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ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: REVERSAL OF ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: REVERSAL OF POLICY: THE DEPARTMENTS OF STATE AND DEFENSE, AND THE ARMING OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, 1946-1955 Sheldon Aaron Goldberg, PhD, 2012 Dissertation Directed By: Professor Jeffrey Herf, Department of History Between 1946 and 1950, the U.S. State Department repeatedly expressed its de- termination to keep Germany disarmed and demilitarized and offered pledges regarding the extended presence of U.S. troops in Western Europe. At the same time, and initially unbeknownst to the State Department, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff were making plans to arm Germany in response to the growing Soviet threat to Western Europe. In September 1950, in reaction to the communist invasion of South Korea that had prompted fears the same would happen in Germany, the United States decided to arm the Federal Republic of Germany. Although coupled with a pledge to increase the number of U.S. troops in Europe, the U.S. decision resulted in a number of unintended consequences including a Congressional challenge to Presidential power, opposition by and discord among U.S. Allies, loss of control over the rearmament process, and the establishment of a new set of relations with its erstwhile enemy. While the actual outcome of that 1950 decision was positive, i.e., the arming of the Federal Republic of Germany was approved, the creation of a national German army was not what official U.S. policy had intended. REVERSAL OF POLICY: THE DEPARTMENTS OF STATE AND DEFENSE, AND THE ARMING OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, 1946-1955 By Sheldon Aaron Goldberg Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2012 Advisory Committee Professor Jeffrey Herf, Chair Professor Jon Sumida Professor John Lampe Professor Keith Olson Professor George Quester, Dean’s Representative ©Copyright by Sheldon Aaron Goldberg 2011 Dedication To my late son, Steven Lawrence Goldberg, of beloved memory, who achieved so much in such a short time under great adversity. And to my grandchildren, Rachel, Aaron and Barrett, to whom I hope this effort will be an example that learning continues throughout one’s lifetime. ii Acknowledgements As with every student who undertakes a dissertation, I too had the true and con- stant support of a number of scholars and others who were and remain very important to me. First of all, I need to acknowledge my wife, Waltraud, who like so many other dedi- cated military wives spent many years accompanying me and moving our family from base to base and country to country throughout my U. S. Air Force career. She then toler- ated my long hours and other absences while working for the federal government follow- ing my retirement from the Air Force and then, when I finally retired and we entered our “golden years,” stood by as I embarked upon my quest for a Doctorate, of which this dis- sertation is the result. Next in line is my advisor and dissertation director, Dr. Jeffrey Herf, who took me under his wing and opened up to me the wonderful world of modern European history and, especially, archival research. His challenge led me on a journey that continues to hold me in awe. Dr. Jon Tetsuro Sumida, a naval historian of renown, who, despite my 30 years of military service, made military history relevant and under- standable and showed me that it was much more than just generals and battles. He, too, was a most valuable critic and supporter. I also need to thank Dr. Melvyn Leffler for the time he spent with me over a long lunch in Washington D.C. and for the insights he shared regarding U.S.-European policy during the period covered by this dissertation. There is also a debt of thanks and gratitude to Jodi Hall, the Graduate Studies Program Manager, who help me navigate the Graduate School bureaucracy to a safe landing. Away from the University of Maryland, my thanks go to archivists of the Modern Military Records Branch, especially to Richard Boylan, and the archivists of the Diplo- matic Branch at the National Archives in College Park MD. All of these individuals were iii instrumental in leading me through the mysterious labyrinth of finding aids to find those records upon which this work is primarily based. Further afield, Dr. Randy Sowell of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, who made my short stay very productive, and Dr. Christopher Abraham at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, who prepared my visit and made my research of perti- nent records of the president and his advisors both easy and rewarding. Both of these gen- tlemen were also extremely helpful in answering questions and providing other infor- mation long after I departed. Gary Trogden and James