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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Museum Ring Collection, 1895-2000
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Description
An account of the resource
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The oldest known Citadel Class Ring dates to 1895, and features a dark stone with the year '95 inscribed in the center. Early rings changed design from year to year until the design was standardized in 1940. A special war ring was made for those who had been called to active duty directly from The Citadel at the close of the 1942-1943 academic year. This war ring was unique in that it did not have class numerals.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Citadel Class Rings for the Corps of Cadets feature an oval crest with a Palmetto tree and the South Carolina State Seal with the graduating class numerals. The words “The Military College of S.C. 1842” wrap around the oval. The right side of the ring depicts the United States and South Carolina flags, cannon balls, and a star representing the Star of the West steamship that cadets fired upon in January of 1861. The left side depicts a crossed sword and rifle with oak leaves and laurel wreath.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">For more information, visit <a href="http://www.citadelalumni.org/s/1674/alumni/index.aspx?sid=1674&gid=1001&pgid=391" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Citadel Alumni Association's Cadet Ring History & Symbolism</a> website.</span></p>
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Museum Ring Collection
Relation
A related resource
Museum Ring Collection
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Physical Object
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/23
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Charleston (S.C.)
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Citadel Class Ring, 1945. Frank J. Knight
Subject
The topic of the resource
Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/703
Description
An account of the resource
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The oldest known Citadel Class Ring dates to 1895, and features a dark stone with the year '95 inscribed in the center. Early rings changed design from year to year until the design was standardized in 1940. A special war ring was made for those who had been called to active duty directly from The Citadel at the close of the 1942-1943 academic year. This war ring was unique in that it did not have class numerals.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Citadel Class Rings for the Corps of Cadets feature an oval crest with a Palmetto tree and the South Carolina State Seal with the graduating class numerals. The words “The Military College of S.C. 1842” wrap around the oval. The right side of the ring depicts the United States and South Carolina flags, cannon balls, and a star representing the Star of the West steamship that cadets fired upon in January of 1861. The left side depicts a crossed sword and rifle with oak leaves and laurel wreath.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">For more information, visit <a href="http://www.citadelalumni.org/s/1674/alumni/index.aspx?sid=1674&gid=1001&pgid=391" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Citadel Alumni Association's Cadet Ring History & Symbolism</a> website.</span></p>
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
A1972.024
Relation
A related resource
Museum Ring Collection
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Physical Object
Date Valid
Date (often a range) of validity of a resource.
1940-1949
Audience
A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful.
Citadel Class of 1945
-
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1d7810e34feff372a6fcac41a8d9e748
PDF Text
Text
THE CITADEL.
)
ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM
-
NarE
This is Volume IX of the \'far Diary of Lieutenant General
Mark W. Clark.
Volume I, Covering period 28 June, 1942 to
September 24, 1942; Voltune II, cov-ring period 25 Septem-
ber 1942 to 5 January 1943; Volume III, covering period
6 January 1943 to 6 June 1943; and Volune IV, covering
period 7 June 1943 to 29 August 1943, are held in safekeeping at the Army War College , Washington, D. C.
Volune
V, covering period August JO , 1943 to December 31, 1943;
and Yolune 7I, covering period January 1, 1944 to March
31, 1944; Volwne 7II, covering period 1 April 1944 to 30
June 1944, and Volw:19 VIII , covering reriod l July 1944 to
31 December 1944 are being held in safekeeping in the
manding General's safe.
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SIBNA--JANUARY 1, 1945--The General flew to Siena this morning at ten
o'clock and spent two hours at his office. At noon the General gave
a reception and punch to meet all officers of the 15th Army Group Headquarters, approximately 700, at the 717 Club from twelve o'clock until
two . The General spoke to the assembled officers , telling them how
proud he was to have been chosen as Commander of 15th Army Group . The
General , with General Gruenther , Brigadier Packard and Colonel Saltzman,
stood in line and shook hands with all the officers of the Headquarters .
After the reception the General returned to his vllla for lunch
and rest . In the evening the General. dined at "A" Mess with Brigadier
Packard .
*
*
FLORENCE--JANUARY 2, 1945--T~e General drove from Siena to the new command post in Florence which is to open tomorrow at noon. After inspecting the command post the General drove to his villa, where he
spent the afternoon.
At 2000 hours General Clark met General McNarney at the AngloAmerican where they conferred for two hours . The General tben returned
to his villa for the night .
*
*
*
FLORENCE-JANUARY 3, 191+5--The General spent the morning at his villa
and arrived at the new command post at 1100 hours . He conferred with
members of his staff and spent the rest 9f the day in his new office
and wa:r room conferring with various staff officers and working on administrative papers .
*
*
'*
FLORENCE--JANUARY 4, 1945--The General spent the day at his command post
in Florence conferring with membors of his staff and working on papers .
*
*
*
FLORENCE--JANUARY 5, 1945--'roday was organization day of the Fifth Army,
and General Clark sent General ~:ruscott a message of felicitations early
in the morning.
The General remained at his command post today and in the afternoon
General Truscott called to see the Army Group ~Comrnander and conferred
with him for about two hours .
*
*
*
FLORENCE-- JAIID'ARY 6, 1945- -Generals Clark and Gruenther left the command
post by car shortly after seven o'clock, cross0d the Apennines and arrived at Forli a.t about 1030 hours., where they conferred with General
McCreery, and Brigadier Floyd, Chief of Staff, Eighth Army. In company
2
1/
�3
with General McCreery, General Clark left Forli at about 1115 for Polish
Corps Headquarters , arriving a little before bmlve o'clock.
