Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, General: Political and Economic Matters, Volume II

800.4016 DP/5–945: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State

Paris, May 9, 1945—9 p.m.
[Received May 10—3:47 a.m.]

2492. From Murphy. G–5²⁷ SHAEF, proposes to instruct army groups and communications zone substantially as follows regarding movement of displaced persons:

Steps will be taken to transfer to Germany displaced persons other than Belgians, French, Dutch and Luxemburgers who were previously evacuated into Allied countries from Germany because of operational necessities.

Germans so evacuated will be returned to Germany preferably to the districts from which they were evacuated. Eastern European displaced persons will be moved as far eastward as military operations permit but, except for Soviet citizens, not into Russian zone of occupation now occupied by Allied forces.²⁸ Instruction mentions that United States and British Governments up to present time have not formally recognized any territorial changes resulting from the war. Instruction continues that Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, and Poles whose homes are east of 1939 line of demarcation²⁹ or Curzon Line³⁰ will not be repatriated to Soviet Union, returned to their district of former residence or transferred to Russian zone in Germany unless they claim Soviet citizenship affirmatively.

Instruction will state that special arrangements will be made for Polish laborers, particularly miners, who are to be sought by AEF³¹ officials as voluntary labor for Belgian industry.

Above instruction is considered to answer request of French to General Eisenhower that central and eastern Europeans not be moved westward from Germany and Switzerland into France. [Murphy.]

Caffery

27. Civil Affairs Division.
28. On February 11, 1945, at Yalta, representatives of the United States and the Soviet Union concluded an Agreement Relating to Prisoners of War and Civilians Liberated by Forces Operating Under Soviet Command and Forces Operating Under United States Command; for text of agreement, see Foreign Relations, The Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945, p. 985. For an official American interpretation of that agreement and the basic statements of American policy on the repatriation of Soviet citizens, see the memoranda of the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee of March 9 and December 21, 1945, vol. v, pp. 1075 and 1108, respectively. For additional documentation regarding the arrangements relative to the treatment and reciprocal repatriation of American and Soviet prisoners of war and interned civilians liberated by Allied forces, see ibid., pp. 1067 ff.
29. See Supplementary Protocol between Germany and the Soviet Union signed in Moscow, October 4, 1939, Documents on German Foreign Policy, series D, vol. viii, p. 208.
30. In regard to the origin of the Curzon Line, and for a description of it, see Foreign Relations, The Paris Peace Conference, 1919, vol. xiii, pp. 793–794.
31. Allied Expeditionary Force.