America at war! (1941–) – Part 5

Lochner hurt in Berlin crash

By Louis P. Lochner, Associated Press writer

U.S. State Department (July 31, 1945)

Log of the President’s Trip to the Berlin Conference

Tuesday, July 31:

At 0900 Brigadier General Stuart Cutler, Commanding General, Berlin Headquarters District, came to the Little White House and called on the President and General Vaughan.

1000: Mr. Rowan, Prime Minister Attlee’s secretary, called on the President.

Mail was dispatched to Washington this afternoon.

1545: The President left the Little White House for Cecilienhof.

1600: The eleventh meeting of the Big Three was convened. This turned out to be a long session as the meeting did not adjourn until 1915. The President left immediately for the Little White House.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Syonan Shimbun (August 1, 1945)

248 enemy aircraft downed, damaged over Nippon Saturday

Foe Kure raiders pay heavy toll

Another devastating airstrike carried out against foe ships

Third successive assault in three days

Latest foe offensive in Balikpapan area completely smashed

Stalin resumes talks after short indisposition

LISBON (Domei, July 31) – Soviet Premier Josef Stalin who had been slightly indisposed and absent from the discussions since Sunday, resumed the talks this afternoon with American President Harry Truman and British Prime Minister Clement Attlee, according to a Berlin dispatch.

It is understood that during Stalin’s illness, Soviet Foreign Commissar Molotov represented Stalin in the discussions with Truman and Attlee.

Berlin press reports state that Attlee will be returning to Britain after today’s meeting to attend the swearing-in ceremony, of the newly appointed British Cabinet Ministers, scheduled for tomorrow, leaving British Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin to carry on at Potsdam.

Hero who sunk foe subs honored

Editorial: Who’s losing?

Foe warned Kamikaze attacks effective

Thai hospital bombed

BANGKOK (Domei, July 31) – The Home Defence Command announced that some six enemy B-24 bombers attacked the Thai capital with demolition bombs Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The announcement said enemy aircraft caused some damage to military facilities while the Siriraj Hospital, built by Rockefeller Foundation funds, was badly damaged. It added that three bombs of large calibre dropped on the hospital buildings caused heavy casualties. The poops of the hospital were clearly marked with huge Red Cross signs.

$1 million damage in U.S. plane crash

LISBON (Domei, July 30) – The spectacular crash of an American Army Mitchell bomber into the Empire State Building in New York on Saturday is estimated unofficially to have caused damage amounting to a sum of about $1,000,000, according to a New York message.

At least 13 lives were lost and 26 others seriously injured, the dispatch said.

Salzburger Nachrichten (August 1, 1945)

Laval in Linz verhaftet

Herriot beschuldigt Petain sein Wort gebrochen zu haben

US-Senat ratifiziert die Welt-Charta

Potsdamer Konferenz verzögert

General Mark W. Clark in Salzburg

Kampf um Kweilins Flugplatz

L’Aube (August 1, 1945)

Pierre Laval a été remis aux Français

par les autorités américaines auxquelles il s’était livré

À Potsdam –
La conférence se poursuivra-t-elle sans Attlee ?

Washington répond a Tokio –
« La parole est aux militaires »

U.S. State Department (August 1, 1945)

740.00119 Potsdam/8-145

Report by the Technical Subcommittee on Disposition of the German Navy and Merchant Marine

[Babelsberg, August 1, 1945]
Enclosure[s]: (A) Decisions of the Tripartite Conference on Distribution of the German Navy
(B) Decisions of the Tripartite Conference on Distribution of the German Merchant Marine
  1. The Committee met at 1030, 31 July, 1945, in consideration of above subject. The Committee’s recommendations, Enclosures (A) and Enclosure (B), are based upon tentative decisions reached during plenary sessions of the Tripartite Conference beginning 17 July, 1945. These enclosures are drafted in the form of decisions in order to facilitate final action in the plenary session of the Tripartite Conference. [For?] Those parts of the enclosures in which agreed recommendations could not be made the divergent views are set forth in each of the specific paragraphs involved.

  2. The Committee feel bound to draw the attention of the Conference [to] the possibility that any public announcement that German warships are to be divided amongst the Allies may result in the German crews scuttling ships which might be ordered to sail to Allied ports. It is therefore desirable that no announcement of the division of the German Navy be made, at any rate until the expert commission has completed its investigations, which should include the detailed arrangements for carrying out the transfer of ships. A similar delay is necessary before making any definite announcement about the division of the surrendered German merchant ships. The Committee accordingly recommend that the Conference might confine publicity to the following announcement:

    The Conference agreed in principle upon arrangements for the use and disposal of the surrendered German Fleet and merchant ships. It was decided that the Three Governments would appoint experts to work out together detailed plans to give effect to the agreed principles. A further joint statement will be published simultaneously by the Three Governments in due course.