Genera.ls Clark and Gruenther were g-.l'."eoted by General Anders, Com- )
mantling Polish Corps , and were led immediately to the ceremony where
they were to be invested with the Polish decoration of "Virtuti Militari11 . Three battalions of the Polish Corps were drawn up in the main
square of the town on three sides of a hollovr square , with a band and
colors also on parade (these colors now belonging to the 3rd Carpathian
Division, were presented by Field Warshal Wavell to the Polish Brigade,
then the only Polish combatant troops, who so successfully and gallantly held Tobruk in 1941). Generals Clark, Mccreery, Anders and Gruenther
stood facing the parade while the National Anthems of America, Great
Britain and Poland were played. General Clark, accompanied by the other
Generals , inspected the troops on parade who , during all this while, remained at the ttpresentn. The eyes of every officer and rnan on parade
were fixed on General Clark throughout the inspection. General Clark
and General Gruenther were then led to a position in the center of the ~ n ~
square . The Colors were brought to a position immediately behind them. /J!v I
General Anders made a speech to the two Generals in Polish 11.1.icti was
translated by an interpreter, and he then pinned on their breasts the
Medal of the Order of Virtuti JVIilitari . The Generals then went to a
saluting base in a street a few hundred yards away where the troops on
parade marched past .
After the ceremony was over General Anders entertained General
Clark, GenAral Gruenther , and the other assembled officers to luncheon
in his mess
General Clark pr-esented both General Anders an d Gc-meral
McCreary with carbine s suitably inscribed . During the course of the
luncheon General Anders made another ~hort speech. He pinned on the
shirtsleeves of Gen; ral Clark, General Gruenther and General McCreary
the insign1.a of the 2nd Polish Corps , the emblem of the City of Warsaw.
He also presented General Clark with an album of photographs depicting
the rece:r1t doings of t he Polish Corps and underlining its connection
with t e Allied Armies in Italy. As an after thought he also gave to
General Clark, General Gruenther , General McCre0ry an d Brigadier Floyd
some medallions imprinted with vhe head of Mussolini , who was born and
later also spent some of his dictatorial years in the neighborhood of
Predappio where Headquarters Polish Corps now found itself. These
medallions were picked up as "lootH by the 18th Polish Battalion, who
were t he first troops to enter the town.
After luncheon there was a short floor show of Polish national
dances and similar entertainment .
Generals Clark and Gruenther left the Headquarters by road at 1445
and drove back over the Apennines through a snowstorm, arriving at ·uhe
command post at approximately six o'clock.
�FLORENCE--JANUARY 7, 1945--General Clark s pent most of the day today working
in h:ts office and conferr:i.ng with various of his staff officers. At six
o' clock this evening GenerRl Clark ha.d the following guests in his conference
hut: Capt . R. H. Bernays, Major H. G. StudhoJ.me, J . J . Lawson, Wing Commander A. w. H. James , Capt . F. J . Bellenger and Briga.di.er Partridge. All of
t he above mentioned persons are members of Parliament who are touring the
Italian front with the exception of Brigadier Partridge who is the conducting officer . General Clark oriented the group on the situa.tion in his war
r oom and then en.tertained his guests at dinner. It i.s the intention of the
party to visit British units of the Fifth Army tomorrow ·and the following
day, after which they will tour the Eighth Army front .
*
*
*
FLORENCE- -JANUARY B, 1945- -The Army Group Commander spent the entire day
today working on papers in his office . · In the late afternoon he went to
his villa for a short while .
*
*
*
FLORENCE- -JAITTJARY 9, 1945--General Clark spent most of the day attending to
administrative matters at his headquarters and in the afternoon walked to
his villa with Colonel Sa.ltzmtm and rema:i.ned there most of the evening .
*
*
*
FLORENCE-- JAtmARY 10, 1945--General Clark wa.s at his headquarters today conferring wlth his staff officers a.n<l ·mrking on important papers. At mid-day
the members of Parliament touring the Itd ian front stopped in to see General Clark following their t our of British units of the Fifth Army and prior
to their trip to the Eighth Army sector . The remainder of the day the General spent at his villa.
*
*
*
FLORE 1fCE--JANUARY 11, 1945--At 1000 hours JVtr- . Matthews of the New York Times
en.me to visit General Clark and spent just over half an hour with him i .n his
office and in the war room. At 1130 General Clark wa.s photographed making a
short introductory address for the film nBattle of Sa.n Pietro . This speech
is quoted as follows:
nrn 191+3 it was one of our strategic aims to draw as many German forces
as possible away from the RussiR.n front and I rench coo stal area.s and to con-
tain them on the Italfan penlnsula, while liberating a.s much of Italy as
might be possible with the means at our nispos al . As the. bulk of our supplies was directed to England for the .forthcoming invasion, opera.tions in
Ita.J.y had to be conducted on an extremely limited scA.le. Thus, it came
about that during the winter months the number of Allied divisions in Italy
was reduced . Yet, so determined wa s their effort that they succeeded in
holding in Ita.ly a very large number of German divisions during the pre invasion period . San Pietro in the Fifth Army sector was the key to the
Liri Valley. We knew it - the enemy knew it . We had to take it even though
the immediate cost would be high . We took it - and the cost in rel:=:ition to
�[
The General then recorded a speech to be broadcast to the Union of
South Afr:ica in which he told something of the recent doings of the 6th -1£;
South Afrfoan Division . The full text of this sreech is quoted below:
tt Qne of the most ~atifying experiences of my Fifth Army command has
been the opportunjty I have had to wor_ with General Poole and the fine
troops of his Sixth South African Armored Division.
0 The South Africans are aggressive and brave , thoroup;hly wise in
battle . Their mission has not been an easy one , nor has it been the
sort of mission which produces sensational 8.dwrnces in ~hart periods of
time . The Sixth South Africans have been opposing
strong nemy force
over a broad sector , in some of the most difficult mounta.inous terrnin in
all Italy. At times, owing to the exceptionally heaYy storms we hAve had
along the entire Fifth Army fr ont, communications h3.ve been difficult , and
lines of .supply have been all but cut off .
0
Y
uTheir s has been a fight ing role , fighting which has gone on day and vinight without rest or r espite . And i n addition t o a dHtermined and fana t i cal enemy, they have had to fight mountains and mud . This they have
done both cheerfull y and well. We have asked a great deal of them , and
they have given us bett er than we could have reasonably expected .
~
ttWhen the Sixth South Africans were assign~d to Fifth Army some Months
ago , it was the first time in histor y tha t a South African division had
served under an Amer i c an command . I have always consider ed the assignment
a wiRe one , but its wisdom was brought home to me with spe c fa 1 clarity the
other day hen I visi ted the South African command post . There I observed
for myself the excellent morale of the men , their determination to kill Germa.ns and their inspiring fi~hting spirit . I was pa.rticul~rly impressed by
the large number of battle decorations I SF.tw as I toured through the seotor ,
honors which I well kno,ir were earned the hard way.
