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Records of U.S. Occupation Headquarters, World War II
(Record Group 260)
1923-72 (bulk 1945-72)
Table of Contents
- 260.1 Administrative History
- 260.2 Records of the U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (USGCC)1943-45
- 260.3 Records of the Executive Office of the Office of Military Government for Germany (U.S.) [OMGUS]1943-49 (bulk 1945-49)
- 260.3.1 Records of the Office of the Chief of Staff
- 260.3.2 Correspondence maintained by the Adjutant General'sOffice
- 260.3.3 Issuances maintained by the Adjutant General's Office
- 260.3.4 Other records maintained by the Adjutant General's Office
- 260.3.5 Records of the Control Office
- 260.3.6 Records of the Field Information Agency, Technical (FIAT)
- 260.4 Records of Functional Offices and divisions of OMGUS 1923-51 (bulk 1945-50)
- 260.4.1 Records of the Analysis and Research Branch of the Office of the Director of Intelligence
- 260.4.2 Records of the Regional Government Coordinating Office
- 260.4.3 Records of the Economics Division
- 260.4.4 Records of the Information Services Division (formerlyPublic Relations Office)
- 260.4.5 Records of the Civil Administration Division
- 260.4.6 Records of the Legal Division
- 260.4.7 Records of the Manpower Division
- 260.4.8 Records of the Transportation Division
- 260.4.9 Records of the Property Division
- 260.4.10 Records of the Finance Division
- 260.4.11 Records of the Education and Cultural Relations Division(E&CRD)
- 260.4.12 Records of the Civil Aviation Branch of the Armed ForcesDivision
- 260.5 Records of OMGUS Organizations concerned with War Crimes Trials1945-49
- 260.6 Records of Berlin Command, OMGUS1946-48
- 260.7 Records of State (Land) and Sector Military Governments Responsible to OMGUS1945-51 (bulk 1945-49)
- 260.7.1 Records of the Office of Military Government, Bavaria
- 260.7.2 Records of the Office of Military Government, Hesse
- 260.7.3 Records of the Office of Military Government,Württemberg-Baden
- 260.7.4 Records of the Office of Military Government, Bremen
- 260.7.5 Records of the Office of Military Government, BerlinSector
- 260.8 Records of U.S. Elements of Allied Control Authority (ACA) Organizations (Germany)1944-53 (bulk 1945-48)
- 260.9 Records of U.S. Elements of Combined U.S.-British organizations (Germany)1943-51 (bulk 1945-49)
- 260.9.1 Records of the U.S. element of the Bipartite Board("BIB")
- 260.9.2 Records of the Office of the U.S. Chairman of theBipartite Control Office ("BICO")
- 260.9.3 General records of the U.S. element of BICO
- 260.9.4 Records of U.S. elements of BICO staff organizations
- 260.9.5 Records of U.S. elements of other bipartite organizations
- 260.10 Records of U.S. Elements of Combined U.S.-British-French Organizations (Germany)1948-49
- 260.11 Records of the U.S., Allied Commission for Austria (USACA) Section of Headquarters U.S. Forces in Austria1932-56 (bulk 1945-50)
- 260.12 Records of the U.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR)1945-72
- 260.12.1 Records of the Office of the High Commissioner
- 260.12.2 Records maintained by the Administrative Office of theOffice of the Civil Administrator
- 260.12.3 Records of the Comptroller Department of the Office ofthe Civil Administrator
- 260.12.4 Records of the Economic Department of the Office of theCivil Administrator
- 260.12.5 Records of the Health, Education and Welfare Departmentof the Office of the Civil Administrator
- 260.12.6 Records of the Labor Department of the Office of theCivil Administrator
- 260.12.7 Records of the Legal Affairs Department of the Office ofthe Civil Administrator
- 260.12.8 Records of the Liaison Department of the Office of theCivil Administrator
- 260.12.9 Records of the Public Affairs Department of the Officeof the Civil Administrator
- 260.12.10 Records of the Public Safety Department of the Officeof the Civil Administrator
- 260.12.11 Records of the Public Works Department of the Office ofthe Civil Administrator
- 260.12.12 Records of civil affairs teams responsible to theOffice of the Civil Administrator
Finding Aids: Preliminary Inventory in National Archivesmicrofiche edition of preliminary inventories.
Security-Classified Records: This record group may includematerial that is security-classified.
Related Records:Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of State forOccupied Areas in General Records of the Department of State, RG59. Records of Headquarters U.S. Forces, European Theater, andits successor, Headquarters European Command; Headquarters U.S.Forces in Austria; General Headquarters U.S. Army Forces in thePacific, and its successor, Headquarters Far East Command;Headquarters U.S. Army Forces, Western Pacific; and HeadquartersRyukyus Command and its successors, Headquarters Philippines-Ryukyus Command and Headquarters Ryukyuan Command, all in Recordsof U.S. Army Commands, 1942- , RG 338.
260.2 Records of the U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (USGCC)
1943-45
History: Established as an organization of Headquarters EuropeanTheater of Operations, U.S. Army (HQ ETOUSA), by General Order80, HQ ETOUSA, August 9, 1944, implementing a Joint Chiefs ofStaff (JCS) message to Supreme Headquarters Allied ExpeditionaryForce (SHAEF), August 5, 1944. So named in anticipation of theorganization's becoming the U.S. element of the staff of acontrol council, consisting of the commanders-in-chief of theU.S., British, and Soviet occupying forces, that would administeroccupied Germany during the immediate postwar period. By samegeneral order, Brig. Gen. Cornelius W. Wickersham was appointedto head USGCC, with title of acting deputy to the chief U.S.representative (not yet named) on the future control council.Effective April 17, 1945, Lt. Gen. Lucius D. Clay was appointedDeputy Military Governor to succeed Gen. Wickersham as head ofUSGCC. USGCC functioned, May 8-October 1, 1945, as the agency ofthe first Military Governor, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, whoserved concurrently as Commanding General ETOUSA (to July 1,1945) and Commanding General U.S. Forces, European Theater(USFET, successor to ETOUSA, from July 1, 1945). In accordancewith the Agreement on Control Machinery in Germany, signed byU.S., United Kingdom, and USSR representatives, November 14,1944, and amended to add France as the fourth occupying power,May 1, 1945, Control Council formally established by Section II-Aof the Protocol of the Proceedings of the Berlin Conference (alsoknown as the Potsdam Conference), August 1, 1945. USGCCabolished, with functions transferred to newly established Officeof Military Government for Germany (U.S.) [OMGUS], October 1,1945. See 260.3.
