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    "localId": "245256294",
    "label": "Messages Between General Lucius Clay and the Department of the Army",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Messages Between General Lucius Clay and the Department of the Army",
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{
    "seq": 7,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY\nSTAFF MESSAGE CENTER\nOUTGOING CLASSIFIED MESSAGE\nSECAST\nNr: WAR 88256\nPage 4\ngovernment. To suspend ratification in the\nWestern Laender by fourpower agreement until\nthe Eastern Laender participated in ratification\nit is feared might imperil securing the necessary\ntwothirds vote if the Eastern Laender, yielding\nto outside pressure while vigorously supporting\nthe idea of unification, took the position that\nthere should be a more centralized state and a\nconstitution which they had participated in\nformulating and by there being enough of the\nWestern Laender who would also vote not to\nratify, either feeling that there was too much\ncentralization or not enough. Murphy seems to\nfeel that there might be some basis for this\napprehension and that it is important to get\nthe ratification of the Western zones carried\nout on timetable whatever may be the ultimate\nresult as to the admission of the Eastern Laender.\nIf the constitution were ratified, 1t would\nseem, and we take It to be youx view, that the\nearliest stage in which there should be any\nadaptation of present timetable to fourzone\naction should be in the elections of the Legisla-\ntive Assembly. It might be agreeable, as you\nsuggest, to the western authorities to take\nthis course. one difficulty is that under the\nBonn Constitution the only way in which additional\nlaender can become parties to that constitution\nis by admission by the Legislative Assembly and\nthe Legislative Assembly would have to be elected\nfrom the Western zones before they could pass\nthe law for such admission. Thus, unless we are\nprepared to override the provisions of the\nconstitution by some fourpower directive, it\nmight be difficult to make the election of\nrepresentatives to the Legislative Assembly from\nthe original constituent members and the new\nEastern Laender accession coincident. A possible\nexpedient might be to provide, coincident with\nthe Legislative elections in the Western Laender\nCM OUT 88256\n(May 49)\nDECLASSIFIED\nBe o. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or DE\nBept. of State Letter, Aug. 9, 1973\nD. LTR. 4.12.74\nBa.\nNLT- HC : NARS Date 7-20-26\nCOPY No.\nTHE MAKING OF AN EXACT COPY OF THIS MESSAGE IS FORBIDDEN\nut s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 16-53736-1"
}