~
nr saw Mt . Catarelto , Mt . Stanco and ~t . S.- lvaro - tremendous rough
hill masses which the South Africans wrested rom the enemy in some of the
toughest fighting of the entire Italian campaign . I saw the enemy positions, selected many months ago as ideal reinforcement for whAt the Germans
looked upon as their impregnnble Gothic defenses . I saw the roads over
whi'ch the South African Divj_sion was supplied, inundated at several points
by the s mllen streams-- V'thich poured across them from the mo1mtains . And
I sa.vv the men who overcame this combinatj_on of natura.l and man- made obstacles .
n1t gives me a good deal of pleasure to report to you that the Fif'th
Army looks upon its South African brothers in arms with pride in what they
have accomplished and high hopes for the battles ahead .
~
c..,
�"The enemy has learned to fea.r the cooperative 0ffort of the Alli=tl
troops united under Fifth Army comma.nd . For he knows thP"t it is just
this cooperative Allied effort that will drive the Germans out of Italy. ''
At about 1215 General Robert E. Wood and General Frank ca.me to visit General Clark, accompanied by General Cannon, Commanding the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force . The party stayed for about half ~m
hour and then depa.rted . General :food strwed for luncheon rlth General
Clark and Joined _his party at the Florence airfield aft erwards .
General Clark spent a quiet afternoon and evening at his command
post, vorking on important papers and conferrj_ng with various staff officers .
*
*
*
FLOREJCE--JA\TIJARY 12, 1945--General Clark interviewed Admiral Stone , Head
of the Allied Commission in Italy, at 0930, together ~ith GenerP.1 Gruenther,
Chfof of Sta.ff . Shortly before 1100 hours Gener 1 Clark left the command
post, accompanied by Colonel Saltzman, Deputy Chief of Staff, . or the command post , Fifth Army, where he was Emtertained at luncheon by General
Truscott, Commandin~ General, and General CPrleton, Chief of Staff , Fifth
Army.
I
After luncheon General Clark left by Jt~ep wi th General Truscott,
called briefly at the 34th Division command post and proceeded to a ceremony near Piamagio in the 34th Division area . Here there were drawn up
three battalions in formation and various officers of the "3/j,th Division
who were to be decorated . Chief Rmong these was 2nd Lieutenant E. H. Dervishian of the 135th Infantry Regiment ~ho had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. General Clark, together with General 'Pruscott,
General Keyes, and General Bolte mounted the reviJwing stand . The band
played ruff1es, flourishes and "To he GenerRlu, following which General
Clark gave a short talk to the assembled troops and, in particular, to
the individuals about to be decorated .
he decore . . s were CA.lled forward
singly, startin~ with 2nd Lieutemmt Dervishian and were decorated by
G~nerRl Cl rk . De:rvishian took his phce on the reviewing stand immediately
behind General ;lark; th~ others to the left Rnd reHr of the stand . After
this the entire formn.tion was called to attention , an<l the unit citation of
the 2nd Battalion of the J.IS?ith Inf'antry Regiment was read .
General Clr-,rk then pinned the Dist ·nguj_shed Unit BA.dges on the Battalion Commander and officers of his staff and 8f'terwt=1.rds pinned cj tA.tion
streamers on the guidons o _ the battalion. Thi?. ... ational Anth,3m was plRyed ,
Hnd the formA.tion was over.
On his return, General Cl.qrk stopped of'f nt the II Corps conmand post
where he conferred briefly with General Keyes, the Corps Commander . He returned by road to his headquarters, a.rriving shortly before ive o' clock .
The Army Group CoP1mander .,ntertrrimd General Tate , Colonel D1 Orsa, Lt.
Col. Lazar and Lt . Col . , ovotny for dinner t 1is evening.
�7
(
Today the Army Group Chief of Stt=tff received a copy of the fallowing letter from Brig. Gen. Iume, Senior Civil Affajrs Officer of the Fifth Army
Allied Military Government, to the Chief Commissioner of the Allied Corrrrnission,
Admiral Stone:
n1. The follow i ng report of public inform~tion on the subject of the
food shortage in Italy is transmitted for inform~tion .
"2 . The Fascist Republican Radio bro,:idcasting in Itnlhn at 2:00 P.M.
on January sixth made the followinis statement:
' Allied Food Supnlies to Italv - The Anglo-Am~rican comedy
about the amount of supplies to be sent to "occupiedtt Italy
is being enriched with new elements . Roosevelt actually
A.nnounced that a new program for the provisioning of Italy
has heen approved and lRrge quantities of .oodstuffs will
soon be flowing into the country. He did not , however, stat
the exact weight of the promised deliveries but limited
himself to declaring that the new· oonsignrnents will represent an increase in calories . The Fresident also added
that the transportation problem vms still . illed wlth great
and uns 1rmountable difficulties . Roosevelt, with this ge.me
of dice, calories and tonna.ge, continues to promise , and the
Italians wait .'
''3 .
At ~: 00 P . M. on the
same day
\
j
the same ra.dio made the following
statement :
' BBC on Food Supplies to Italy - In its broadcast to Itali.Rns,
the BBC yesterday said the following: nA cartoon in a satiric paper in Rome shows a person drinking coffee 1.n the
act of soakinp, somathing which he do,s not hav in a cup of
coffee ihich is not there . To someone who a sks him what he
is doing, he replies: ' I am soaking the supplement of bread
in a cup of Brazilia.n coffee '. CoMmenting on the meRning of
the cart oon , the BBC asserts tha.t the Allied Governments, although the;r haw~ recogniz d the necessity for sending food stuffs to Italy, cannot do so because their tonnage :i.s used
for other purposes . Th~ enemy radio thus concludes its broadcast : nuntil the time when the military operations vrill ease
the task of the merchant marine , help cannot be given to the
Italians . To take only a very small rart of the tonna.ge from
war shipments, today, vould not only be a mistake , but a
crimen .'
t,4 . The BASIC N:RWS for 6 January 1945, published by the Psychological
fvarfare Branch, contained the fo l lowing announcement:
' Food for Italians: Roosevelt Comment~
Washington, January 5 - President Roosevelt told a pr ess conference today that a new program for feeding Italy has be n
agreed upon and that more food is going into that country .