Related Records: Historical records of USGCC in records of theHistorical Branch of the Control Office, OMGUS, described UNDER260.3.5. Papers, 1945-49, of Gen. Lucius D. Clay, Deputy U.S.Military Governor, Germany (1945-47), and U.S. Military Governor,Germany (1947-49) in National Archives collection of donatedmaterials; selected documents from the papers in Jean EdwardSmith, ed., The Papers of General Lucius D. Clay: Germany, 1945-1949, 2 vols. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1974).Transcripts of oral history interviews of Gen. Clay in Hoover,Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy Libraries. Records of the U.S.High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.
260.2.1 General records
Textual Records: Decimal correspondence, 1944-45. Daily journal,May-October 1945. Minutes of staff meetings, July 28, 1944-September 29, 1945. Microfilm copy of the Military Governor'sreports, July-September 1945 (combined with Military Governor'sreports, October-December 1945, 2 rolls). Records of the meetingsand activities of the Combined Deputy Military Governors, 1945.Planning records, 1944-45, including records concerning immediateactions to be taken in the event of a German surrender (ProjectEclipse); records dealing with the occupation role to be playedby the British; and staff studies on demilitarization,disarmament, and paramilitary organizations. Policy records,including files of JCS and Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS)issuances concerning Germany, 1944-45; and a digest of militarygovernment policies set forth in JCS and European AdvisoryCommission (EAC; see 260.2.2) directives ("Policy Book"), 1945.
Microfilm Publications: M1075.
260.2.2 Records in USGCC custody relating to the European
Advisory Commission (EAC)
History: EAC established, with seat in London, by a secretprotocol signed by U.S., United Kingdom, and USSR representativesat the Tripartite Conference in Moscow, November 1, 1943, withresponsibility for making recommendations to the three Alliedgovernments on questions connected with the termination of thewar in Europe. Provisional Government of the French Republicaccepted into membership, November 27, 1944. EAC's 12 recommendedformal agreements, all of which were eventually accepted by allmember governments, concerned surrender terms for, and postwaradministration of, Germany and Austria; and armistice terms forBulgaria. EAC abolished, September 10, 1945, pursuant to SectionI of the Protocol of the Proceedings of the Berlin Conference(also known as the Potsdam Conference), August 1, 1945. BySections I and II of same protocol, responsibility for drawing uppeace treaties with the former European Axis powers vested in aCouncil of Foreign Ministers of China, France, United Kingdom,United States, and USSR; and responsibility for administeringoccupied Germany vested in Control Council.
Textual Records: Decimal correspondence and a subject file, 1943-45, of Brig. Gens. Cornelius W. Wickersham and Vincent Meyer,successive military advisers to John G. Winant, U.S. Ambassadorto the United Kingdom, in his capacity as U.S. member of EAC.Minutes of EAC meetings, 1944-45. File of draft EAC directives,with related memorandums and opinions, maintained by AmbassadorRobert D. Murphy, political adviser attached to SHAEF, 1944-45.Subject file concerning EAC directives, maintained by the LegalAdvice Branch, 1944-45.
260.3 Records of the Executive Office of the Office of Military Government for Germany (U.S.) [OMGUS]
1943-49 (bulk 1945-49)
History: For a history of OMGUS predecessor, the U.S. GroupControl Council, Germany (USGCC), SEE 260.2. OMGUS established,effective October 1, 1945, by General Order 283, HQ USFET,October 8, 1945, implementing USFET letter AG 014.1 GEC-AGO,September 26, 1945. Responsible for administering U.S. zone ofoccupation and U.S. sector of Berlin, and for functioning as U.S.element of organizations comprising the Allied Control Authority,the name given to the four-power occupation control system. OMGUSfunctioned, October 1, 1945-September 1, 1949, as the agent ofthe following successive Military Governors: Gen. Dwight D.Eisenhower (concurrently Commanding General USFET), October 1-November 10, 1945; Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. (acting;concurrently acting Commanding General USFET), November 11-25,1945; Gen. Joseph T. McNarney (concurrently Commanding GeneralUSFET), November 26, 1945-January 5, 1947; Gen. Lucius D. Clay(concurrently Commanding General USFET, January 6-March 14, 1947;and Commanding General European Command [EUCOM], successor toUSFET, from March 15, 1947), January 6, 1947-May 14, 1949; andLt. Gen. Clarence R. Huebner (acting; concurrently actingCommanding General EUCOM), May 15-September 1, 1949. Transitionfrom military to civilian occupation administration initiated byPresidential appointment of John J. McCloy as U.S. HighCommissioner for Germany (USHCG), announced May 18, 1949, andestablishment in the Department of State of that position by EO10062, June 6, 1949. McCloy assumed duties, September 2, 1949.OMGUS organizations progressively abolished, with functionstransferred to USHCG organizations, June-September 1949.Transition completed by September 21, 1949, date of theestablishment of the Federal Republic of Germany. OMGUS formallyabolished, effective December 5, 1949, by General Order 108,Headquarters EUCOM, December 1, 1949.
Related Records: See Related Records under 260.2 for papers andoral history interviews of Gen. Lucius D. Clay. Records of theU.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.
260.3.1 Records of the Office of the Chief of Staff
Textual Records: Subject file, 1945-49. Official files, 1945-47,of Maj. Gen. Frank Keating, Assistant Deputy Military Governor(1946-47). Official files, 1944-48, of Brig. Gen. Charles K.Gailey, Jr., Chief of Staff (1946-49). Files of miscellaneousrecords concerning occupation policies and problems, 1947-49.Minutes and memorandums, 1949, of the InterdivisionalReorientation Committee, established, 1948, to plan and implementa U.S.-German cultural exchange program.