Tobias at the Center for Military History at Fort McNair were also extremely helpful at the beginning and end of my research, especially in find- ing among their holdings several unpublished documents that contributed significantly to the early chapters. And a special thanks to Dr. Gabriele Bosch of the Militärgeschicht- liches Forschungsamt, Potsdam, Germany, who was extremely helpful in not only providing me with references to relevant German literature but also by sending me hard to find German journal articles via post and as e-mail attachments. Also Mr. David Read, archivist at the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, Gloucester, UK, for his help in providing me with biographical information on Brigadier T. N. Grazebrook. I also need to thank Dr. Malcolm “Kip” Muir, Jr., who encouraged me to enter the VMI Adams Center Cold War Essay contest, and to the judges who awarded an abridged version of my chapter on Operation ECLIPSE third place. Also, the officers of Phi Gam- ma Phi, who selected me to receive a “Love of Learning” grant. This grant gave me a very welcome impetus to continue with what I was doing and to venture outside my com- iv fort zone in College Park MD to continue my research at the Harry S. Truman Presiden- tial Library. Last but not least, I extend my sincerest thanks to my very good friend, classmate, and excellent military historian, Dr. Ingo Trauschweitzer, whose scholarly advice, en- couragement, and comments on my chapters were invaluable and who helped me keep my goal in sight. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements…………………………………………………...….. iii List of Acronyms………………………………………………………..... viii Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………….…… 1 Post-Hostilities Historiography May 1943- September 1950...…... 10 Rearmament Historiography September 1950 - May 1955 ……… 21 British Historiography……………………………………………. 25 German Historiography…………………………………………… 28 U.S. Objectives…………………………………………………… 33 Chapter 2: Operation ECLIPSE ……………………………………… 38 Initial Thoughts on Disarming Germany…………………………. 44 Responsibilities of the Supreme Commander…………………….. 51 Operation RANKIN……………………………………………… 61 Operation TALISMAN / ECLIPSE…………………………….… 67 The ECLIPSE Memoranda……………………………………….. 72 Demobilizing and Disbanding the German Armed Forces……….. 82 Disposal of Germany’s “Military Caste”……………….………… 86 The Disarmament School……………………………..…………... 91 Aftermath…………………………………………………………. 97 Report to the Council of Foreign Ministers……………………….. 100 The Quadripartite Commission……………………………………. 103 Chapter 3: The Diplomatic Path to September 12, 1950……….……... 108 The Cold War Begins…………………………….…………….…. 109 U.S. Thinking on Disarmament……….……………………….….. 112 The Search for Security - The Dunkirk and Brussels Treaties……. 116 Rumors of Remilitarization……………………………………….. 124 Rearmament Rumors Persist.………………………………….….. 131 1950 - Year of Crisis, Year of Decision…………………………... 143 Cracks in the State Department Wall……………………………... 147 Korea Forces the Debate…………………………………………. 154 Acheson’s “Conversion”…………………………………………. 157 12 September 1950 - The “Single Package” is Presented………... 163 Chapter 4: The Military Path to September 12, 1950………………… 165 Defend or not Defend, 1946-1949………………….…………….. 166 Strategic Planning for War with the USSR Begins……………..… 168 Cooperation with the Western Union……………………………... 176 West Europe’s Defense Needs Appraised……………………..….. 186 NATO and the Growing German Question……………………..… 190 1950 - Year of Decision………………………………………….... 193 The JCS Speak Out………………………………………………. 195 The Korean War Begins……………………………………….….. 199 JCS Response to President Truman’s Letter……………………… 215 vi Chapter 5: From EDF to EDC to NATO: The Fight to Arm the Federal Republic of Germany, 1950-1955..………………………. 220 The September 1950 Tripartite Meeting…………………………. 224 French Counter-proposal: the Pleven Plan……………....……….. 236 A Supreme Commander is Appointed ……………………………. 240 Building a New German Military ………………………………… 250 1952 - Bureaucracy and Fear Slow Progress…………….………. 253 The Eisenhower Administration Takes Over…………………….. 258 A Question of Alternatives to EDC…………………………….... 266 1954 - EDC Defeated…………………………………………….. 272 The Curtain Falls………………………………………………..… 279 Chapter 6: The Role of the Three U.S. Military Services…….………...… 282 The U.S. Navy.………………………………………..………….. 286 The U.S. Army……………………………………………..…….. 290 The Army’s Advanced Planning Group……….…………….……. 293 Army Training Areas and Logistics Planning…………………… 296 The U.S. Air Force………………………………………….……. 301 USAFE, Det. ‘A’ and the Advanced Planning Group……. 308 The Sands Plan……………………………………….…... 309 Air Force Facilities………………………………………... 313 Air Force Post-EDC Issues………………………….….... 315 Chapter 7: Conclusion....................................................................…... 317
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