He said he could not estimate the increase in pounds but de-
�( ;
(
�(
clared there were more calories in the new shipments .
'Presid nt Roosevelt said shipping is still a
very great problem in fe~d·ng t e Italians .
' The President we.s told that some people believe
th Italian armistice terms should be rrede public on
the ground thRt militarv consider tions are no longer
a factor for continued secrecy, but the President re plied that military people on the spot still consider
this factor important . Some people in this country,
he added, seem to know more than the military authorities in the BXe~. ,
tt5 ,.
here continu .,s to be in th is area adverse comment from peop l
)
in all walks of life as to the failure of the Allies to make good promises
which the Italians accepted in good fa:i.th . "
*
*
*.
FLORENCE--JANUARY 13 , 1945-- At 0930 General Clark saw General Hume , head
of the Fifth Army AMG, and spent the rest of the morning in his office .
At 1130 he left by road with General Gruenther for Headquarters 13 Corps .
General irkman, Corps Comme.nder; Brigadier Archibald , BGS; and Brigadier
Roe , DA &-QMG, were to be decorated with the Legion of Merit .
General Kirkman greeted GAneral Clark, and a simple ceremony took
place immediately. About twenty-f1.ve staff officers were a.ss0mbled . General Clark mad a short sp _,,ech in which he praised the part played by B
Corps in recent operations . ~he citations were read, and General Clark
pinned on the decorations . Genera.l Kirkman received the Degree of Commander and the other two officers the Degree of Officer . Generals Clnrk and
Gr 1..1enther remained for luncheon with General Kirkman .
The Army Group Coll".mander and his Chief of Staff returned by road , arri vim~ back at the command post at about three o'clock and sr•e nt a quiet
a_fternoon in the office . G--.-nera.l Clark had a small dinner pa.rty in the
evening .
*
*
FLORE · CE--JA WARY 14, 1945- -Today was Sunday, and the General rernai:ed a~
his villa all day Yi.th Colonel Saltzman , Deputy Chief of Staff, ha.ving im- 1
portant pap0rs sent up to him at intervals .
*
*
*
FLORE"TC:R --JMTTJA..'R.Y 15, 191+5--General Clark spent a buc-y morning in his office.
At about 10'30 he as visited by ,.tr-. Orebaugh, U. S . Consul in Florence, who
came to ray his respects to the Army Group Commander and remained A.bout half
an hour .
At 1330 hours H.R . H. Crown Prince Umberto , Lieutenant General of the
�Realm, accompanied by Brigadier General Edgar Erskine Hume, G-5 of the Fifth
Army, came to visit General Clark and was entertained by him for luncheon.
Also present 1ere: General Gruenther, Colonel Saltzman and Lt . Col. Porter .
Prince Umberto left immediately after luncheon.
At 1500 hours General Clark received General DeCouteulx, Commanding
General of the French Troops in Italy, who had recently succeeded General
Louchet . With General DeCouteulx was Captain Serge Fleury, French Liaison
Officer . General Gruenther and Colonel Saltzman were also present at the
interview .
At about 1530 General Clark saw GenBral Nicols, Chief Signal Officer on
the British side at AFHQ who was accompanied by General Nalder, Chief Signal
Officer of the 15th Army Group . After this General Clark received Monsignor
Antonio Riberi, a titular archbishop from the Vatican. Accompanying him were
Father Zeger, Padre Ryan, Fifth Army Chaplain, and General SulHva.n, Fifth
Army Quartermaster . The rest of the day was uneventful.
*
*
*
FLORENCE-- JANUARY 16, 1945--At 1100 hours General Clark sav General Edf!Tards ,
Chief of Staff to Genera.l Eaker, Commanding Mediterranean Air Forces . General Edwards rvas accompanied by Colonel Dick, AG, MAF . General Edwards is
returning to the States r-ifter a long tour of duty overseas and came in to
pay his respects to General Clark prior to his departure .
(
From 1130 onwards, all the Commanding Generals of Fifth Army, down to
Divisional Commanders , arrived a.t the comrrnnd post. They were al 1 greeted
individually by General Clark . A group photograph was then taken of the
assembled generals . Present were: G~,tteral Clark , General Gruenther, General Truscott , Genere.l Crittenberger, General Ke;yes, General Pritchard, General Bolte , General Coulter, General Kendall , General Livesay,. General Almond .
At 1200 hours there ~as a colorful ceremony at
ich H.R . H. Crown Prince
Umberto of Savoy (Prince of Piedmont) , LieutenHnt GenerR.1 of the Realm, invested the above listed generals with Italian ,ecorations . Two platoons from
the 101st vP Battalion were drawn up with a color gua.rd and a band . All th rl
generals to be decorated, with t he exception of General Clark, stood in a
line by order of seniority in front of the formation \ J , t' ~ • _ ~ ✓ ,·
~ st
~ ~&J>Vl ' .,,...
~
6"()
~ ~ ; , \ ,,
.Prince Umberto, upon his arrival, was rret
Gener l ClPr . and was led
to a point facing the pa.rs.de . Accompanying Prince Umberto were various high
Italian officers and . also Brigadier General Hume, Fifth Army G-5, who acted
as master of ceremonies throughout . The band played ruffles and flourishes,
followed by the national anthems of Italy, Grea.t Britain and America. ff'he
--Prince, accompanied by Generals Clark and Truscott, inspected tl1e f"'-rr"'a tion. v y~
Prince Umberto made a short speech, expressing the :he a.rtf elt tha.nks of the ~~
Italian nation for its delivera.nce from the Fascist and la zi yokes by All:i.ed
arms . He then moved around in front of General Clark and invested him with 1".,.
the sta.r a d sash of the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St . Maurice and '
St . Lazarus . He then returned to his plac on General Clark's right. Gene/
ral Hume called up the oth r general officers individually to receive their
decorations from the Prince . GenAral Truscott, General Crittenberger and
CL .
w~
�fO
Keyes received the Knight Cross of the same order . The Divisional Commanders received the Officer ' s Cross of th0 order . General Gruenther was invested with the sash and star of the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the
Crown of Italy. The band played ruffles and flourishes once more, as the
Prince, accomp1mied by General Clark a,nd all the oth :-r generals, left the
ceremony.
