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

NLT-349 TAD T t) 8. DECLASSIFIED by authority ef "NATIONAL Dept father F.R.1945 us ARCHIVES SERVICE RECORDS Aive TOP SECRET VIP.II P. 133 JUN COVERYN 11 JUNE 1945 PRIORITY Initials HL Datef:2-13 = FROM: OPNAV 980 M AQAH TO : ALUSNA, LONDON 112126Z NCR site Beaut KK 5 NUMBER 70, TOP SECRET AND PERSONAL, FROM THE PRESIDENT FOR PRIME MINISTER CHURCHILL. Your No. 81. In consideration of the tripartite agreement as to zones of occu- pation in Germany approved by President Roosevelt after long consideration and detailed discussion with you, I am unable to delay the withdrawal of American troops from the Soviet zone in order to use pressure in the settle- ment of other problems. Advice of the highest reliability is received that the Allied Control Council cannot begin to function until Allied troops withdraw from the Russian zone. I am also convinced that the Military Government now exercised by the Allied Supreme Commander should, without delay, be terminated and divided between Eisenhower and Montgomery, each to function in the zone occupied by his own troops. I am advised that it would be highly disadvantageous to our relations with the Soviet to postpone action in this matter until our meeting in July. I therefore propose to send the following message to Stalin: QUOTE: 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 defeated TOP-SEORE DIHGN - 1 -