Editorial Note
On November 30, 1948 the President of the Security Council invited the Governments of Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia and Syria and the Secretary-General to nominate a financial or economic expert to consult with a similar expert from the Government of Argentina concerning the currency and trade aspects of the Berlin situation. The committee of these experts was to complete its study within thirty days, during which time it was empowered to consult with representatives of the four occupying powers in Berlin.
[Page 1276]On November 30, the three western powers accepted the establishment of the committee, subject to certain reservations, and on December 4, the Soviet Union indicated that it might cooperate with the committee. For an outline of the committee’s proceedings and related documents, see Department of State, Documents and State Papers, May 1949, pages 749–782. Documentation on the committee’s proceedings is also in Department of State files 740.00119 Control (Germany) and 501.BC.
On December 5 elections for the City Assembly were held in the United States, British and French sectors of Berlin. Inasmuch as the Socialist Unity Party and its satellite organizations had carried on a campaign against participation in the elections, they became a test of strength between Communist and non-Communist forces. The election participation of over eighty-six percent was a clear victory of the non-Communist forces. For a description of the circumstances of the December 5 elections, see Elmer Plischke (with the assistance of Elisabeth Erdmann), Berlin: Development of Its Government and Administration (Historical Division, Office of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, 1952), pages 164–167. For documentation on the elections, including a detailed account of the results, see Berlin, Quellen und Dokumente, Chapter XIII. For a tabular description of the election results, see Germany 1947–1949, page 169.