The Prince entertained the decorated g.,nerals at luncheon at the Serristori Palace where he was staying during his visit to Florence .
After luncheon General Cl8rk returned to the command post, and the remainder of the day was uneventful.
*
*
*
FLORE CE - JA :JUARY 17, 191.,5--Genoral Clark, accompanied by General Gruenther ,
left the command post by road shortly before ten o' clock and drove to Montecatini ~here the B8th Division was concentrated in a rest area . In the main
square of the town a formation was dravm for a decoration ceremony. 2nd Lt .
Charles W. Shea of the 150th Infantry was to receive the Congressional Medal
of Honor and two officers and one enlisted man vere to receive the Distinguished Service Cross . In addition , the 2nd Battalion of the 350th Infantry
and 3rd Battalion of the 351st Infantry were to receive unit citations .
General Kendall , Commanding General of the RRth Division, met General
Clark and led him to the reviewing sta.nd. Ruffles and flour:shes were played,
followed by the National Anth m. Gemra.l Clark addressed the troops, telling them that the record Rchieved by the 88th Division in approximately one
year of fighting in Italy was as f:i.ne as thrit of any Division in the American
Army.
tt . Shea was called forward and decorated by General Cfark with the Con- .
gre s sional Medal of Honor, follo , ed by Major Irwin B. Jones , 350th Infantry;
Captain John J . King, 349th Infantry; and T/Sgt . Manuel V. Mendoza of the
3'iJth Infantry, eA.ch of whom received the Distingnjshed Service Cross . The
unit citations for the two battalions were then read . General Clark, General
Truscott, General Kendall and Lieutenant Shea then proceeded along the line
of the 2nd Batta.lion, 350th Infantry. Lieutenant Shea pinned the streamer
on his O\m company guidon. The band played ruffles and flourishes, and the
ceremony was over.
General Kendall entertained General Clark , General Gruenther, General
Truscott rand General Keyes at luncheon in his mess . General Clark returned
to M .s command post in the early afternoon and conferred briefly with General
Brann, Brigadier Packard and lA.ter General Gruenther.
*
*
*
FLOREN'CE- -JANUARY 18, 1945--A t 1200 hours General McCreer:r came to visit
General Clark to discuss the tactical sitmtion . He remained for luncheon
with General Clark, who also had Brigad·i er Pa.ck2rd a.s his luncheon guest .
In the evening General Clark was entertained by the
rrAn
mess who were
_I
�giving a dinner in honor of Sir Ronald Adams , Adjutant General of the British
Army.
*
*
*
FLOREICE--JANUARY 19, 1945--At 1215 General Truscott came to see General
Clark and spent about half e.n hour with him in the war room. At 1245 Sir
Ronald Adam visit d General Clark. He spent about ten minutes with him in
his office and in the war room, and afterwards entertained at luncheon ·Sir
Ronald Adam, GenerA.l Robertson, Brigadier McCleod; General 'J.1:ruscott, General
Nalder, Gen~ral Hornby, General Gruenther, Brigadier Packard, Brigadier
RichiP- and Colonel Saltzman.
After a quiet afternoon General Clark entertained the following guests
at dinner at his villa,: General Gruenther, General Brann, General Tate,
Colonel D'Orsa, Lt. Col. Lazar and Colonel Saltzman .
General Clark today dictated the following random notes for inclusion
in his diary:
\
ttYesterday I talked with General McCreery with r ega.rd to future plans.
\
I was somewhat a.pprehensive w~th regard to this meeting, for I knew thAt
his views were contrary to mine. He had proposed, in conference with General
Gruenther and Brigadier Pacbird, that the ma.in effort be ma.de in the valley
by Eighth Army, with Fifth Army taking most of the mountainous sector and
more or less holdinp; instead of attacking. This, of course, would obviate
the possibility of an 1 American punch'. He also felt thP.t all British units
should be returned to Eighth Army. I heartily disagreed with this pla.n,
for if there is one thing I am sure of in the next battle that is that the
principal •carrying of the ball' will be done by the American infantry divisions, as they have always done in the pR t.
plan.
"At the conf ere nee in my map room a1 one i th Mccreery, he outlined his
I listened carefully and then told him as follows:
"' I have three courses open to me. The first is to move Ame ric an troops
into the valley. This I have discarded because there is not room, because ✓
their movement there could not be concealed from the enemy, because it vould _r7~
preclude any attack in the mountains, and la~tly it would remove American
;:troops a great d:i.stance from the west coast of Italy ,where the Germans may
( execute a counter thrust in order to stop our offensive.
/
tttMy second alternative is to put all British units into the Po Valley,
which would ohviate an Amerj_ca,n punch , for the great bulk of U. S . divisions
would be on a wide front in the mountains carable only of limited effort.
The fifth TT. S. infantry division would be required as a pos sible reserve
to meet a.ny west coast enemy thrust.
tt'My third plan, which I am 21.dopting, is to lea.ve Eighth Army in the Po,
less two British divisions - the 6th South African and the ~th Indian - which
Fifth Army now has. Require Eighth Army to take over Grande, using an Italian
Group, in order that the five U.S. infantry divisions, which will be rested
and at tull strength by the time of the attack , may be employed offensively
�in depth to break through to Bologna west of Route #65 . 'l'o c lso have a British Corps , the 10th when it returns from Gr eece, conduct the activities of
. the Bth Indian and 6th South African and Brazilian Divisions along Route #64
so as to facilitate the advance of the U. S. II Corps and protect its west
flank, which will be more and more extended RS II Corps advances and to provide a possible reserve to rush to the west coast should a threat develop
there .'
nr explained th8.t the heavily def ended mountains intervening bet ween the
present II Corps front and Bologna. are great hHndicaJJS, but we have fought
in the mou..ntains in the past .
his will tend to extend the enemy. We will
then make the final wallop with U. S . divisions . Mccreery' s plA.n for employment of his Army in the Po Valley I concur in heartily. I have great faith
in the use of Lake Cornacchio and the thrust by the Canadia.ns toward Ferrara .
