Dn1929 1945–1950
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DN1929 RECORDS OF THE PROPERTY CONTROL BRANCH OF THE U.S. ALLIED COMMISSION FOR AUSTRIA (USACA) SECTION, 1945–1950 Danielle DuBois and Kylene Tucker prepared this introduction and, along with M’Lisa Whitney, supervised the arrangement of these records for digitization. National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 2010 United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Records of the Property Control Branch of the U.S. Allied Commission for Austria (USACA) Section, 1945–1950.— Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Administration, 2010. p. ; cm.– (National Archives digital publications. Pamphlet describing ; DN 1929) Cover title. ―Danielle DuBois and Kylene Tucker prepared this introduction and, along with M’Lisa Whitney, supervised the arrangement of these records for digitization‖ – Cover. ―These records are part of Records of United States Occupation Headquarters, World War II, Record Group (RG) 260‖ – P. 1. 1. Allied Commission for Austria. U.S. Element. Reparations, Deliveries, and Restitutions Division. Property Control Branch – Records and correspondence – Catalogs. 2. Austria -- History – Allied occupation, 1945–1955 – Sources – Bibliography – Catalogs. I. DuBois, Danielle. II. Tucker, Kylene. III. Whitney, M’Lisa. IV. Title. INTRODUCTION On the 413 disks of this digital publication, DN1929, are reproduced cases and reports, claims processed by, and general records of the Property Control Branch of the U.S. Allied Commission for Austria (USACA) Section, 1945–1950. These records are part of Records of United States Occupation Headquarters, World War II, Record Group (RG) 260. BACKGROUND The U.S. Allied Commission for Austria (USACA) Section was responsible for civil affairs and military government administration in the American section (U.S. Zone) of occupied Austria, including the U.S. sector of Vienna. USACA Section constituted the U.S. Element of the Allied Commission for Austria. The four-power occupation admin- istration was established by a U.S., British, French, and Soviet agreement signed July 4, 1945. It was organized concurrently with the establishment of Headquarters, United States Forces, Austria (HQ USFA) on July 5, 1945, as a component of the U.S. Forces, European Theater (USFET). The single position of USFA Commanding General and U.S. High Commissioner for Austria was held by Gen. Mark Clark from July 5, 1945, to May 16, 1947, and by Lt. Gen. Geoffrey Keyes from May 17, 1947, to September 19, 1950. USACA Section was abolished following transfer of the U.S. occupation govern- ment from military to civilian authority. This was marked by President Harry Truman’s appointment of Walter J. Donnelly as Envoy (later Ambassador) to Austria and U.S. High Commissioner for Austria on September 20, 1950. Ambassador Llewelyn E. Thompson, Jr., succeeded Donnelly on July 17, 1952. The U.S. occupation government in Austria officially terminated on July 27, 1955, as a result of the State Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria, signed May 15, 1955. Most of the records of USACA, including those of the Property Control Branch, were retired to the Army records center in Kansas City until they were accessioned into the National Archives in the early 1960s. The Reparations, Deliveries, and Restitutions (RD&R) Division of USACA Section was organized into branches. Initially, the Property Control Branch and the Monuments and Fine Arts Branch shared the division’s work. However, by February 1946, the work of the Monuments and Fine Arts Branch was substantially completed, and it was disbanded. A new branch called the Reparations and Restitutions Branch was activated at that time to handle general restitution matters as well as any subsequent work related to monuments and fine arts. One additional branch called the German External Assets Branch was organized on October 12, 1946. The organizational structure and policies used by the division were based largely on similar work performed by the Office of the Military Government, United States Zone (Germany)(OMGUS). The general posture of USACA policy in Austria, however, was intended to achieve a balance between the complete control exhibited by OMGUS and the cooperative atmosphere in the formerly occupied countries of northwest Europe. 