Office of the Historian

Truman Papers

No. 391
The Joint Chiefs of Staff to the President
top secret
Washington, 10 July 1945.

Memorandum for the President

The Joint Chiefs of Staff recommend the following statement of policy in regard to the disposition and distribution of the German Fleet:

a.
The United States policy in regard to the disposition of the German Fleet is that, except for (1) a limited number of ships for experimental and test purposes and (2) any naval auxiliary vessels having further usefulness, all naval vessels should be destroyed, i. e., sunk on the high seas or scrapped.
b.
Failing agreement by the nations represented on the European Advisory Commission (whose functions may be taken over by the Allied Control Commission) as to this disposition, then the United States should press for:
(1)
Agreement that all capital ships such as battleships, pocket battleships, cruisers, and also submarines be destroyed (as provided above) while smaller craft and more lightly armed vessels be shared equally by the United States, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom, and France; or failing this
(2)
Agreement that one-fourth share of each category of ships in the German Fleet be assigned to each of these four major powers.
(3)
In any event the United States should press for the sinking of German submarines.
c.
Only the governments represented on the European Advisory Commission (whose functions may be taken over by the Allied Control Commission) constitute the agency to determine the final disposition of all captured or surrendered German war material including the German Fleet. Others of the United Nations will probably submit claims for warships. In this event the United States policy should be that the European Advisory Commission (or Allied Control Commission) should make an equitable distribution, counting the bids of each of the four major powers as being one-fourth of each category.
d.
No distinction should be made between surrendered and captured war vessels.
e.
In the event the Soviets ask for the United States share, it would then appear necessary first to ascertain if this retransfer is acceptable to the United Kingdom and France, and if agreed by them then to use this Soviet desire to obtain the best bargain possible in the light of over-all assistance to the war against Japan.

For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
G C Marshall

Chief of Staff U. S. Army.