"Truscott is ln hearty accord with this plan . I will now communicate
it to Alexander and issue a broad directive which will permit Army Comrna.nders more opportunity to study their relief operations in detail a.n<l adjust
them to future operations .
nI mtght a.dd that in moving an American Corps into the Fo Valley, which
I seriously consid .,r , would require the ovement of AmAricRn supplies almost
immediately over precipitous mountain rrn.ds , and these movements would be
soon discovered . The enemy, who is opArating on interior lines , would mass
his means to stop us in the Po .
nin this coming battle I have a superiority in infantry of about l½ to
1. This is totally inade :ruate in this mountainous terrain . My artillery
superiorit;t will be about 2 to 1 . Air a..."1.d tanks over• helming . Thst is why
I must wait until suitable Yea.ther prevails so that these overwhe lming superiorities may be taken advantage of . 'J'he key to this situation is , as we
have done :i.n the p-•rnt where our infantry superiority was meager, to make a
series of feints - get the Boche off balance , . as we hr➔ ve done so many times and :vhen he has finally committed his reserir,es , strike the blow. This is
what I propose to do . 0
1
*
*
*
FLORENCE--,JAJUARY 20 , 1945--The General spent a quiet day at the villa.
In
the afternoon , with General Brann and Colonel Saltzman, the General hnd some
target practice with his .45 . In the evening General Cl .rk dined at the
Anglo- American Hotel at a. small dinni~r given by General Gruenther . He re turned to his villa directly after the dinner .
0
*
*
*
FLORENCE--JANUARY 21, 1945--At 0900 General Clark went to the concluding
session of the e.rtillery exercises conducted under the auspices of the Eighth
Army for o~ficers o both armies . GenBral Clark addressed the assembled officers, stressing the value of such exercises • ••• • nobody was ever too experienced to learn from other people ' s experiences , and these exercises provided excellent chance to ~et together with officers of other armR and other
armies . General Clark th . n decorated Lt . c 1 th
o •
e Hon . John Ha.re, MBE,
)
�13
with the Legion of 1erit in the De gree of Officer. Colonel Hare ~as for a
long time in charge of the Army Ai r Support Co trol at Fifth Anny Headquarters .
The General returned to his villa immediately , .f ter th formatio·0.,
where he spent the entire rest of the day and nisht. The Gen0ra.l had been
bothered with a slight head cold today.
J
*
*
*
FLORENCE--JAJUARY 22, 1945--The Gen~ral spent the early part of the morning at his villa . The General arrived at his headqu.Prters at eleven
ot clock and conferred with Generals Brann And Tate. At 1230 Major General
Th ron, Administrative Officer of South African Forces in Italy, called to
see the General and r mained for lunch .
Aft""r lunch the Genera.I returned to his ville. where he srent the afternoon. At 1800 hours General Clark attended a cocktail party gi'\Ten by
Gen,ral Tate and remained until 1900 hours . The General entertained
Generals Gruenther, Tate, Brann and Colonels D'Orsa ap.d Saltzma.n for dinner
and cards nt his villa .
*
*
*
FLORENCE-- JANUARY 23, 1945--The General arrived from his villa. at the
headquarters at ten o t clock. General foce, G- 3 of AFHQ, r-md General Cabbell, G-3 of MAF, arrived and conferred with General CJBrk in his war room .
Directly aft r the conference Genera,l Clark, who still has a slight head
cold, returned to his villa. for the day .
Today Pal wa.s bred with a thoroughbred cocker spaniel.
The General din.,d quietly with Colonel Saltzman and a few guests at
his villa .
*
*
*
FLO. ., CE--JA mARY 24, 1945--The Genera.I still has a slietht head cold.
~njor
Brandt, ear, nose and throat specialist at the 15th Evacuation Hospital,
called to se0 him.
The General arrived at hi headquarters at eleven o'clock this orning,
at which time he was interviewed by l!r . Karaka of the Bombay Chronicle .
At 1230 Major General CRmpbell, Ordwrnce Officer at the War D pRrtment;
General Cof y, Ordnance Officer of AFHQ; Gen ,ra.l !Tiblo, Ordnance Of fie .. r
of Fi .th Army; General Tate, G-4 of 15th Army Group; and Colonel Raaen,
Executive Officer to General CRmpbell arrived for lunch. Before lunch
Gen.,ral Clark brfofed GenerRl Campbell and party in his war room . General Hardinfl Rrrived at 24S and ,joined General Clark and party for lunch.
After lunch G neral Clark returned to his villa where he spent the night .
�FLORENCE--JA WARY 25, l<Jli-5--Th., General spent the morning at his villa,
arrived at the headquarters at eleven o'clock, and General cNarney arrived rom Caserta at 14CO and conf rred with the General until 1530.
General Clark then nmt to his villa for the night . This .. vening
ha ent..,rtained Generals Gruenther, Tate, Brann, Colonel Dt Orsa and Colonel
Lazar for dinner and cards.
*
*
*
FLORENCE--JAl\TUARY 26, 1945--General Clerk arrived :,,t his headquarters at
eleven o' clock. Brigadier Genriral Hays, CommRndine; the 10th Mountain
Division, arrived at noon and conferred with Gen11ral Clark, aftf?r which GenerA.ls Gl:lrk and Hays went to the conference hut -m ere Generals Gruenther,
Brann, TRte and Colonel SaltzFJan 1 ere assembled. Gen9ral Clark A.nnonnced
the promotion of G3neral Hays to j.~aj or General and al so the promotion of
Colonel Saltzman to Brigadier General . GenGral Hays remained for lunch.
1
After lunch the Gen~ral returned to his villa for the evening after
working a short while in his office .
*
*
*
FLORENCE-- JANUARY 27, 1945--The General sp . nt the enrly part of the morning
at his YillA., arr~ving at his headquart rs at 1100 hours . Mr. Lodwick, Public Relations Advisor to General Arnold, call~d to s e General Clark . Also,
Mr . Estes, Political Advisor, AFHQ, ca.me to SM the General.
