360F.115 Int. Tel. and Tel. Corp./10–545: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Harriman )
2352. Reurtel 3456 October 5. Dept advised of Soviet intention to remove by December 1 equipment in vacuum tube plant at Vrchlabi and Ferdinand Schachardt telephone set factory at Bruntal presumably as war “trophies”. Dept requests you strongly protest this action as contrary to Potsdam Agreement75 under Article IV, paragraphs 1, 5, 8 and 9 which specify that only German external assets available for Soviet reparations are those located in Finland, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria and Soviet occupied zone of Reich.76 Furthermore, this Government cannot accept apparent Soviet position that this equipment constitutes war booty and as such subject to removal by Soviet Government in violation of above paragraphs of Potsdam Agreement. This equipment clearly capable of use for civilian peacetime production without reconversion. Neither does US Government recognize that origin of equipment (Urtel paragraph 2) proves such equipment not property in which US nationals may have ownership interests.
Sent to Moscow repeated to Prague.77
- See Report on the Tripartite Conference of Berlin, released to the press on August 2, 1945, Foreign Relations, The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, vol. ii, p. 1499, or Department of State Bulletin, August 5, 1945, p. 153.↩
- For documentation regarding German reparations and restitution, see vol. iii, pp. 1169 ff.↩
- Repeated to Prague as telegram 388.↩