Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, European Advisory Commission, Austria, Germany, Volume III

740.00119 Control (Germany)/5–145: Telegram

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

Paris, May 1, 1945—noon.
[Received May 1—10:45 a.m.]

2247. My conversation last evening with Mr. Reber.⁹² Following the request (my 2211, April 29⁹³) to delay action on Department’s 1740, April 28, Ambassador Murphy telephoned me that he had been asked to bring General Meyer of EAC and several officers from SHAEF to see me to explain why the request had been made to delay action. Ambassador Murphy and the officers with him explained to me that in their opinion the suggested French occupied zone to be taken out of the American zone should not be that described in the Department’s 1740, but considerably reduced.

In reply to Murphy and the officers with him I stated that I would withhold all action until I heard again from the Department of State.

Caffery

92. In a transatlantic telephone conversation on April 30, Mr. Samuel Reber, Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of European Affairs (Matthews) asked the Ambassador in France about the situation regarding French acceptance of a zone of occupation in Germany as described in Department’s telegram 1740 of April 28; Ambassador Caffery reported that SHAEF had changed its position and was no longer willing to agree to the assignment of all of Baden, Wurttemberg, and Sigmaringen to the French (740.00119 Control (Germany)/4–3045).
93. Not printed; it reported that action on Department’s telegram 1740 of April 28 was being delayed in view of a request from Ambassador Winant in London received by way of Lt. Gen. Bedell Smith (740.00119 Control (Germany) 4–2945).