USPolAd Berlin Files: 800 Political Affairs Germany
Memorandums by the United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy) to Mr. Loyd V. Steere, Counselor of Mission, Office of the United States Political Adviser for Germany
[Berlin,] November 30, 1945.
With reference to the attached file,71 I do not agree with parts of the text.
- 1.
- I do not wish to recommend at this time the organization of political parties on a zonal basis and I also do not wish to recommend action now looking to authorization of political parties on a national basis. We are only now on the threshold of organization of political parties on the Land level.72 Some months must elapse before these feeble beginnings enable the consideration of the larger problem. Our policy continues to be decentralization. While I was fully in accord with the extension of political party activity to the state basis, because obviously the Kreis limitation was unsatisfactory, I do not consider that this is the time to expand to a zonal or national basis. In fact, I see no justification of the zonal basis. We want to eliminate the zones politically. The statement that “Nothing can be more dangerous than to maintain artificial restrictions which are ignored [Page 1009] in practice” is an exaggeration. I can suggest a number of things which might be more dangerous. The fact that contacts are developed among the leaders of the regional areas does not, in itself, constitute a violation of Allied regulations. What I want to see first established is a strong and healthy Land organization which would give an opportunity for the units in our area to express their local characteristics. Once that has been successfully accomplished, we can then consider taking another step forward.
- 2.
- We will also not recommend that consideration be given to the possibility of postponing the scheduled elections as stated on page 3. We are definitely committed to these elections and we will go through with them. The scheduled elections are of an experimental character. We should learn much from this trial run. The practical difficulties are always realized, but there will always be practical difficulties. I doubt very much that the “widespread discontent” mentioned in para c, page 4, will be as violent as it will be in the Spring, after the Germans will have suffered the entire gamut of difficulties they will have throughout the Winter. It does seem to me, in searching for perfection and the ideal, that we might be inclined to lose sight of the progress which is being made. I doubt that any general election has ever been perfect. Under present chaotic conditions in Germany, there is certainly no possibility of holding a perfect election. However, I am convinced that a start should be made at the earliest possible moment if for no other reason than to demonstrate to the German people in our zone that our pronouncements about democracy are not purely academic, but that we mean what we say and intend to put our ideas into practice. From our own selfish point of view, I believe that we will learn a great deal in the small experiment which is proposed for January, as unpropitious as the season may be.
R[obert] M[urphy]