The Army Group Comma.nder lunched at the headquarters and aft r lunch
returned to his villa for the afternoon and night .
In the ev nlng the General enterta.1.ned a few friends for dinner and a
movie at the villa .
*
*
*
FLORENCE- -.JANUARY 28, 1945- -Th.... G ,neral arrived at the headqua.rters at 1130
and remained for lunch . After lunch the G .,n ,ral returned to his villa until
At 1730 Dr . Vasco da Cunha, who is th Minister to Italy from Brazil,
ano Mr. Nabuco, Brazilian Ambassador to the Holy See, called to see General
Clark. 'l'he G,.,neral dined at the headouP..rters and aft r dinner returned +.o
hi~ villa for the night .
1700 .
Op .,rA.tions Instruction #2 was issu d today and r ads as follows:
ORGA_ U7,AT ION FOR DEFENSE - 15TH ARMY GROUP AREA
"l.
GS ,RAL ..
This instruction sup9rsedes all form~r directives, orders, memoranda and instructions on th above subject issu,d by AAI or this Headnuart rs.
"2.
the following capabilities w:tthin the Mediterranean
Theat r :
�15
n 3.
a.
Effecting
b.
Effecting airborne lRndings.
c.
Effecting sabotage o . vital installations .
d.
Organizing civil disturbances .
e.
Effecting a break- through in force .
R
small-scale seaborne landing .
RESPONSIBILI'EY FOR GRatnm DEFENSE .
15th Army Group as~1mes responsibility for :
a . Ground defense in the Army areas in ITALY and that area, included in No . 1 District and that r~rt of Peninsula.r Base S .,ction, North of
Rome Area Allj_..,d Command .
b . Guarding and security of local area occupied by its oommand
post and installations .
c . Guarding naval shore installations w;thin its command where
sufficient nav l p~rsonnel are not availA-ble .
0
tr
4.
DEFINITION - GROU ·ID DEFENSES .
a . Within the Army areas (i.e . , forward of the rear boundaries
of the Amies engaged) the scope of ground defense is as presently prescribed by CG, 15th Army Group to CG , Fifth Army and GOC, Eighth Army.
b . Within the present ar ..-a of No . 1 District and that part of
PBS, 11Torth of Rome Area Allied Command, 1 Ground Defense' , will consist of
e. defens a.gainst a possibl , enemy break-through and s Jaborne and airborne
landings .
"5 .
RFBPONSIBILITY
R DEFENSE AGAI1'ET CIVIL DISTURBANCES AND SABOTAGE .
a . Within the Army ar ,as the scope of def .,nse ~.gainst sabotage and
civil disturbances is as pr.,se ntly prescribed by CG, 15th Army Group to CG,
Fifth Army nd r..nc, ~ i_a-hth .Army.
0
b.
f\irective, Loca.1 Defense PlHns, Alli~d Force He11.d qu~rters, dated
6 Janu~ry 1g45, AG 370.6/005, defines the responsibility for the preservRtion of la and order anrl for the prevention of sabotage in re~r of Army
a.reaR, and phices such responsib "_l ity in 8reP.s under Alli ,d MilitP.ry overnment control under the local Allied 1il itRry Gov ,rnm~nt . ' hen th~ locA.l
All ;ed Military Gov,..,rnm ..,nt ne .,r!s additiona 1 assistA.nce th y are authorized
"r,y the r-ihove dir ., ctive to appeal to the local District ' B~se SMtion) Area
or sub-ar a comf'!ander.
6 . G0C, 1 DTQ'l' IC'T' AND
AREA, ·rn11 PRTI-ARE PLAl\!S .L OR:
0
a.
en,
P~Nn SULAR BASE SEC'T1IQTIT, NOR'T'H OF ROMC
General (;round defense of thei.r respectiv~-.:- sec t ors.
�b . Gm~rdinO" and security of local area occmpi ,d by :its corimand
post and i nsta.llAtfons .
c . Guarding naval shore installations w;thin respective sectors,
where suffj c1. ,nt nPval personnel fl.r ,.., not available .
n7 .
C0-0RDINATJ0fJ 0 DEFF,l'-TSE PLA ·1S.
noc, 1 Distrj ct and CO, PBS, Jorth of name Arf:!,9 , r-1rA r.uthoriz d
to contact directly, for the following purposes, thos _, 15th Army Group,
T-faval :md Air units which may be gtn.tion d within the Dfatrict or Ba.se
boundar 4 ~s:
a.
o
Pr"'parat:fon :md submission of local def~nse plans .
b . Integration o"' local rl"f .,ns
District or Base .
J
plans with ov Jrt-=111 defcns
plan ·
n8 .
Bomm.A..R IES .
Propos d def,.,nse bound Ari s 1,etw ,en , RVal, Air Pnd District
(Base Section) locRlities ;:ind insfallations for th ._, guarding and security of
local installHtions 1-Jill be su"r)mi tted to this Headquarters for agr .,ement by
r~sponsibl, command _,rs .
EL'iERGE t•JCY I\ T'T'IJORIZATIO J.
In th- .,vent thAt resources under your commnnd nre inBde'l_uat
deal wHh hostiL acts, the following actions ar.., authorized:
nq.
to
a . In an imm·"'di nt ._, emerR; ... ncy, GOG, 1 District and CO, PBS, North
of Rome Areit, mrtv d ... al r!irectly ?J"ith thos'"' 15th Army Group units which may
be stA.tion ,d ¥i thin the District or Bas boundari , s
'l'his Headquarters will
he notified immediately such Action is tnk.,n.
e
b . Und Jr all oth,.~r circumsbmces, requ_,sts for additional troop
r ,Jinforc n ,nts will lie made to this HeadquP.rters. ~formal suprort will be
furnished ½y Fifth Army to PBS, 11orth of Rome Area, f!nd by Wghth Army to
1 District .
n 10.
FIF'TP At E G:.r'l1f-IARMY SUPPORT .
