Telegram from President Harry S. Truman to Prime Minister Winston Churchill

THER Inn pranct $. NLT-263 VLOIL sto DECLASSIFIED by authority of SOVERN MENT 2619 TOP SECRET Dept fstale F.R.1945 Vol. III P.240 23 April 1945 PRIORITY Initials, He Date 6-73 FROM: OPNAV TO : ALUSNA, LONDON 231933Z NCR NUMBER 9, PERSONAL AND TOP SECRET, FROM THE PRESIDENT FOR THE PRIME MINISTER. Replying to your No. 7 of April 18, the following is a message which I consider suitable for sending to Stalin if you agree, and if you will send to him a similar message. Please let me know what you think of this sug- gestion. QUOTE: The approaching end of German resistance makes it necessary that the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union decide upon an orderly procedure for the occupation by their forces of the zones which they will occupy in Germany and Austria. I therefore propose the following: 1. That we agree that in both Germany and Austria our respective troops should, as soon as the military situation permits, retire to the zone which it has been agreed they should occupy. 2. In order to avoid any confusion between our armies in the field we agree that whenever one of our commanders is ready to occupy a portion of the zone allotted to his country which is held by other Allied troops, he inform his own Government of the sector he is prepared to occupy. 3. That we agree that the Government concerned would then consult the other two Governments in order that the necessary instructions be given for the immediate evacuation of the area involved and its occupation by the troops of the country to which it is assigned. - 1 - Tho TUT