855.24/3–2045: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Belgium ( Sawyer )26
247. The Department appreciates the force of the considerations regarding exports from Germany presented in your recent telegrams (Reurtels 318, Mar. 1527 and 340, Mar. 20). However, we understand that SHAEF, under its present policies, is authorizing exportation from Germany of commodities, including civilian supplies, (1) when such exportation to liberated countries will contribute, directly or indirectly, to military operations, or (2) in some other cases, when title or right is claimed by the government or nationals of a liberated country. Although considerable delay has been encountered in formulation of CCS28 reply to SHAEF telegrams setting forth these policies, we are confident that, in their basic essentials, they will receive CCS approval.
As understood here, these principles allow considerable latitude for exportation of commodities urgently needed by liberated countries as well as for specific return of other goods when such goods have been taken by Germans. The Department believes that any further substantial broadening of these principles would be undesirable at present. Establishment of a Restitution Commission to deal with return of identifiable property taken by Germans is being discussed in EAC,29 and we expect early consideration by Separation Commission at Moscow of interim program and machinery for reparation exports. Meanwhile we are eager to retard crystallization of independent policies in advance of agreement with Russians, because the whole nature of the European settlement will be influenced to an important extent by the uniformity, or lack of uniformity, in Allied policies with respect to treatment of German resources. We are sure you will appreciate the fundamental importance of this consideration.
In practice much depends upon manner of detailed application of SHAEF’s general policies. We believe that better results will be achieved if any inadequacies in application of these policies are taken up with SHAEF by our diplomatic missions in liberated countries, as you have done, rather than by pursuing the issue in Washington. We are informed that deficiencies in local supplies have prevented maintenance of 1500 calorie dietary in most German towns and cities. However, we wholly agree that SHAEF’s attention should be called to the need for putting to effective use any local surpluses in [Page 99] particular communities. Since local variations from SHAEF’s standard rations are so considerable, both in liberated countries and in Germany, we consider that problem is rather one of improved administration of existing policies than one of revising the present general formula.