260.3.2 Correspondence maintained by the Adjutant General's
Office
Textual Records: Formerly security-classified and unclassifieddecimal correspondence, 1945-49, with partial microfilm copy (97rolls). Formerly security-classified incoming messages, 1946-49,and outgoing messages, 1946-48. Microfilm copies of summaries oftelephone conferences ("Telecons") between the staff of theMilitary Governor and various officials in Washington, DC, 1947-49 (10 rolls).
260.3.3 Issuances maintained by the Adjutant General's Office
Textual Records: Numbered internal administrative issuances, withrelated records, 1945-49. Military government issuance casefiles, arranged by Control Council (CC) law number, 1945-48; CCdirective number, 1945-49; OMGUS law number, 1945-49; OMGUSproclamation number, 1945-48; OMGUS ordinance number, 1945-49;and OMGUS regulation number, 1945-49.
260.3.4 Other records maintained by the Adjutant General's Office
Textual Records: Microfilm copy of the Military Governor'sreports, October-December 1945 (combined with Military Governor'sreports, July-September 1945, 2 rolls). Records relating to thecouncil comprised of German nationals representing the statesunder U.S. occupation, known as the Council of States(L"nderrat), including correspondence with the council and itsdirectorate, 1945-49; minutes of council meetings, 1945-47; andrecords concerning laws proposed by the council, 1945-47. Minutesand related records of a meeting of the U.S., British, French,and Soviet military governors of Germany to discuss issuesresulting from the Soviet blockade of the western zones of Berlin("Four Governors Conference Records"), August-September 1948.Reference file of intelligence reports from various sources,dealing mainly with activities of the USSR internally, in itssatellite countries, and in its zone of occupied Germany, 1945-49. Reference copies of studies of postwar problems conducted bythe State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee and the Combined Chiefsof Staff, 1943-48. Reference copies of published reports of OMGUSorganizations concerning denazification, democratization,reparation, and restitution efforts, 1947. Microfilm copy of theGerman civil law code, n.d. (2 rolls).
Related Records: Additional records concerning the L"nderratunder 260.4.2.
260.3.5 Records of the Control Office
Textual Records: General records, consisting of separate subjectfiles relating to military government administration, 1945-49,and the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1947-49. Records of the Historical Branch, consisting ofadministrative records, 1945-49; and a compilation of historicalrecords (209 ft.) of the USGCC (see 260.2), the main and regionalheadquarters organizations of OMGUS, and various Alliedoccupation organizations, ca. 1945-49, including a microfilm copyof reports of the Tripartite Nutrition Committee, 1945-47 (1roll). Records of the Organization and Program Branch, consistingof a subject file, 1945-49; and reference files on militarygovernment regulations, 1944-49. Correspondence, reports, andother records of the Reports and Statistics Branch, 1945-49.Records of the Budget and Fiscal Branch relating to contracts andaccounts, audits, and budgets, 1944-49.
260.3.6 Records of the Field Information Agency, Technical (FIAT)
Textual Records: Records documenting the organization's missionto oversee the collection of technical, scientific, industrial,and economic information relating to Germany, 1945-47, includingdecimal correspondence, a subject file, and daily journals.
260.4 Records of Functional Offices and Divisions of OMGUS
1923-51 (bulk 1945-50)
Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner forGermany, RG 466.
260.4.1 Records of the Analysis and Research Branch of the Officeof the Director of Intelligence
Textual Records: Decimal correspondence, 1945-49. Subject file,1944-48. Reference collection of miscellaneous reports andpublications, 1947-48; and of memorandums, reports, newsclippings, messages, and other records, arranged by subject,1947-49.
260.4.2 Records of the Regional Government Coordinating Office
Textual Records: Main subject file, 1945-48. Records relating tothe activities of the L"nderrat, 1945-48. Subject file concerninginterzonal and military government liaison officers' meetings,1945-48.
Related Records: Additional records concerning the L"nderratunder 260.3.4.
260.4.3 Records of the Economics Division
Textual Records: General records, consisting of main decimalcorrespondence, 1944-49; decimal correspondence of the deputydirector, 1947-49; a subject file, 1945-49; records relating totrade and trade agreements, 1947-49; records concerning theEconomic Cooperation Administration, 1948-49; and a referencefile of published reports, ca. 1945. Correspondence, reports, andother records of the Industry Branch and its Oil and PublicUtilities Sections, 1945-49, including a microfilm copy ofbranch-level correspondence, 1945-49 (8 rolls). Subject file ofthe Price Control Branch, 1945-49. Records of the DecartelizationBranch, including two files of general records, a file of recordsconcerning the Bosch Group of Hesse, and a library ofpublications on German industries, ca. 1945-49, to which itemswere added, 1949-51, by successor organizations of the Office ofthe High Commissioner for Germany; case files on Germanindustrial firms (1927-48), compiled 1945-48; reports on variousGerman companies, 1945-47; records relating to thedecartelization of the Bosch Group, 1948-49; and correspondenceand other records of the I.G. Farben Control Office (1930-48),compiled 1945-48.
260.4.4 Records of the Information Services Division (formerlyPublic Relations Office)
Textual Records: Subject files of the Office of the Director,1945-49, and the Office of the Deputy Director, 1948-50. Maindecimal correspondence, 1944-49. Correspondence, reports,studies, and other records, ca. 1945-49, of the followingbranches: Policy and Programming; Opinion Surveys; Fiscal andBudget Control; Press; Publication Control; Motion Picture;Radio; and Information Centers and Exhibits.
Photographs (4,848 images): Taken or acquired by the PublicRelations Office, showing OMGUS military and civilian personnel,headquarters, and housing and recreational facilities; Alliedmilitary governors and personnel; U.S. Government officials; U.S.military awards ceremonies; buildings in ruins; displaced personsand refugees; CARE and other relief programs; and militaryoperations during the Berlin airlift, 1943-49 (OMG, MGG).
