740.00119 Control (Germany)/12–1848
The United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to the Director of the Office of European Affairs (Hickerson)
Dear Jack: Yesterday at Frankfurt I had occasion to talk individually with members of the German delegation and among those was Herr Carlo Schmid, leader of the German Social Democratic Party in the French Zone of Occupation. I think it worthwhile repeating, as it undoubtedly reflects other German opinion, that Herr Schmid emphasized as far as the text of the statute of occupation is concerned he has only one preoccupation and that is the degree of control which will be exercised by the occupation authorities below the Federal governmental level. He said that for him the rest of the statute is unimportant. He thought the occupation authorities should know that if their objectives regarding the establishment of a democratic Germany were to be obtained, it would be necessary for the occupation authorities to stop interfering with German life at all levels and in all fields the way it is now being done. Whether in the domain of politics, business, finance, public and cultural affairs, according to Herr Schmid, the occupation authorities interfere with German life at every step. If there is to be a real German sovereignty, Herr Schmid said, with any hope of success in the development of the type of Germany that the Allies say they wish to see, this situation would soon become intolerable and lead to the greatest sort of difficulties. In other words, Herr Schmid feels, and in this I am sure that he has the support of an important segment of German public opinion, that occupation controls by and large should be restricted to the Federal governmental level.
Sincerely yours,