Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Council of Foreign Ministers; Germany and Austria, Volume II

740.00119 Control (Germany)/10–2647: Telegram

The Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to the Director of the Office of European Affairs (Hickerson)³²

secret

Berlin, October 26, 1947—3 p.m.

3437. Personal for Hickerson. I hope that consideration is being given suggestion that prior to London meeting public statement be made outlining the US position regarding Germany. On return here³³ I am convinced that the German internal situation requires an effort on our part to offset the wholesale Soviet effort to swing German public opinion against the US. I fear that secure in our belief in the purity of our intentions we are inclined to complacency. Whatever our own intentions we should not forget that the US is closely associated in the German mind with France and the UK. While the average German may realize that the US contributes much to German welfare, he regards US as influenced by France and England. The latter are distrusted in the economic field. Few Germans doubt that France and England are exploiting Germany’s present plight for their selfish commercial ends, and we become associated with this notion. Soviet propaganda plugs this line, together with the charge that we and the western powers are working for the partition of Germany. The Soviet propaganda campaign far overshadows our slender efforts.

That the British also believe that an effort should be made to stem a trend of increasing German opinion adverse to the west is apparent from Lord Pakenham’s London statement of October 25 which please read. If Department is disinclined to put out something on Cabinet level along similar lines or those suggested to you, then it should be done on a lower level. Saltzman or the Under Secretary might be willing to make a statement that could be built up by our information media here. The announced western plan to dismantle an important list of factories on reparations account is having a serious impact on German thinking. If we remain silent and go into the London meeting cold we can expect the USSR to take full advantage.

Sent to Department as 3437. Copies via pouch to London and Moscow.

Murphy

32. No action appears to have been taken on this telegram.
33. Earlier in October, Murphy had been in Washington in connection with the American-British discussions on the revision of the Bizonal Fusion Agreement of December 1946. He returned to Berlin in late October.