September 25, 1944
 
 
                MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT                
 
 
 Referring to your memorandum of September 15 from
Quebec on the postwar treatment of Germany which received 
the agreement of the Prime Minister and yourself, it
occurs to me that several steps should be considered in
connection with the adoption of the policy which will be 
carried out in Germany after its surrender or collapse.
 
 
It would seem highly advisiable to have the firm
agreement of the Governments of Great Britain and the
Soviet Union to the policy to be adopted as we have thus 
far acted on the basis that every action followed with
respect to Germany, particulary in the post-hostilities
period, would be on an agreed tripartite basis.  It has
been our understanding that the Soviet Government has 
also acted on this general assumption, and of course the
European Advisory Commission, established by the Moscow 
Conference, was set up for the purpose of working out 
the problems of the treatment of Germany.  We must 
realize that the adoption of any other basis of procedure
would enormously increase the difficulties and responsi-
bilities not only of our soldiers in the immediate mili-
tary occupational period but also of our officials in
the control period following.
 
 
 Our information up to the present has been to the
effect that the British Government no doubt has ideas
of its own with respect to the application of economic
controls to Germany, and we have not yet had any indi-
cation that the British Government would be in favor of
complete eradication of German industrial productive
capacity in the Ruhr and Saar.  We have no idea as yet 
what the Soviet Government has in mind.  Would it not be
well at this time for the state department to sound out
the British and Russian views on the treatment of German
industry either through the European Advisory commission 
or otherwise?