Office of the Historian

800.515/6–1545: Telegram

No. 991
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)1

restricted
u. s. urgent
Washington, July 24, 1945—6 p.m.

2381. Formally notify FO that powers occupying Germany claim title to or control of German owned or German controlled assets (repeated to London as 462 and Paris as 409) and request that Govt to which you are accredited take no action which would conflict with this control which must be recognized as having come into existence. ReDeptel 2042 to you of June 15 (1137 to Stockholm, 988 to Lisbon, 618 to Ankara, 4828 to London, 2768 to Paris, 1316 to Moscow).2 Brit have agreed to foregoing specifically for neutrals and French have indicated will instruct their Missions to join US–UK in warnings of this nature. Russians have been informed we assume their consent from Russian actions at Ankara and Stockholm. Inform your colleagues representing occupying powers of your proposed action and ask them to take identical steps. Madrid has already acted. Ankara to await parallel Brit instructions.

[Page 957]

Sent to Bern, Stockholm, Lisbon and Ankara for action. Repeated to London, Paris[,] Buenos Aires and Moscow for info.

Grew
C[ovey] T. O[liver]
  1. The same message was sent at the same hour to the Minister in Sweden (Johnson) as telegram No. 1416; to the Ambassador in Portugal (Baruch) as telegram No. 1218; and to the Ambassador in Turkey (Wilson) as telegram No. 759.↩
  2. See vol. i, document No. 382, footnote 1.↩