260.4.5 Records of the Civil Administration Division
Textual Records: General records, including central decimalcorrespondence, 1945-49; subject correspondence maintained by theExecutive Branch, 1945-49; minutes of divisional staff meetings,1945-49; records relating to alleged Soviet violations ofquadripartite agreements, 1945-49; and reports on localelections, 1945-46. Correspondence, messages, reports, casefiles, and other records, ca. 1945-49, of the following branches:Personnel and Administrative; Prisoner of War and DisplacedPersons; Civil Liberties and Democratization; GovernmentalStructures; Public Safety; Policy Enforcement; and Public Healthand Public Welfare.
260.4.6 Records of the Legal Division
Textual Records: General records, including a central subjectfile, 1945-50; records maintained by the Secretariat, 1945-49; achronological file, 1945-50; and records of the Reports Office,1945-49. Correspondence, reports, case files, and other records,1945-49, of the following branches: Legal Advice; Administrationof Justice; and Prisons.
260.4.7 Records of the Manpower Division
Textual Records: Central subject files, 1945-49. Correspondence,reports, studies, and other records, 1945-49, of the followingbranches: Labor Relations; Social Insurance; Labor ManagementTechnique; and Manpower Analysis.
260.4.8 Records of the Transportation Division
Textual Records: Central correspondence relating totransportation policy, international transportation, and theactivities of various interallied occupation organizationsconcerned with transportation, 1945-49. Records of theAdministrative, Secretariat and Reports, and Technical SupplySections of the Executive Branch, 1945-49. Subject and reportsfiles of the Reports and Statistics Group, 1945-49.Correspondence, reports, studies, and other records, 1945-49, ofthe following branches: Movements; Rail; Inland Water Transport;Maritime Ports and Shipping; and Highway and Highway Transport.
260.4.9 Records of the Property Division
Textual Records: General records, including a central subjectfile, 1944-50; and a reports file, 1945-49. Correspondence, casefiles, reports, and other records of the Property Control andExternal Assets Branch, 1944-50, and the Reparations andRestitution Branch, 1945-49. Records of, and relating to, centersfor the collection of literary, artistic, and other types ofalienated property established in various cities in the U.S.occupation zone ("Central Collecting Points," CCP), 1944-51 (bulk1945-49).
Photographs: Archives, libraries, and castles in10 German cities, 1946-47 (ACL, 181 images). Photographs taken bythe Dresden Art Gallery, presumably as a record of art plunderedby the Axis powers ("Linz Collection"), 1940-45 (L, 3,000images). Postwar collection, storage, and restitution of works ofart, accomplished at the Munich CCP, 1945-47 (MP, 1,234 images);and at the Wiesbaden CCP, 1945-50 (WA, WB, WC, WAE, WLA, WLB, andWLC; 9,767 images). Famous Germans, and the Hermann G"ring artcollection, assembled at the Munich CCP, and restitution of artactivities at that location, ca. 1945 (MCCP, 118 images).Activities at the Offenbach Archival Depot of OMGUS, art lootedfrom synagogues, and activities of the Task Force Reich LeaderRosenberg (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, "ERR"), in albums,1946 (PHOAD, 160 images).
Photographs and Postcards: Relating to thePlatterhof (former name of the General Walker Hotel) in the thenexisting village of Obersalzburg, Bavaria, ca. 1923-40 (NS, NSA, 277 images).
Photographs and Photomechanical Reproductions:Portraits of famous Germans, compiled in 1904, n.d. (GP, 30 images).
Photographic Prints: Benedictine abbey atMontecassino, Italy, before and after its destruction by Alliedbombing, with restoration plans, in album, 1949 (MC, 51 images).War damage to German monuments and buildings, 1946-47 (DM, 2,100images). "Ex libris" bookplates, ca. 1946 (XL, 478 images), andlibrary markings from looted books, ca. 1946 (LM, 14,783 images),photographed at the Offenbach Archival Depot. Survey of wardamage to historical and cultural monuments in the U.S. zone ofoccupation, 1947 (DB, 200 images). Scenes from the life of SS-Brig. Gen. Ulrich Graf, in albums, ca. 1937 (NSE, NSF; 40images). Photographic prints dedicated to Professor Seifert, inalbum, 1942 (NSB, 56 images).
Photographic Negatives: Comprising the Task ForceReich Leader Rosenberg Collection ("ERR Collection"), showingworks of art taken from France to Germany by teams acting underthe direction of National Socialist ("Nazi") official AlfredRosenberg, 1940-43 (ERR, 6,710 images). Polish art, ca. 1939 (PC,27 images). Russian icons, ca. 1945-46 (RT, 34 images). Exhibitheld at the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris, 1943 (JP, 21 images).Engravings in the Berlin Kupferstiche Kabinett, photographed atthe Wiesbaden CCP, ca. 1946 (KK, 158 images).
Photomechanical Reproductions: Art sent fortemporary safekeeping to the National Gallery of Art inWashington, DC, 1945 (GU, 202 images). Photomechanicalreproductions included in a publication on Adolf Hitler'slineage, 1937 (NSD, 32 images); and in a book on Ordensburg inSonthofen, Bavaria, 1937 (NSC, 19 images).
Related Records: Records of the American Commission for theProtection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in WarAreas, RG 239.
260.4.10 Records of the Finance Division
Textual Records: General records, consisting of correspondenceconcerning financial policies and procedures, 1944-48; case fileson banks, 1945-47; records of interrogations of Nazi financiers,1946-47; and a microfilm copy of case files on leading Germanofficials (1933-45), compiled ca. 1945-47 (3 rolls). Subject fileof the Financial Institutions Branch, 1945-48. Correspondence andother records of the Office of the Finance Adviser concerningexport-import, trade, and financial institution policies, 1945-49. Correspondence, reports, and other records, 1945-50, of thefollowing groups: Financial Intelligence; Internal and ExternalFinance; and Foreign Exchange Depository.
260.4.11 Records of the Education and Cultural Relations Division
(E&CRD)
Textual Records: General records, including transcripts oftelephone conferences between the Civil Affairs Division ofHeadquarters USFET/EUCOM and E&CRD officials, 1946-49; recordsconcerning budget and fiscal matters, 1948-49; and records of theResearch and Planning Section, 1948-49. Correspondence, messages,reports, studies, and other records, 1945-49, of the followingbranches: Education; Community Education (formerly GroupActivities); Religious Affairs; and Cultural Affairs.