1 The Property Control Branch was responsible for interpreting policy concerning the control of United Nations and German property in the U.S. Zone of Austria and ensuring the implementation of the Trustee Agreement. The branch was charged with maintaining liaisons with the Austrian Federal Ministry for Property Control and Economic Planning and the Zone and Land Civil Affairs Property Control Officers. Additionally, the branch negotiated interzonal movement of German-owned property with other elements. RECORDS DESCRIPTION The records of the Property Control Branch of the Reparations, Deliveries, and Restitutions Division consist of 17 series described below. Reports on Trusteeships, 1945–1950 [A1, Entry 2001]1, consists of correspondence, memorandums, financial reports, military government forms, inventories, and audit reports relating to German assets transferred by the United States Forces, Austria (USFA) to the trusteeship of the Austrian Government. Included are records relating to Vereinigte Österreichische Eisen- und Stahlwerke AG, Steyr-Daimler-Puch, Eugen Grill Werke GmbH, Deutsche Gold- und Silber-Schiedeanstalt (―Degussa‖), and the film industry. This series is arranged numerically by schedule (―Sch‖) number. Records of Property Released from Upper Austria, 1945–1950 [Entry A1, 2002], consists of correspondence, memorandums, military government forms, inventories, financial reports, and audit reports relating to properties located in the U.S. Military Zone, Upper Austria that were placed under the control of the U.S. Military Government and later released to the Austrian Government. These records pertain to the administra- tion of properties previously owned by private individuals, businesses, the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP), or the German State. Included are records relating to the Bindermichl Properties, ―OLEX‖ Deutsche Benzin- und Petroleum-GmbH, and the property of Herzoge Ernst August zu Braunschweig und Lüneburg. This series is arranged numerically by serial number with a location code (e.g., O1.0001 Li). For a key to the location codes, see the appendix. Records of Property Released from Salzburg, 1945–1950 [A1, Entry 2003], consists of memorandums, correspondence, financial reports, military government forms, invento- ries, and audit reports relating to properties located in the U.S. Military Zone, Salzburg that were placed under the control of the U.S. Military Government and later released to the Austrian Government. These records pertain to the administration of the properties previously owned by private individuals, businesses, the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP), or the German State. Included are records related to the property of the Rothschild family, the von Trapp family, the Hungarian Werfen Train, Ford Motor GmbH, and the Manfred Weiss Concern. This series is arranged numeri- cally by serial number with a location code (e.g., S1.0001 Sa). For a key to the location codes, see the appendix. 1 Textual record series designators usually consist of the series title with a date span, the finding aids notation, and the Holding Management System (HMS) entry number, shown here in brackets. 2 Cases and Reports Relating to Property and Equipment Released by Vienna Area Command (VAC) to the Austrian Government, 1945–1950 [A1, Entry 2004], consists of correspondence, financial reports, military government forms, inventories, audit reports, and affidavits relating to queries and claims about properties that were placed under the control of the VAC and later released to the Austrian Government. Included are records related to claims made by the Rothschild family. This series is arranged numerically by serial number (e.g., V1. 0001/VII) and is often referred to as the ―V1 Files.‖ Cases and Reports Pertaining to Property Administered by the Vienna Area Command (VAC), 1945–1950 [A1, Entry 2005], consists of correspondence, memoran- dums, military government forms, inventories, financial reports, audit reports, and affidavits relating to property administered by the VAC. These records pertain to the administration of properties previously owned by private individuals, businesses, the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP), or the German State. Included are records relating to movie theaters, the property of the Marmorek family, the property of the Rothschild family, Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG), Hugo Stinnes Industries Inc., and the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. This series is arranged in two parts: first, numerically by serial number with a location code (e.g., PC/V/I/1); and second, alphabetically by name. It is often referred to as the ―PC Files.‖ For a key to the location codes, see the appendix. Correspondence and Related Records Regarding Pending Claims, 1945–1950 [A1, Entry 2006], consists of correspondence, memorandums, investigation reports, restitution claims, and court rulings relating to queries and pending claims about properties located in areas under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forces, Austria (USFA). Included are queries and claims relating to properties formerly held by the German State. This series is arranged numerically by pending claim number (e.g., P-1000) and is often referred to