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GLBell/sv
4/2/46
Interest of Department of Commerce in
Policy re Industrialization of Germany
With the present set-up of the Allied Control Commission in Germany,
presumably governed by the political directive agreed upon at Potsdam, it
is not entirely clear as to what Department of the U. S. Government inter-
prets and defines such directives for the guidance of the U. S. members of
the Control Commission. The Secretary of State has in effect proclaimed
publicly that the State Department has no responsibility in the over-all
supervision of the Control Commission in Germany, and the State Department
has turned over completely to the War Department the recruiting of thousands
of civilian personnel to work under the Control Commission in Germany.
It is submitted that the War Department is not the proper agency of
SERVICE
government to assume the determination of the American position, or the re-
cruitment and administration of civilian personnel in the occupied area.
As the attached clipping indicates, Great Britáin is pressing for a weakening
of the Potsdam policies regarding industrialization. There are strong
indications that the U. S. Army representatives on the Control Commission in
Germany are sympathetic to this view. Obviously, what is done in connection
with industrialization in Germany has a very definite and far reaching bear-
ing upon international trade. It is, therefore, submitted that the Department
of Commerce should have some voice in the determination of the U. S. position.
The situation is so confused in Washington on the whole matter that
we believe the real answer lies in the creation of an independent agency
of Cabinet level, to be known as the Administrator of Occupied Areas. This
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"ocrText": "Draft\nGLBell/sv\n4/2/46\nInterest of Department of Commerce in\nPolicy re Industrialization of Germany\nWith the present set-up of the Allied Control Commission in Germany,\npresumably governed by the political directive agreed upon at Potsdam, it\nis not entirely clear as to what Department of the U. S. Government inter-\nprets and defines such directives for the guidance of the U. S. members of\nthe Control Commission. The Secretary of State has in effect proclaimed\npublicly that the State Department has no responsibility in the over-all\nsupervision of the Control Commission in Germany, and the State Department\nhas turned over completely to the War Department the recruiting of thousands\nof civilian personnel to work under the Control Commission in Germany.\nIt is submitted that the War Department is not the proper agency of\nSERVICE\ngovernment to assume the determination of the American position, or the re-\ncruitment and administration of civilian personnel in the occupied area.\nAs the attached clipping indicates, Great Britáin is pressing for a weakening\nof the Potsdam policies regarding industrialization. There are strong\nindications that the U. S. Army representatives on the Control Commission in\nGermany are sympathetic to this view. Obviously, what is done in connection\nwith industrialization in Germany has a very definite and far reaching bear-\ning upon international trade. It is, therefore, submitted that the Department\nof Commerce should have some voice in the determination of the U. S. position.\nThe situation is so confused in Washington on the whole matter that\nwe believe the real answer lies in the creation of an independent agency\nof Cabinet level, to be known as the Administrator of Occupied Areas. This"
}