260.4.12 Records of the Civil Aviation Branch of the Armed ForcesDivision
Textual Records: Decimal correspondence, 1949-50. Subject file,1944-50.
260.5 Records of OMGUS Organizations concerned with War Crimes Trials
1945-49
Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner forGermany, RG 466.
260.5.1 Records of the Office of the Chief of Counsel for WarCrimes (OCCWC)
History: For a history, see 238.4.
Textual Records: Administrative records, 1946-49. Records of theEvidence Division, consisting of case files on defendants andwitnesses in Case 6 ("I.G. Farben Case"), heard before a U.S.military tribunal in Nuremberg (1947-48), ca. 1947-48; completedStaff Evidence Analysis (SEA) forms, 1946-48, compiled by theDocument Control Branch; and interrogation summaries, 1946-48,compiled by the Interrogation Branch. Records of the SpecialProjects Division relating to its mission to assist ministries ofjustice in the various German states within the U.S. zone in theconduct of denazification cases, 1947-49. Records of thePublications Division concerning the publication of proceedingsof the U.S. military tribunals, 1948-49. Records of the LanguageDivision, 1947-48, consisting of daily trial reports andexemplars of translation tests.
Related Records: Additional records of OCCWC in RG 238, NationalArchives Collection of World War II War Crimes Records.
260.5.2 Records of the Secretariat for U.S. Military Tribunals
History: For a history, see 238.5.
Textual Records: Records of the Office of the Secretary General,including general correspondence, 1946-49; daily trial summaries,1947-48; case files of prosecution and defense motions andrequests, 1947-49; and clemency petition case files, 1947-49.Defendant and witness case files of the Marshal's Office, 1947-48. Subject files and administrative records of the DefenseCenter, 1946-49. Records of the Office of the Director ofPrinting relating to the publication and distribution of theofficial trial record, 1945-49.
Related Records: Additional records of the Secretariat for U.S.Military Tribunals in RG 238, National Archives Collection ofWorld War II War Crimes Records.
260.5.3 Records of the Secretariat of the International MilitaryTribunal (IMT) in the custody of the Secretariat for U.S. Military Tribunals
History: Established by IMT Procedural Rule 8, October 29, 1945,with responsibility for receiving all documents addressed to theIMT, maintaining IMT records, and providing clerical services toIMT. Abolished following the rendering of IMT judgments,September 30 and October 1, 1946, with a residual stafffunctioning, 1946-49, until completion of the publication of theofficial record of IMT proceedings, 1949. Official trial records,constituting the Archives of the International Military Tribunalof Nuremberg, were deposited with the International Court ofJustice in The Hague, Netherlands.
Textual Records: General records, 1945-46. File of official trialdocuments in the custody of the IMT President, Lord JusticeGeoffrey Lawrence, 1945-46. Copies of exhibits and documentbooks, 1945-46. Records concerning indicted organizations, 1945-46.
Related Records: Records of the Office of the U.S. Chief ofCounsel for the Prosecution of Axis Criminality in RG 238,National Archives Collection of World War II War Crimes Records.
260.5.4 Other records
Photographic Prints (2,087 images): Made by the Office of theU.S. Chief of Counsel for the Prosecution of Axis Criminalityfrom negatives comprising the Task Force Reich Leader RosenbergCollection ("ERR Collection"; see 260.4.9 under PhotographicNegatives), 1945 (ERRA).
Related Records: Records of Task Force Reich Leader Rosenberg inRG 242, National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized.Records of the Office of the U.S. Chief of Counsel for theProsecution of Axis Criminality in RG 238, National ArchivesCollection of World War II War Crimes Records.
260.6 Records of Berlin Command, OMGUS
1946-48
Textual Records: Central decimal correspondence, 1946-48. Subjectfile, 1947-48. File of endorsements sent, 1947-48. Incomingmessages, January-April 1948. Outgoing messages, 1946-48. Unitreports of operations, compiled by the Historical Division, 1947-48. Special court martial-case files, compiled by the Staff JudgeAdvocate, 1947-48. Fragmentary records of the Engineer Division,Signal Division, 7782d Special Troop Battalion, Motor TransportBattalion, and Berlin Barter Center, 1946-48.
Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner forGermany, RG 466.
260.7 Records of State (Land) and Sector Military Governments Responsible to OMGUS
1945-51 (bulk 1945-49)
Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner forGermany, RG 466.
260.7.1 Records of the Office of Military Government, Bavaria
Textual Records: Records of the Office of the Land Director, including separate correspondence files of the Director, Assistant Director, and Deputy Director, 1947-49; central decimal correspondence, 1945-49; a subject file, 1946-48; correspondence and other records relating to investigations, 1945-49; issuances, 1945-49; incoming and outgoing messages, 1945-49; and reports, 1945-49. Correspondence, messages, case files, reports, and other records, 1945-51 (bulk 1945-49), of the following divisions: Intelligence; Economics; Manpower; Finance; Legal; Education and Cultural Relations; Food, Agriculture, and Forestry; Property; Civil Administration; and Information Services. Correspondence, messages, and other records of the Transportation Branch, 1945- 49. Records of the Field Operations Division, including headquarters records, 1947-49; and records, 1946-50, of Branches A (Würzburg), B (Ansbach), D (Regensburg), E (Munich), and G (Augsburg), together with records of each branch's subordinate Resident Liaison and Security Offices, located in each district (Landkreis).
Posters (1 item): "Stalin an das Deutsche Volk," fromcorrespondence of the Land Director, ca. 1949.
