Lot 392

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Description:


A historic grouping of immense importance, a large, collated collection of original, largely 'SECRET' and 'TOP SECRET' U.S. State Department and other documents, as well as orders, press announcements, declarations, etc. surrounding the surrender and partition of Germany and Austria, and the postwar administration of Austria by the four Allied powers. These papers, mostly official retained copies or copies with very restricted distribution, have been gathered into a 'Black Book' from the 'Office of the Political Adviser', namely State Department official JOHN G. ERHARDT (1889-1951). Erhardt served as Consul in Hamburg and would later serve in London under Ambassador Joseph Kennedy. During the war, he was in a high-level State Department position in Washington, where he was involved in the planning of the surrender of Germany and occupation of Germany and Austria. After the war, he served as de facto Ambassador to Austria and as political adviser to Gen. Mark Clark, who led the American occupation military forces in Austria. The dozens of documents here were retained by Erhardt for official use and reference, and a table of contents and cover pages are included. The documents could not possibly be fully described here, but they are essentially a detailed master plan on 'how to administer a conquered nation'. Virtually every conceivable aspect of administering a once-hostile nation is examined and addressed. The documents are arranged categorically, versus chronologically. They include: State Dept. press release, Moscow Declaration, Nov. 1, 1943; Mar. 10, 1945 5pp. draft agreement for 'control machinery in Austria'; printed EAC agreement, 4pp., on 'control machinery for Austria'; draft 'Directive to Commander in Chief U.S. Force of Occupation, General and Political...[Austria]', 18pp., June 26, 1945, 1 of 6 copies (also 'Economic' and 'Financial' sections, additional 15pp.); 'Directive to SCAEF [Eisenhower] Regarding the Military of Germany...Post-Defeat', 2pp., along with a fascinating 7pp. 'Political Directive' for Germany ordering the arrest of 'Adolf Hitler [and] his Nazi associates...[all] officials of the Nazi Party down to the local level...'; 'Financial' and 'Economic' directives, 8pp.; an additional set of directives, 9pp. total, very similar to these but dated Jan. 6, 1945 and probably a later, final draft; SHAEF 'Provisional Directive for Military Government in Austria', sent to Gen. Jacob Devers, 6th A.G. and Gen. Omar Bradley, 53pp. of very detailed orders covering every aspect of the occupation, including severance from Germany, government, de-nazification, arrests, removal of undesirables, administration of camps and prisons, etc.; directive from Gen. Mark Clark to Gen. Geoffrey Keyes and general commanding Vienna district on military government in Austria, 14pp., July 27, 1945; 'Declaration of Berlin', 6pp., June 5, 1945, proclaiming the unconditional surrender of Germany and the assumption of supreme authority by the four victorious powers; a 7pp. report to President Harry Truman by Erhardt: 'Treatment of Austria - Summary', Jan. 11, 1945; 'United States Policy Towards Austria', three reports, largely concerning events until end of war, 14pp.; 'The Treatment of Austria: Policy Recommendations", 16pp., June 21, 1944; comments and exchanges on the aforementioned policy recommendations between the Inter-Divisional Committee on Germany, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Cordell Hull, 6pp.; and perhaps a dozen other reports, analyses, presentations, directives, etc., all concerned with the administration of the Austrian government and economy. Finally, there is a 148pp. types report: 'Summary and Conclusions', apparently written by Erhardt before departing Austria in 1950 examining in great detail Austria's government, economy, press, Soviet influence, etc. Also present are 16 photographs of Erhardt and others associated with him while he served in Austria.

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October 28, 2020 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000