Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎15v] (30/978)

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sterling—one commodity affected would
be timber for the United Kingdom.
Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Robertson
was immediately instructed to protest
against the timing and method employed.
During the past week there has been a
general inclination towards Stresemann
tactics rather than open resistance as
regards dismantling in the British Zone.
The eight Land Premiers, after meeting in
Wiesbaden on the 22nd October, issued a
joint communique declaring that the dis
mantling order was a one-sided act of
the Military Governments, for which
they must bear exclusive responsibility.
Germany s obligation to make reparation
was recognised, provided it did not imperil
her existence. The Premiers challenged
the statements of the Occupying Powers
that dismantling will not obstruct Euro
pean economic recovery and contended that
removals from the Ruhr will make an
increase in coal output impossible and
seriously prejudice steel production. They
did not call for open opposition to the plan.
On the contrary the communique ended
with an appeal for prudence and an
assurance to the Germans that the Govern
ments would make every effort to protect
their vital rights—the Minister of
Economics and the Director of Economics
in the Bi-Zonal Administration, it was
said, would investigate the whole problem.
Brauer, Lord Mayor of Hamburg, coun
selled the Germans to endure silently in
mute protest. The Director of Economics,
Semmler, gave instances where he alleged
dismantling would hinder coal production.
(Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Robertson
had already told Ruhr leaders that if a
case was proved where capacity was being
removed which was essential to the coal
industry alternative plans would be made.)
The Bi-Zonal Delegates to the inter-zonal
trade union conference at Bad Pyrmont
also issued a statement which was more
moderate than anticipated. It appealed to
the Germans not to despair and to the
British and Americans to reconsider their
decision or else to carry out their policy
with all possible mildness. From the
United States Herr Schumacher speaks
with his old truculence and is quoted in the
press as predicting that the consequences
would be the cc economic and political
demoralisation of Germany and the growth
of communism” as well as “the torpe-
doeing of the Marshall Plan.”
A list of plants available for dismant
ling in the French zone has also been pro
duced and was submitted to the Co-ordina
ting Committee on the 16th October. It
comprises 170 plants of which 31 have
already been placed at the disposal of the
Soviet Union and the Inter-Allied Repara
tions Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. . According to an uncon
firmed Reuter report the list contains some
plants from the Saar, and M. Rene Sergent,
head of the Economics Division of Uk
F rench Military Government is quoted
the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. as saying that this was done
so that France should not be considered by
other Allied countries to have kept every
thing for herself, but that the plants would
not be offered unless France were to be
awarded the whole Saar region. If this is
true it marks a new departure in policy
since it had always been assumed that
France would retain all Saar plants other
wise available for reparation and that they
would be debited to her reparations
account. General Noiret had told the Co
ordinating Committee that the new list
was open to revision and did not prejudge
an over-all agreement on the level of Ger
man industry. The list is therefore not
comparable with that issued for the Bi
zonal area. It is hard to gauge German
reaction to dismantling in the French zone
as the press is very cautious, and political
activity over any subject is singularly
slight, except for communist attempts to
infiltrate the trade unions and to foment
strikes. Recent reports show that internal
politics are as meaningless to the ordinary
German as the denazification procedure, in
which corruption is widespread and where
ridiculously small fines are often imposed
on ex-Nazi firms. Growth of social unrest
is instanced by the Germans’ daring to
criticize the Occupation Power in public
over the requisitioning of food. Food
prospects for the winter are very poor—
there will probably be no sugar at all for
adults and, while shortages of food and
power continue, the working week has been
reduced to 24 hours. In Rhineland-Pala-
tinate the curfew has been reimposed in
order to hamper food thefts. Nearly all
Germans would welcome fusion with the
Bi-zone.
^ 1 he Russian attitude in the Control
Council proceeds from unreason to un
reason. Marshal Sokolovsky, hitherto
somewhat more rational than his juniors,
has fallen back on absurd charges against
the other members. On the 20th October
a disturbing wrangle over a meeting of
German surveyors in Berlin was punctu
ated by Russian allegations that the Magis
trate exceeded its powers in calling the
conference and that the British Comman
dant had authorised the assembly of a
Fascist organisation. Attempts by the