260.7.2 Records of the Office of Military Government, Hesse
Textual Records: Subject correspondence maintained by theExecutive Office, 1946-48, with partial microfilm copy (1 roll).Correspondence, reports, and issuances of the Hesse Section,7780th OMGUS Group, 1945-49. Correspondence, messages, reports,and other records, 1945-49, of the following divisions:Personnel; Historical and Field Reports; Public Information;Intelligence; Bipartite Liaison; Education and CulturalRelations; Legal; Civil Administration; Information Services; andProperty. Records of the Liaison and Security Control Division,consisting of headquarters records, 1946-49; and records ofLiaison and Security Offices, together with their suboffices, inthe following districts: Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, Darmstadt,Wetzlar, Giessen, Marburg, Fulda, Fritzlar-Homberg, and Kassel.Correspondence and other records of the State Seizure Association(Staatliche Erfassungsgesellschaft, "STEG"), 1945-48, relating toits mission to seize and operate factories as necessary to ensureGermany's economic survival and eventual recovery. Subject fileof the Wiesbaden regional office of the U.S. Customs Group, 1949.
260.7.3 Records of the Office of Military Government,Württemberg-Baden
Textual Records: General records, including centralcorrespondence, 1945-49; subject correspondence, 1945-49;issuances, 1945-49; a file of speeches, press conferences, andnews releases, 1945-50; financial records, 1948-50; and reportsof military government detachments, 1945-47. Correspondence,messages, reports, and other records, 1945-49, of the followingdivisions: Government Affairs; Information Service; Education andCultural Relations; Legal; Economics; Property; Intelligence;Fiscal; and Transportation. Records of the Field RelationsDivision (formerly Field Operations Group), including records ofheadquarters, 1945-49; and records, 1945-49, of the ResidentLiaison and Security Office in each district (Landkreis).
260.7.4 Records of the Office of Military Government, Bremen
Textual Records: General records, including central subjectfiles, 1945-49; incoming messages, 1946-48; issuances, 1946-49;and reports, 1945-47. Correspondence, messages, reports, andother records, 1945-49, of the following divisions: InformationControl; Finance; Legal; Public Health and Welfare;Denazification; Manpower; Public Safety; Education; CivilAdministration; Economics; Transport; and Waterfront. Records ofthe Public Information Office, including correspondence, 1947-48;monthly activity reports of other offices, divisions, andbranches, 1948-49; and quarterly and annual histories of militarygovernment in Bremen, 1945-48. Records of the Bremerhaven Liaisonand Security Detachment, including decimal and subjectcorrespondence, 1945-49; reading files of the director, 1947-49;records relating to housing, the fishing industry, and clubs andyouth activities, 1945-49; and records of the Special Branchconcerning denazification activities, 1945-49.
260.7.5 Records of the Office of Military Government, BerlinSector
Textual Records: Subject correspondence, 1945-49. U.S. airliftreports, 1948-49, with microfilm copy (8 rolls). British airliftreports, 1948-49. Microfilm copy of orders to the mayor ofBerlin, May-September 1949 (1 roll); activity reports, 1947-48 (7rolls); and Berlin press reviews and releases, 1947-48 (12rolls). Records of the Civil Administration and Political AffairsBranch, including a central subject file, 1945-49; minutes ofmeetings of the City Assembly of Greater Berlin, 1948-49, withpartial microfilm copy (6 rolls); and microfilm copies of specialreports, 1947-48 (1 roll), and weekly political reports, January-October 1948 (2 rolls). Correspondence, messages, reports, andother records, 1945-49, of the following other branches:Information Services; Education and Cultural Relations; PublicHealth; Public Welfare; Manpower; Legal; Economics;Communications; Finance; Property Control; Public Works andUtilities; and Public Safety.
260.8 Records of U.S. Elements of Allied Control Authority (ACA) Organizations (Germany)
1944-53 (bulk 1945-48)
Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner forGermany, RG 466.
260.8.1 General records
Textual Records: Central file, arranged numerically, 1945-49,with subject index. Microfilm copy of Control Council andCoordinating Committee status reports, 1945-48 (1 roll).Administrative records of the U.S. element of the AlliedSecretariat, 1945-48.
260.8.2 Records of the U.S. element of the Control Council
Textual Records: General records, 1945-48. "Master File," 1945-46.
260.8.3 Records of the U.S. element of the Coordinating Committee
Textual Records: General records, 1945-48. "Master File," 1945-48. Minutes, 1945-48. Miscellaneous records, 1946-53.
260.8.4 Records of U.S. elements of ACA directorates
Textual Records: General records of U.S. elements of the CombinedServices Directorate and its predecessors, the Air, Military, andNaval Directorates, 1945-48, with partial microfilm copies, 1945-47 (66 rolls). General records of U.S. elements of the Prisonersof War and Displaced Persons Directorate, 1945-48, and itssubordinate organization, the Combined Repatriation Executive,1945-49. General records of the U.S. element of the CombinedServices and Economic Directorate, 1947. General records, 1945-49, of U.S. elements of the following other directorates: Legal;Internal Affairs and Communications; Economic; Financial;Reparations, Deliveries, and Restitution; Transport; Manpower;and Political.
260.8.5 Records of U.S. elements of other ACA organizations
Textual Records: General records of the U.S. element of theGerman External Property Commission, 1945-48. Records of the U.S.element of the Committee on Allied Controls, 1944-49. Subjectfile of the U.S. element of the Allied Kommandatura[quadripartite controlling body for Berlin], 1945-49. Memorandumsof the U.S. element of the Divisional Legislative Review Board,1949.
260.9 Records of U.S. Elements of Combined U.S.-British organizations (Germany)
1943-51 (bulk 1945-49)
Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner forGermany, RG 466.
260.9.1 Records of the U.S. element of the Bipartite Board
("BIB")
Textual Records: General records, 1947-49, dealing with theboard's policy-making activities for the unified economy of theU.S. and British zones of occupation. Minutes of BIB meetings,with agendas and related background papers, 1949. Recordsconcerning the various bipartite organizations, 1947-49.
260.9.2 Records of the Office of the U.S. Chairman of theBipartite Control Office ("BICO")
Textual Records: Subject file, 1947-50. File of treaties andtrade agreements, 1947-50.
260.9.3 General records of the U.S. element of BICO
Textual Records: Decimal, subject, and subject-numericcorrespondence, 1947-49. Reading file, 1948-49. Reports,memorandums, minutes, and other records of the U.S. economicadviser, 1947-49. Minutes of meetings of BICO staff members withbizonal and German officials, 1947-49. Records relating tobipartite participation in the European Recovery Program, 1947-49. Reference collection on bipartite organizations andactivities, maintained by the BICO Library, 1946-49.