КУЗЊЕЦОВ
Admiral of the Fleet

C M COOKE JR.
Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy

E D B MCCARTHY
Rear Admiral, Royal Navy

[Enclosure A]

Decisions of the Tripartite Conference on Distribution of the German Navy

  1. The Tripartite Conference agree upon the following principles for the distribution of the German Navy:

    (a) The total strength of the German surface navy, excluding ships sunk and those taken over from Allied Nations, but including ships under construction or repair, shall be divided equally among the USSR, U.K., and U.S.

    (1) (The British representatives expressed the view that a portion of the German Navy should be allotted to France and that, therefore, full agreement with the above principles must be subject to final decision of the Plenary Conference.)

    (b) Ships under construction or repair mean those ships whose construction or repair may be completed within three to six months, according to the type of ship. Whether such ships under construction or repair shall be completed or repaired shall be determined by the technical commission appointed by the Three Powers and referred to below, subject to the principle that their completion or repair must be achieved within the time limits above provided without any increase of skilled employment in the German shipyards and without permitting the reopening of any German shipbuilding or connected industries. Completion date means the date when a ship is able to go out on its first trip, or, under peace-time standards, would refer to the customary date of delivery by shipyard to the Government.

    (c) The larger part of the German submarine fleet shall be sunk. The Committee are not able to make a recommendation as regards the number of submarines to be preserved for experimental and technical purposes.

    • (1) It is the opinion of the British and American members that not more than 30 submarines shall be preserved and divided equally between the USSR, U.K. and U.S. for experimental and technical purposes. Paragraph 1 (a) (1) also applies to submarines.

    • (2) It is the view of the Russian members that this number is too small for their requirements and that USSR should receive about 30 submarines for its own experimental and technical purposes.

    (d) All stocks of armaments, ammunition and supplies of the German Navy appertaining to the vessels transferred pursuant to subparagraphs (a) and (c) hereof shall be handed over to the respective powers receiving such ships.

    (e) The Three Governments agree to constitute a tripartite naval commission comprising two representatives for each Government, accompanied by the requisite staff, to submit agreed recommendations to the Three Governments for the allocation of specific German warships and to handle other detailed matters arising out of the agreement between the Three Governments regarding the German fleet. The Commission will hold its first meeting not later than August 15th, 1945, in Berlin, which shall be its headquarters. Each delegation on the Commission will have the right on the basis of reciprocity to inspect German warships wherever they may be located.

    (f) The Three Governments agree that transfers, including those of ships under construction and repair, shall be completed as soon as possible, but not later than February 15th, 1946. The Commission will submit fortnightly reports, including proposals for the progressive allocation of the vessels when agreed by the Commission.

[Enclosure B]

Decisions of the Tripartite Conference on Distribution of the German Merchant Marine

  1. The Tripartite Conference agree upon the following principles for the distribution of the German Merchant Marine:

    (a) (1) It is proposed by the Soviet and American representatives: The German Merchant Marine, surrendered to the Three Powers and wherever located, shall be divided equally among the USSR, the U.K., and the U.S. The actual transfers of the ships to the respective countries shall take place as soon as practicable after the end of the war against Japan. This distribution shall not preclude any of the Parties from making such further allocation of part of its share to other Allied Nations.

    (2) The British representatives considered it essential to allot a share of not less than one quarter to the lesser maritime Allied States whose merchant marines have lost so heavily in support of the common cause against Germany. Accordingly, the British Delegation proposed the following alternative draft of subparagraph (a) (1):

    One quarter of the German merchant marine surrendered to the Three Powers and wherever located shall be allotted to the Soviet Union and the remainder shall be divided between the U.K. and the U.S. who will provide an appropriate share to the Allied States whose merchant marines have suffered substantial losses in support of the common cause against Germany. The actual transfers of the ships to the respective countries shall take place as soon as practicable after the end of the war against Japan.

    (b) The allocation, manning, and operation of these ships during the Japanese War period shall fall under the cognizance and authority of the Combined Shipping Adjustment Board and the United Maritime Authority.

    (c) While actual transfer of the ships will be delayed until after the end of the war with Japan, a Tripartite Shipping Commission shall inventory and value all available ships and recommend a specific distribution in accordance with subparagraph (a) (as approved).

    (d) The British and American representatives propose the following sub-paragraph: “German inland and coastal ships determined to be necessary to the maintenance of the basic German peace economy by the Allied Control Council of Germany shall not be included in the shipping pool thus divided among the Three Powers.”

    The Soviet representatives do not agree to this inclusion.

    (e) The Three Governments agree to constitute a tripartite merchant marine commission comprising two representatives for each Government, accompanied by the requisite staff, to submit agreed recommendations to the Three Governments for the allocation of specific German merchant ships and to handle other detailed matters arising out of the agreement between the Three Governments regarding the German merchant ships. The Commission will hold its first meeting not later than September 1st, 1945, in Berlin, which shall be its headquarters. Each delegation on the Commission will have the right on the basis of reciprocity to inspect the German merchant ships wherever they may be located.

    (f) The British representatives suggested the need to add the following provision: “The shares of the various Allied States will be counted as reparation receipts.”

    The Soviet Delegation considered that this was unnecessary in view of the new policy agreed by the Conference on reparations.

    The American representatives took no position in this matter.