Query:

Sources on United States/SPD Relations 1945-1952

January 1995

Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 08:32:00 -0600
Subject: Query: SPD/U.S. 1945-1952

Submitted by: Damon Cheston <dc7v@uva.pcmail.virginia.edu>

I am collecting source material for a seminar paper (and possibly
a masters thesis) on the relationship between the German Social
Democrats and the United States from 1945 to 1952 - that is
from its reconstitution in Germany until the death of its
leader, Kurt Schumacher, in 1952. The issues I'm most
interested in are the SPD's stance regarding integration into
the Western European security and economic system, the SPD's
attitude towards the decentralization, economic, and
denazification policies of the Western occupation powers, and
the SPD's attitude towards reunification of Germany. The SPD's
policy during these years has been adequately handled. The
relationship between the United States and the party has not.

I'd like to take a look at the United States' view of the German
Social Democrats and, in particular, how the Social Democrats
either complicated or aided American policy. I am looking at
State Department Central files for Germany for these years,
Acheson papers, various Truman papers microfilmed by UPA,
Marshall Papers, etc. If anyone knows of material particularly
pertinant, please e-mail me.

Thanks,

--
Damon Chetson
dc7v@virginia.edu

Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 09:19:59 -0600
Subject: Re: Query on SPD/U.S., 1945-1952

Submitted by: Dan Rogers <drogers@jaguar1.usouthal.edu>

Very detailed records of the relationship between the U.S. and the S.P.D.
in the years 1945-1949 can also be found in the microfiched records of
the Office of Military Government, United States (OMGUS), which are
available in the Washington, D.C. area (call the National Archives to
discover their current location given the transfer of many sets of
documents presently underway).

The records of the Political Parties and Elections Branch and the Civil
Affairs Divisions of OMGUS will be relevant, but you will probably find
the most information concerning high-level contacts among American
officials and S.P.D. leaders in the records of the office of U.S.
Political Adviser Robert Murphy. These records (referred to as POLAD),
while technically part of a separate National Archives Record Group (RG
84, vs. RG 260 for the OMGUS files) were nevertheless still part of the
microfilming project.

Again, you will have to contact the National Archives on this, but the
microfiche can be duplicated at relatively little cost. The problem is
finding the precise microfiche you would want duplicated among the many
thousands of potentially relevant ones.

An excellent recent guide to the work of OMGUS is the following work,
(this is the Library of Congress catalog record for it):

OMGUS-Handbuch : die amerikanische Militarregierung in Deutschland
1945-1949 / herausgegeben von Christoph Weisz. Munchen : Oldenbourg,
1994. xxi, 847 p. : map ; 24 cm.

LC CALL NUMBER: DD257.2 .O43 1994

SUBJECTS:
Germany (Territory under Allied Occupation, 1945-1955. U.S. Zone).
Office of Military Government--History.
Germany--History--1945-1955.
Germany (West)--History.

ADDED ENTRIES:
Weisz, Christoph.

SERIES TITLES (Indexed under SERI option):
Quellen und Darstellungen zur Zeitgeschichte ; Bd. 35

As to your use of diplomatic records:

One caution in using the State Department Central Files: make
sure you use both the decimal files catalogued under World
War II (filed as 740.00119 Control [Germany]) and the decimal files for
the internal politics of Germany (862.00). Although there is much
duplication between these sets of files, sometimes very interesting
documents will be found only in one or another of these sets.

As far as published primary sources are concerned, the Foreign Relations
of the United States series, which you probably already know, will have
some useful information. The Clay Papers (ed. Jean Edward Smith, Indiana
University Press, 1975) will have a lot concerning the military
governor's attitudes, often hostile, towards Kurt Schumacher. And the
collection of Kurt Schumacher's writings and speeches (ed. Willi Albrect,
published by Dietz in Berlin, 1985) may also be of use to you.

Please contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Dan Rogers
History Department
University of South Alabama

Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 10:37:33 -0600
Subject: Re: Query: SPD/U.S. 1945-1952

Submitted by: Dewey Browder <BROWDERD@LYNX.APSU.EDU>

I suggest you take a look at:
"Politische Leitsaetze der SPD vom Mai 1946." in Programme der politischen
Parteien in der Bundesrepublik. ed Herbert Maier. Muenchen: Beck'sche
Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1975

Social Democratic Party of Germany. Basic Program of the Social Democratic
Party of Germany. Bonn: Bonn-Druck, Storbeck & Co., 1959

Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands. Das Programm Der Opposition: Das
Aktionsprogramm der SPD, with a forward by Kurt Schumacher. Hannover:
Neuer Vorwaerts Verlag, 1952.

Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands. Deutsche Parteiprogramme: 1861-
1961, ed. Wolfgang Treue, Programm von Goerlitz (Bonn: Friedrich Ebert
Stiftung, 1961

Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands. Jahrbucher der Sozialdemokratische
Partei Deutschlands. Hannover: 1946- Friedrich Ebert Stiftung

Hope this helps.

Dewey Browder
Dept. of History Austin Peay State University

Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 10:52:53 -0600
Subject: Re: Query on SPD/U.S., 1945-1952

Submitted by: David A. Meier <DAVID_MEIER@dsu1.dsu.nodak.edu>

Query on SPD/US 1945-1952

Regarding possible resources, one might also wish to consult the
papers of Kurt Schumacher which are kept at the Friedrich Ebert
Stiftung in Bonn.

As for the Washington archives, you might also consider the Suitland
Reference Branch (National Archives & Records Administration,
Washington, D.C. 20409). At Suitland you will find the following
collections:

United States High Commissioner for Germany, John J. McCloy
Office of Executive Director
Office of the General Counsel
Office of Political Affairs
U.S. Secretariat, Allied High Commission
United States Court of the Allied High Commission for Germany
U.S. Element, Combined Travel Board
U.S. Element, MIlitary Security Board
U.S. Element, Extradition Board
Berlin Element
Frankfurt Element
Peripheral Reporting Unit
Regional Land Commissioners
Office of the Land Commissioner for Bavaria
Office of the Land Commissioner for Bremen
Office of the Land Commissioner for Hesse
Office of the Land Commissioner for Wuerrtemberg-Baden
U.S. Observer for Land - Baden (at Freiberg)

This list is dated June 29, 1992 and was provided to me by the Suitland
Reference Branch, in other words, there is probably much more now. I
have a somewhat more detailed description of the holdings listed for
anyone interested. Second, I would point out that many of these
holdings are still classified. Therefore, a letter before a trip would be
in order. Hopefully, David Pfeiffer is still working there. He provided
me with a great deal of help during my trip to Suitland as well as the
aforementioned list.

*******************************************
Dr. David A. Meier
Assistant Professor of History
Department of History
291 Campus Drive
Dickinson State University
Dickinson, ND 58601-4896
Phone: 1-701-227-2116
Fax: 1-701-227-2006
Email: David_Meier@DSU1.DSU.NODAK.EDU
********************************************

Information provider:
Unit: H-Net program at UIC History Department
Email: H-Net@uicvm.uic.edu
Posted: 25 Feb 1995
.

Return to the H-German Homepage