260.9.4 Records of U.S. elements of BICO staff organizations
Textual Records: Correspondence, reports, memorandums, and otherrecords, 1945-50 (bulk 1947-49), of the following bipartitecontrol groups: Civil Service; Commerce and Industry;Communications; Finance; Food, Agriculture, and Forestry; Legal;and U.S. Customs.
260.9.5 Records of U.S. elements of other bipartite organizations
Textual Records: Records of the Joint Export-Import Agency,consisting of records concerning payment and trade agreements,arranged by country, 1946-50; records relating to militarygovernment accounts, 1943-49; records relating to advances andpayments, 1946-50; and minutes of meetings and other records ofthe Joint Export Import Board, 1947-49. Subject files of the U.S.element of the Allied Bank Commission, 1948-51.
260.10 Records of U.S. Elements of Combined U.S.-British-French Organizations (Germany)
1948-49
Textual Records: General records, 1948-49. Progress reports,1948-49. Records of tripartite meetings, 1948-49. Minutes andrelated records of the Committee of Deputies of the MilitarySecurity Board, March-June 1949.
Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner forGermany, RG 466.
260.11 Records of the U.S., Allied Commission for Austria (USACA) Section of Headquarters U.S. Forces in Austria
1932-56 (bulk 1945-50)
Note: Presently allocated to this record group, but not part ofthe records of the USACA Section, are records of otherorganizations of Headquarters U.S. Forces in Austria (HQ USFA),including records of the Historical Division, ca. 1945-50 (16ft.); and war crimes case files maintained by the Judge AdvocateSection, ca. 1945-50 (5 ft.).
History: USACA Section, responsible for civil affairs/militarygovernment administration, was organized concurrently with theestablishment of HQ USFA by General Order 1, HQ USFA, July 5,1945, as a component of U.S. Forces, European Theater (USFET).The single position of Commanding General USFA and U.S. HighCommissioner for Austria was held successively by Gen. Mark W.Clark, July 5, 1945-May 16, 1947; and Lt. Gen. Geoffrey Keyes,May 17, 1947-September 19, 1950. USACA Section provided the U.S.element of organizations comprising the Allied Commission forAustria, the name of the four-power occupation administrationestablished by a U.S., British, French, and Soviet agreement,signed July 4, 1945, and made effective July 24, 1945. USACASection also administered occupation government in U.S. zone ofAustria and U.S. sector of Vienna. USACA Section abolishedfollowing transfer of U.S. occupation government from military tocivilian authority, marked by the Presidential appointment ofWalter J. Donnelly as Envoy (later, Ambassador) to Austria andU.S. High Commissioner for Austria, effective September 20, 1950.Donnelly succeeded by Ambassador Llewelyn E. Thompson, Jr., July17, 1952. U.S. occupation government in Austria officiallyterminated, July 27, 1955, date of the entrance into force of theState Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent andDemocratic Austria, signed May 15, 1955.
260.11.1 General records
Textual Records: Correspondence and other records of the Officeof the Chief (prior to March 1950, Office of the Director), 1946-51. Central decimal correspondence, 1945-51. Records of variousorganizations of the Allied Commission for Austria, maintained byUSACA, ca. 1945-50. Final report of the High Commissioner, 1950.
260.11.2 Records of component organizations
Textual Records: Records of general and specialstaff sections, 1944-56, including reports, intelligencesummaries, and investigative files of the G-2 (Intelligence)Section. General records of the Information Branch andsubordinate sections, 1945-50; and the Statistical AnalysisBranch, 1945-50. Correspondence, reports, case files, and otherrecords of the Monuments and Fine Arts, German External Assets,and Property Control Branches of the Reparations, Deliveries, andRestitution Division, 1932-51 (bulk 1945-51). General records,1945-50, of the following components of the Internal Affairs andDisplaced Persons Division: the Internal Affairs Branch and itsPublic Safety and Denazification Sections; and the DisplacedPersons Branch. Records of the Legal Division, consisting ofadministrative records, 1945-50; and records of general, summary,and intermediate courts sitting in Linz, Salzburg, Vienna, andother localities, 1945-55. Records of the Education Division,consisting of general records, 1945-50; and records relating toyouth activities, 1946-51. General records of the Welfare andRelief Branch of the Social Administration Division, 1945-50.Central decimal correspondence maintained by the Adjutant General Section, 1946-47. Records of the Vienna Area Command, including central correspondence, issuances, and othergeneral records maintained by the Adjutant General Section, 1946-48; and miscellaneous records, 1946-48. Records of military detachments, maintained by the Military andNaval Divisions, 1946-51. General records of the following otherdivisions: Air, 1945-51; Civilian Supply, 1946-50; Finance, 1945-50; Economic, 1944-50; Transport, 1945-50; and Communications,1945-50.
Map: Town plan of Gmunden, Austria, 1947 (1 item).
260.12 Records of the U.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR)
1945-72
History: Following signing of the Instrument of Surrender,September 2, 1945, Ryukyu Islands were administered by Departmentof the Navy, September 21, 1945-June 30, 1946, with CommandingOfficer, Naval Operating Base, Okinawa functioning as chiefmilitary government officer under authority of Commander-in-ChiefU.S. Pacific Fleet. Transfer of administration from Department ofthe Navy to War Department authorized by Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) approval, April 1, 1946, of JCS 819/11, March 5, 1946, withadded proviso of JCS 819/12, March 22, 1946. Pursuant toimplementing instructions of General Headquarters U.S. ArmyForces in the Pacific (GHQ AFPAC), Okinawa Base Commandredesignated Ryukyus Command, effective July 1, 1946, by GeneralOrder 162, Headquarters U.S. Army Forces, Western Pacific, andmade responsible for administration under a Deputy Commander forMilitary Government. Ryukyu Islands administered successively byRyukyus Command, July 1-November 30, 1946; Philippines-RyukyusCommand, December 1, 1946-July 31, 1948; and Ryukyuan Command,August 1, 1948-December 15, 1950. USCAR established, effectiveDecember 15, 1950, by a directive of Headquarters Far EastCommand (HQ FEC, formerly GHQ AFPAC), AG 091.1 (5 Dec 50) RCA,December 5, 1950, implementing a JCS memorandum, SM 2474-50,October 11, 1950, directing Commander-in-Chief Far East, Gen.Douglas MacArthur, to organize a civil administration for theRyukyu Islands in accordance with JCS 1231/14, October 4, 1950.USCAR continued to function under Department of the Army(formerly War Department), 1950-71. Amami Island Group of RyukyuIslands was returned to Japan by the Agreement between the UnitedStates of America and Japan concerning the Amami Islands, signedDecember 24, 1953, and made effective December 25, 1953. USCARabolished following entrance into force, May 15, 1972, of theAgreement between the United States of America and Japanconcerning the Ryukyu Islands and the Daito Islands, signed June17, 1971, by which the remaining island groups of the RyukyuIslands, including the Okinawa Island Group, were returned toJapan.
