Meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 10:15 a.m.
| Present | ||
|---|---|---|
| Admiral Leahy | Brigadier General Roberts | |
| General Marshall | Brigadier General Bessell | |
| Admiral King | Brigadier General Everest | |
| General Arnold | Brigadier General Lindsay | |
| Lieutenant General Somervell | Captain Burrough | |
| Lieutenant General Handy | Captain Fife | |
| Rear Admiral Cooke | Captain McDill | |
| Rear Admiral McCormick | Colonel Peck | |
| Rear Admiral Duncan | Colonel Lincoln | |
| Major General Fairchild | Colonel Benner | |
| Major General Kuter | Commander Clark | |
| Major General Wood | Lieutenant Colonel Pasco | |
| Secretariat | ||
| Brigadier General McFarland | Captain Graves |
Joint Chiefs of Staff minutes
September 16, 1944, 10:15 a.m.
Top secret
Allocation of zones of occupation in Germany
Admiral Leahy said that a decision had been reached on the allocation of zones of occupation in Germany. He presented a memorandum which he had prepared for presentation to the British. He had outlined the British and United States areas and had included remarks on the necessity for access to northwestern sea ports and passage through the British-controlled area.
General Marshall said that, in his opinion, it would be desirable to specify one port that would be controlled by the United States.
Admiral King concurred.
In response to a question by Admiral Leahy as to the sufficiency of a single port, General Marshall replied that one port would be enough provided the United States had complete control of it and the port had sufficient capacity to handle approximately 10,000 tons of supplies daily.
Admiral King suggested that Bremen and vicinity be proposed for United States control.
General Marshall proposed that an additional paragraph be included in the memorandum as follows: “Control of the port of Bremen and the necessary staging areas in that immediate vicinity will be vested in the commander of the American zone.”
Admiral Leahy suggested that in view of General Marshall’s amendment it would be desirable to insert in the next to the last paragraph the words “in addition” after the word “have” in the first line thereof.
General Arnold felt that some reference to the source of the Soviet area boundaries should be included for identification.
Admiral Leahy said that the question of Soviet boundaries had already been settled by agreement, and mention of it would not be appropriate in this paper.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff: Approved the memorandum proposed by Admiral Leahy, as amended during discussion, and agreed to its presentation to the Combined Chiefs of Staff. (Subsequently circulated as CCS 320/26)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Situation of the Chinese forces in the China-Burma-India Theater
General Marshall read a message from General Stilwell outlining the military situation in the Chinese areas of operation. The situation appeared to be extremely unfavorable and unless the Chinese took immediate remedial steps, there would be reverses of far-reaching proportions.
General Marshall said he had reported the situation to the President. Pie read a message which he had prepared for the President to dispatch to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek outlining the consequences if immediate steps were not taken to rectify the unfavorable military situation, and requested the comment of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff: Approved the message from the President to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek proposed by General Marshall.