1348: Telegram
The United States Military Governor for Germany ( Clay ) to the Department of the Army 1
[CC–3854.] British, French and US Military Governors met yesterday in Berlin to consider the final reports of the working parties set up by the Military Governors as covered in my cable C–35842 and to decide on the report to be made by them to the London Conference.
Final reports were submitted by all seven working parties. The heads of the Benelux military missions in Berlin were present for the discussion of the reports of working parties 1, 5 and 6 at the conclusion of which they withdrew and the three Military Governors finished discussion of the rest of the reports.
We agreed a report to London of the study we have caused to be made these past four weeks as a result of the last London Conference. The text of the report follows. This text will be finalized in Frankfurt on Thursday 15 April 1948. Should there be any changes I will notify you. The papers referred to in the various appendices to this report have already been sent separately by air both to the Under Secretary of War and to CSCAD:
[Here follows the text of the Report by the United States, United Kingdom and French Commanders in Chief to the London Conference; for the text of that Report as subsequently slightly amended and signed on April 14, see infra.]
I will make a separate report to London of the maer [Amer] position [Page 181] on these various working party’s reports.3 My chief criticism of them is that they did not record any substantial progress on matters of principle, but instead dealt in details. I considered, and I so informed the British and French Military Governors, that it was a great mistake to agree details before reconciliation of the principles involved. I feel especially that working party 5 report, dealing with the future political organization of west Germany, showed no progress over the position taken at the last London Conference. A new approach to the solution of this problem is needed.