260.12.1 Records of the Office of the High Commissioner
Textual Records: Correspondence, minutes and notes of meetings,translations, and other records of the Language Aide, 1960-69.Records of the Information Coordinator concerning the variousstaff departments, 1969-71. Records of the Advisory Committee tothe High Commissioner, containing the committee's recommendationsfor action on social, economic, and related matters, 1968-70.Records of the U.S. element of the Preparatory Commissionconcerning reversion of the Ryukyu Islands to Japan, 1970-71.
260.12.2 Records maintained by the Administrative Office of theOffice of the Civil Administrator
Textual Records: Central correspondence ("General AdministrativeFiles"), 1962-71. Record sets of issuances, 1950-59. Historicaland organization planning files, 1956-70.
260.12.3 Records of the Comptroller Department of the Office ofthe Civil Administrator
Textual Records: General correspondence, 1965-72. Recordsconcerning budget formulation and execution, 1967-71; generalfund program formulation, 1966-71; economic aid, 1967-71; generalaccounting, 1956-68; petroleum distribution accounting andmanagement, 1956-71; local government budget guidance, 1960-71;and customs management, 1967-71.
260.12.4 Records of the Economic Department of the Office of theCivil Administrator
Textual Records: "Common Mission Files," 1956-70. Recordsconcerning banking facilities, 1957-71; the Bank of Ryukyu, 1959-71; and the Development Loan Corporation, 1961-71.
260.12.5 Records of the Health, Education and Welfare Departmentof the Office of the Civil Administrator
Textual Records: General records, including legal and liaisonfiles, 1965-71; records containing local government budgetguidance, 1964-71; narcotics input control and reports files,1963-71; records concerning communicable diseases, 1964-71; andrecords concerning preventive medicine, veterinary medicine, andsanitation activities, 1960-71. Project files of the WelfareDivision, 1964-71. General records, 1964-71, of the HealthDivision; the Education Division; and the English LanguageCenter.
260.12.6 Records of the Labor Department of the Office of theCivil Administrator
Textual Records: General correspondence, 1958-71. Civil affairsplanning files, 1968-71. Records relating to employment control,1958-71; labor council management, 1958-71; and social insurance,1953-71.
260.12.7 Records of the Legal Affairs Department of the Office ofthe Civil Administrator
Textual Records: Records of the Legal Division, including policyand precedent files, 1952-71; legislation and legislativebackground files, 1952-68; English-language translations ofGovernment of the Ryukyu Islands laws, 1953-71; and claims files,1961-71. Records of the Land Division, including generalcorrespondence, 1953-71; case files, 1955-71; records relating tomunicipalities, 1946-47; land conference files, 1958; recordsconcerning Okinawa land problems, 1955-58; and South Americanemigration and resettlement files, 1960-70.
260.12.8 Records of the Liaison Department of the Office of theCivil Administrator
Textual Records: General correspondence, 1945-71. "Common MissionFiles," 1952-71. Records, 1952-71, concerning special projectsand international relations.
260.12.9 Records of the Public Affairs Department of the Officeof the Civil Administrator
Textual Records: Central correspondence, 1966-71. Program recordsof the Cultural Affairs Division, 1964-71. Records of theInformation Division, including program records, 1964-71; recordsets of publications, 1952-70; press books, 1965-69; and "NewsMorgue Files," 1958-71.
Motion Pictures: Newsreels produced by theInformation Division, depicting historical events, personalities,ceremonial events, and social and economic activities in theRyukyu Islands, 1958-71 (2,185 reels).
Sound Recordings: Japanese-language sound track forsome of the newsreels produced by the Information Division, n.d. (2 items).
Photographic Prints: Political, economic, social,and cultural life in the Ryukyu Islands under USCAR, includingpolitical parties and elections, industries, schools anduniversities, ceremonial events, and visits by dignitaries fromthe United States and other countries, 1949-72 (CR, 35,100images). USCAR activities, and social and cultural programs, inalbums, 1964-65 (CRA, 2,300 images).
260.12.10 Records of the Public Safety Department of the Officeof the Civil Administrator
Textual Records: Records of the Operations Division, includinggeneral correspondence, 1968-71; reports of incidents involvingU.S. military personnel, 1968-71; police liaison files, 1967-71;records concerning emergency planning, 1952-71; records relatingto civic action, 1966-71; and records containing local governmentguidance, 1967-71. Records of the Immigration Division relatingto entry and exit control, 1958-71; and family registration,1958-71.
260.12.11 Records of the Public Works Department of the Office ofthe Civil Administrator
Textual Records: General correspondence, 1963-71. Project reviewfiles, 1965-71. Records containing guidance on local constructionand maintenance, 1964-71. Records concerning water and electricpower control, transportation services, communications, andpostage stamp development, 1952-71.
260.12.12 Records of civil affairs teams responsible to theOffice of the Civil Administrator
Textual Records: Civil affairs files, 1969-71, of the Miyako andthe Yaeyama Civil Affairs Teams.
Bibliographic note: Web version based onGuide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. Compiled by Robert B. Matchette et al. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995.
3 volumes, 2428 pages.
This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1995.
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