740.00119 Control (Germany)/12–2146: Telegram
The United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 21—2:59 p.m.]
2970. For the Secretary and Hilldring. Have discussed your 3008, December 19, with Clay and McNarney emphasizing that the Department has in mind important consideration of policy going well beyond immediate question of German refugees in Denmark. Both point to adverse conditions of housing (apparently 2.4 persons per room), food and other essential features prevailing in US zone Germany. General Clay also emphasized principle involved incident to Control Council agreement of November 1945, which requires the UK and USSR to accept bulk of this batch of German refugees in UK and USSR zones of occupation according to place of their regular domicile. Under that rule majority would be repatriable in USSR zone. As Department has already been informed, US zone Germany already has approximately 731,000 refugees regularly domiciled in territory east Oder–Neisse.
General Clay understands, however, that your decision is based on considerations of a larger character. It is suggested that request for action desired be telegraphed to General Clay via War Department channels.28
- Arrangements concerning the transfer of 12,000 German refugees from Denmark into the U.S. zone in Germany continued into the following year.↩