Telegram from President Harry S. Truman to Marshal Joseph Stalin

TAD NLT-351 DECLASSIFIED by authority of 1486 TOP SEGRET Vol.III C.135 14 JUNE 1945 s PRIORITY INATIONAL Initial litter Date/. 7-73 FROM: OPNAV US SERVICEN TO : ALUSNA, MOSCOW 141447Z NCR NUMBER 288, PERSONAL AND TOP SECRET, FROM THE PRESIDENT FOR MARSHAL STALIN. Now that the unconditional defeat of Germany has been announced and the Control Council for Germany has had its first meeting, I propose that we should at once issue definite instructions which will get forces into their respective zones and will initiate orderly administration of the de- feated territory. As to Germany, I am ready to have instructions issued to all American troops to begin withdrawal into their own zone on 21 June in accordance with arrangements between the respective commanders, including in these arrangements simultaneous movement of the national garrisons into Greater Berlin and provision of free access by air, road, and rail from Frankfurt and Bremen to Berlin for U. S. forces. I consider the settlement of the Austrian problem is of equal urgency to the German matter. The redistribution of forces into occupation zones which have been agreed in principle by the EAC, the movement of the national garrisons into Vienna and the establishment of the Allied Commission for Austria should take place simultaneously with these developments in Germany. I therefore attach utmost importance to settling the outstanding Austrian problems in order that the whole arrangement of German and Austrian affairs can be put into operation simultaneously, I hope that the recent visit of American, British and French missions to Vienna will result in the EAC's being able to take the necessary remaining decisions to this end without delay. TOP SECRET - 1 -