Foreign Relations of the United States, Conference at Quebec, 1944

J.C.S. Files

Memorandum Approved by the Combined Chiefs of Staff¹

top secret
C.C.S. 320/27

[Quebec,] 16 September 1944.

Allocation of Zones of Occupation in Germany

Upon the collapse of organized resistance by the German Army the following subdivision of that part of Germany not allocated to the Soviet Government for disarmament, policing, and the preservation of order is acceptable from a military point of view by [to] the Combined Chiefs of Staff.

For disarmament, policing and preservation of order:

The British forces² under a British Commander will occupy Germany west of the Rhine and east of the Rhine³ north of the line from Koblenz following the northern border of Hessen and Nassau to the border of the area allocated to the Soviet Government.

The forces of the United States under a United States Commander will occupy Germany east of the Rhine, south of the line Koblenz–northern border of Hessen–Nassau and west of the area allocated to the Soviet Government.

Control of the ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven,⁴ and the necessary staging areas in that immediate vicinity will be vested in the Commander of the American Zone.

American area to have in addition access through the western and northwestern seaports and passage through the British controlled area.

Accurate delineation of the above outlined British and American areas of control can be made at a later date.

1. Approved by the Combined Chiefs of Staff at their 176th Meeting, September 16, 1944. See ante, p. 376. Following the agreement reached by Roosevelt and Churchill on September 15, 1944, on the allocation of the northwestern and southwestern zones of occupation in Germany as between British and United States forces (see ante, p. 365), Leahy presented a memorandum reflecting that agreement at the 178th Meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, September 16 (see ante, p. 373). The Joint Chiefs of Staff amended and approved Leahy’s memorandum, and the resulting paper was circulated the same day to the Combined Chiefs of Staff as C.C.S. 320/26, “Allocation of Zones of Occupation in Germany”, September 16, 1944. This paper is not printed as such, but its text can be reconstructed from C.C.S. 320/27 and fns. 2–4, below.
2. C.C.S. 320/26 read “The forces of Great Britain”.
3. C.C.S. 320/26 had the additional word “and” at this point.
4. The words “and Bremerhaven,” did not appear in C.C.S. 320/26.