Memorandum from Committee I to Edwin Pauley, Report of Marshal Zhukov on Removals by Allies from Russian Zone

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MEMORANDUM To: Ambassador E. W. Pauley From: Committee I July 29, 1945 Subject: Report of Marshal Zhukov on Removals by Allies from Russian Zone After analyzing the report of Marshal Zhukov on the removal by American and British armies of equipment and other properties from the factories and other institutions in the Soviet zone of occupation, we have the following comments: 1. The report is probably largely correct, but compared to the removals of industrial equipment reported and observed in the Berlin District and elsewhere, the removals reported by Marshal Zhukov are trivial. 2. Most of the removals listed, of equipment, documents and personnel, have to do with recent German technical advances, for immedi- ate use in war or war production, and are clearly war booty. 3. The removals of gold and artistic or cultural objects have been made public and are subject to action by the Reparations Commis- sion. 1. Much of the damage to instruments and equipment, in the light of our observations, was caused by looting and destruction by for- eign slave labor; souvenir hunters, as in all armies, also played their part. 5. Personnel removed were those suspected of being war crim- inals or of contributing to German war potential. 6. The removals of equipment described in Marshal Zhukov's document are not those required for Germany's peacetime economy, but rather for war purposes, whereas the Russian removals observed, such as agricultural equipment, sewing machines and textile machines, are cer- tainly not war potentials. is ARCHIVE *NATIONAL SERVICE" AND RECURDS DECLASSIFIED E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or DE) Dept. of State letter, Aug. 10, 1972 By WLT-WC NARS Date 6.29.26