Evening star., 1945-05-13
Governing Germany

Governing Germany
Some idea of the magnitude and
complexity of the task confronting
the Allies in Germany can be
cleaned from the organizational
plans for the military government
to be installed in the American zone
of occupation.
The physical, social, economic and
political wreckage is so complete
that every phase of the country's
existence must be subjected to SUI
pervision. The Nazis exercised tight
control down to the last detail in
the smallest of communities, and
now that they have been driven
from power there is a great govern
mental vacuum which the victors
must fill as fast and as thoroughly
as possible if chaos and anarchy are
to be avoided.
To this end, under the top direc-
ton of General Eisenhower, with
General Clay as his deputy, the
American zone will be governed by
twelve divisions of authority. Three
of these will be purely military and
will deal with the rehabilitation of
the defeated armed forces and with
the disarmament of Germany. The
others will control transportation,
dome site politics, foreign affairs,
such economic problems as agricul-
ture, industrial conversion, price
control and rationing, reparations,
communications facilities, police
power, the repatriation of displaced
persons, labor relations and vir-
tually every other conceivable as
pect of German life, including pub
lie information through press and
radio channels. In addition, there
will be an overall intelligence divi-
sion to cope with possible under
ground activities and to supervise
the entire de-Nazification" pro-
gram.
This partial list of responsibilities
speaks pretty much for itself. Never
before has the United States had to
take on a job of such dimensions.
Yet, though it may be argued that
in matters like press control our
military government may be mis-
takenly overburdening itself, the
general program cannot be avoided.
To understand this we have only to
give thought to the unprecedented
condition of Germany-a wrecked
country, totally defeated country,
country without any semblance of
legal authority except that which
the Allies themselves establish.
This enormously difficult and
complex task is made all the more
difficult and complex by the fact
that it must be an inter-Allied op-
Grafton. In addition to the Amer
lean zone, there will be French
zone, a British zone and a Russian
zone, with the four powers function
ing through central control coun-
Gil in Berlin to coordinate and
reconcile policies for Germany as a
whole. This councillor which
General Eisenhower will speak for
the United States-Will be charged
with the gravest and most delicate
of duties, testing as never before our
capacity to cooperate.
1t would be foolhardy to expect
that everything will run smoothly.
There are bound to be errors of
judgment, and there will almost
surely be occasional clashes of opin-
ion between one occupying authority
and another. Given spirit of COM
promise, however; given a realiza-
ton that differences must be re-
solved if a sound peace is to be es-
tabliShed, the task of governing
Germany ought not to prove too
big for victors who have already
achieved so much by working to-
gether. We must hope and pray, at
any rate, that the same co-opera-
ton will obtain now as obtained
during the war. The promise of
better world depends on it.