Office of the Historian

740.00119 EW/2–1745: Telegram

Mr. Alexander C. Kirk, Political Adviser on the Staff of the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater, to the Secretary of State

Caserta, March 17, 1945—12 p.m.
[Received March 18—1:30 p.m.]

1017. Re our 925, March 1164 and 957, March 13. We assume you are being kept fully informed by General Marshall on this matter. This office if [is] fully apprised of developments as they occur but on grounds of security we shall continue to refrain from reporting in detail to Department unless specifically directed to do so.65 We have seen several telegrams exchanged in the last few days between his HQ and Combined Chiefs of Staff, the Naf-Fan series. We have also seen messages between Churchill and Alexander. If this matter should be concluded successfully does Department have any special instruction which it may care to issue at this time? If so they should be sent to Caserta urgently.

Kirk
  1. Not printed, but see footnote 45, p. 725.↩

  2. Detailed reports of the Bern negotiations were never sent to the Department via Department channels. Frequent reports however, did reach the Department from the Office of Strategic Services, and in War Department telegrams passed to the Department for information.

    Representatives of the Supreme Allied Commander met with General Wolff in Bern on March 19. It was arranged that General Wolff would leave the following day for discussions with Field Marshal Kesselring and other high ranking German officers in an effort to enlist their support. General Wolff was told that if successful in these discussions, he must arrange for the despatch to Allied Force Headquarters in Caserta of qualified officers armed with full powers to make plans for a surrender.

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