Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎88v] (176/978)

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announcement of such a plan, if it
materialises, would probably be postponed
until after November. After November,
too, decisions are likely about the French
zone and the Saar. More immediately
Germans in the West await the outcome of
next month’s Washington talks on the
revision of the fusion agreement. They
also await news of prospects of aid under
the Marshall proposals and—resentfully—
the publication of the list of plants which
still have to be dismantled in the Bi-Zonal
region.
Anglo-American agreement on socialisa
tion is still a good way oh, at least as long
as General Clay exercises his present
power. His latest utterances on the sub
ject on the 8th, 9th and 18th September
only slightly modify that of the 15th
August, when he indicated that this was
no time for socialising important indus
tries and that while America paid the cash
she must reserve the right to call the tune
(see Summary No. 405). General Clay now
complains that his views have been mis
interpreted in some German papers. The
Americans, he says, do not wish to impose
on the Germans a system which they do not
desire. A decision about the nature of
future economic life could not be made
until‘political problems had been clarified,
nor could the fate of industries which
affected the well-being of the whole people
be decided by individual States, but U.S.
Military Government would not interfere
in the socialisation law for Hesse, for
example, as long as it was confined to
matters only concerning Hesse (General
Clay himself presumably decides where to
draw the line).
The Agrarian Reform Ordinance issued
by the British Control Commission on the
11th September demonstrates British
readiness to meet German objections
against the original draft rejected by the
Zonal Advisory Council in July. The
main differences between the old and the
new Drafts lie in the discretionary powers
allowed to individual State Governments.
The proposed technical Land Commissions
disappear while the widespread demand
for party control of the law is met by
allowing the State Assemblies to arrange
how the provisions will be administered.
The law still states that owners may hold
up to 150 hectares (370-7 acres) of land,
despite Socialist objections, but the States
are allowed to pass laws for reducing this
limit provided this does not interfere with
agricultural production. The States can
also settle the amount of compensation to
be paid, and a landowner is no longer to be
allowed to choose which part of his estate
he will keep.
Although Soviet zone speakers have
announced at intervals since May 1946 the
‘ ‘ final ’ ’ figure for land reform, totals are
still creeping up. According to the So^t
Military Administration 12,355 estates
with a total area of 3,041,500 hectares have
been confiscated (or about one-third of the
total agricultural and forest area of the
zone). Only about two-thirds of this area
has gone to individuals. The rest, accord
ing to the Soviet Military Administration,
has been given to research institutes,
hospitals, schools and villages, although in
an earlier statement it was said, more
truly no doubt, that much land has passed
“undivided” into the hands of the
Province. Although, agriculturally, these
provisions may well be wise, they refute
any suggestion that after the Junkers had
been disposed of the prime object of the
reform was to give land to individual
peasants. The figures show that perhaps
one-half of all peasants in the zone have
received their entire holding through the
present distribution. Details have also
been given of housing, machinery and live
stock distribution; all the machinery, now-
ever, has gone to a vast pool controlled by
the Peasants’ Mutual Aid where it will be
let out for hire. The President of the
Central Administration for Agriculture
and Forestry has confirmed that land
reform is still not complete.
News has recently been received of
another way in which the Socialist Unity
Party is helping Russian policy. In one
area a petition is being prepared which
begs the Soviet Military Government to
safeguard the liberties gained since the
capitulation against the threatened revival
of National Socialism and capitalism.
Signatures are being collected from house
to house. This may herald a zone-wide
“ appeal,” timed to precede the November
Conference, for the Soviet Union to con
solidate finally her political control of the
area.
A new institution in the Soviet zone is
the “ People’s Supervisory Committee.”
Such committees, which have at present
only been located in Dresden, are stated by
the Stadtdirektor of that city to be non-
party bodies attached to the Bloc commit
tees, but formed by the people themselves,
which would investigate such things as the
proper distribution of raw materials, fuel,
food and housing. They would also investi
gate complaints against the authorities,
trace the facts behind rumours and 'refute
them if necessary. There are already so