U.S. POLICY FOR GERMANY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 280, 7 September 1946, Page 5

U.S. POLICY FOR GERMANY

“The American Government has supported and is continuing to support the necessary measures to de-Nazify and demilitarise Germany, but. it does not follow that large armies of alien soldiers or alien bureaucrats, however well motivated' and disciplined, are in the long run the most reliable guardians of another country’s democracy. All that the Allied Governments can and should do is lay down rules under which Germany can govern itself. “The Allied occupation forces should be limited to a number sufficient to see that these rules are obeyed. But the question for us will be what force * is needed to make certain that Germany does not rearm as she did after the first world war. Our proposal for a treaty with the major Powers to enforce the 25, even 40 years’ demilitarisation plan finally agreed upon in the peace settlement would have made possible a smaller army of occupation. We would rely for enforcement more upon a force of trained inspectors and less upon infantry, but our proposal for a treaty was not agreed to. “Security forces probably will have to remain, in Germany for a long period. I want no misunderstanding The army will be a part of the occupp

CONTROL OF OWN AFFAIRS Government By Ministers (N.Z. Press Association-—Copyright.) BERLIN, September 6. “The United States favours the early establishment of a provisional German Government for Germany,” 1 said Mr James Byrnes, United States Secretary of State, addressing Allied and German leaders at Stuttgart. It is the American Government’s view that the people throughout Germany, under proper safeguards, should now be given the primary responsibility of running their own affairs. “More than a year has passed since hostilities ceased. Germany’s millions should not be forced to live in doubt regarding their fate. It is the American Government’s view that the Allies without delay should make dear to the German people the essential terms of the peace settlement which they expect the Germans ' to accept and observe. “It is our view that the German people should now he permitted and helped to make the necessary preparations for establishing a democratic Government which can accept and observe those terms. From now on the world’s thoughtful people will judge Allied action in Germany not by Allied promises but by performances.

tion force as long as that force is required. ■ “It is the American Government’s view that the provisional German Government should not be hand-picked by other Governments, but should be a German National Council composed of democratically responsible German Ministers, presidents, or other chief officials of the States or provinces Which have been established in each of the four occupation zones. The German National Council, subject to the Allied Control Council’s reserved authority, should be responsible for the proper functioning of the central administration of Germany as qn economic unit as was > contemplted by the Potsdam Agreement. “The German National Council should also be charged with the preparation of a draft federal constitution for a United Germany which should ensure the democratic character of the new Germany, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all its inhabitants. The proposed constitution, after approval in principle by the Allied Control Council, should be submitted to an elected convention for final drafting and then be submitted to the people of ratification.”