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

NLT-352 VYS 4X TOP SEGRET DECLASSIFIED by authority of SERVICE* RECOROS WAY Sept gather F.R.1945 SECIET V.P.III 14 JUNE 1945 PRIORITY 1487 Initia also FROM: OPNAV TO : ALUSNA, LONDON 1414572 NCR Anducing Fads DD NUMBER 71, TOP SEGRET AND PERSONAL, FROM PRESIDENT TRUMAN TO PRIME MINISTER CHURCHILL. para Item I have today sent the following message to Marshal Stalin: QUOTE: Now that the unconditional defeat of Germany has been an- It nounced 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 Item of the defeated 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 gar- risons into Greater Berlin and provision of free access by air, road, and rail from Frankfurt and Bremen to Berlin for U. S. forces. PARA consider the settlement of the Austrian problem is of equal urgeney Item 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. pec I therefore attach utmost importance to settling the outstanding Austrian problems in order that the whole arrangenent of derman and Austrian affairs Itom can be put into operation simultaneously. I hope that the recent visit TOP-SECRET - 1 -