Fifth and Eighth Arrni s will bSJ prepR.red to move wj thin
24 hours
aft,r bein~ alerted by this HeadquArt . . rs, 1 ROT or Jnf Boe Group, both motoriz..,d, to PBS , r-.Jorth of Rom~ . r ,P. , !'1.nd 1 istrict resp ,ctiv ly.
n11. QR!:IDTD D'PiFE~rs-s J)INJ 0F 1 DTSTHicrr AND PBS , NORTH OF RCME AREA
WILL MAK)~ FROVI .STO ,TS F0R THE Fr'LLf,JPrG:
a . Coastal ~t~ol: - h, patrol syst m will be int ...,gra.t ... d with
th..., ?QJd FL"'<:ed D .. f .,ns., Command, off- shore nPVRl patrol nnd air ratrol plans .
Reserves:
GOC, 1 Di trict and CO, PBS, Horth of RomP- Are~ ,
s rv.., of a.prroxirn.Htely battalion strenrth, motoriz d .
will each
c.
rrraffic Control:
Ground defense traffic control restrictions
�required in event of a bona-fide al,,rt will not b, used in prActice aLrts.
d . Sif!nai CoTJ1m1mica.tions: anc, 1 District and co, J"BS, forth
o Rom Area, are r sponsjbl for th,, installr,tion rmd operation of District
and Base Ground Def .,nse communications system . A lat ral, ' tie-in ' , between 1 District nnd PBS , North of Rome Area will be eff cted .
e . Guarding of vital installations: Plan will r rovid,, for the
i:1,uar<ling of th , following installritions And fA,cilities:
(1) Depots And dumps.
(2)
.,aint~manc., faciliti s .
( '3) RailroA.d hridg s .
(4) I iP-hwa.y bridges .
( 5) Power installA.tions .
(6)
Pumpi ng stations .
(7)
Gasoline pipe-lin -,s.
(8)
Ports and install~tions .
f .
Evacu~_tion of critic1-1l it ,Jms of supply: DP-fa~ l ,d plpns vill
0 . critical Hems of supply and installptjons .
he following will he indicnted:
(1) T.yp _.. supply and insta 11.A tion .
(2) Tom1F'!ge ( est:imr,1ted) .
(3) Number and type ships required in addition to avnilHble
rail tonnage, (estimat d) .
(4) Evacua tion priority list .
be pr ,,pA.red for th~ ,,vacutition
g.
Demolitions.
( 1) G n.Jral Policy: Th_, mount of time necessary for the
evacuatfon of critical items o+" supply ~nd instf:l.ll2tions
cPnnot b estima.ted . Demnlition plnns ill be lexible
~nd must cov ,,r a.11 stocks and installRtfons which would be
of us to th--- ,,n ,my Hnd which Cf-1.rmot be evacu9ted .
(2) Implementation: Demolition plans will be implemented
in three phas s:
Phnse 1: Reconnaiss,mce ~md prepBration of detail d
demolition pl.!:lns, in order of priority and co-ordinrted
with t 1 eva cuation plan .
PhP se ? :
(a) Requisitioning Pnd storBge of ...,,xrlosives A.nd other
deMolition suppli,s .
(b)
r lPcing
men sures
('3)
o.c- chPr~ .,s Pnd such other pre15..minr,-1ry
as can b., tr-i.bm wi tl7 out mA.t ... rfa 1 darnA.ge to
stocks or installations .
( c) Guarding of prep::i red chfl.rges Rgr-d nst sabotage .
PhA,S,, 3: F:x..., cution of demolitions .
Timing.
(a) Thase l - Rt once .
(b) Phas8 2 and 3 '"" ill be rut into action in one of
the follm in~ cjrcumstances:
}. On rec ipt of orders +"rom this HeRdqunrt ..,rs.
2 In th_.. event of res onsibility for ord'-'ring
any pR.rticulRr demolHions b .,ing delegat .,d to
1
�Fifth or Eighth Armies, on r.,ceipt of orders
from CG, Fi {·th Army or GOG, Eighth Army.
] . Demolit:ion Belts:
a . Plans f'or th _. establishment of oemolition b,lts (destruction of roads, brjdges,
culv rts, etc . ) d.,signed against a bret:1.kthrough from th., 1\Jorth wjll be co-ordinat d by
PBS, ~orth of Rome AreR, Pnd 1 District 1ith
Fifth Rnd Eir::hth Armies resy-ectiv Jly .
~. Demolition b lts designer against sea and
airborn., l1mdL."'1P,s will be provided for at the
di cret:ioE of GOG, 1 District A.nd CO, PBS ,
orth of Rom . . Ar ,a, .
f;;
Military and Jivil stocks R.nd instalbtions:
In cas Js wherv ,.,vacwtion or whol ,sale destruction is impossibL, plans 'dll rrovide for the
rJmoval or destruction of vital compon~nts,
i.e . , shell- uz s, ess ,,ntinl rmd irr . . pla.c ... A.ble
parts of machinery •
.2 • Naval nnd Air Force stocks and installations:
Demo Hion :rlA.ns will he coord1nnt ..d with those
of the favy 1-1.nd Air Force units within their
resp ctive areas . All J'OS9ible assistAnce
will be giv . . n to th ~m in the ,x.,cution of th ~ir
demolition plans •
.§. Si'mnl communicR.tions: Plrms "lill be rr 0rn red ,
a: med Rt pl.8 cine t~lephone :md cRrrier termina l
equipment inoper~tj v ,., for R minimum p -~ riod of
one month by the r ,mow~.l of such components
which c,:in b., removed nt the last possible momP-nt . Demolition of nignRl ~nstRll~tions and
equipm ✓nt will h-~ carried out onlv on orders
f'rom 15th Army Group.
1
of
R
h. Liaison: Initial liaison contacts "lill be made. In the event
born=t-·· ide al(~rt , plrms will provide th::1t liaison officers can be sent by:
(1) 1 Distr:i ct to 15th Army Group, _s4ghth Army, nnd PBS,
t, orth of Rome Ar Al .
(2) PBS, rrorth o Rome Area , to 15th Army Group, Fifth Army
Hnd 1 District .
i.
Al rts:
(1) Alert warnings will b~ tr,msmitted by telephone and
radio ·n the clear i n the ev~nt of nny impending nisturhRnce
or attn.ck.
(2) The A. C. of S, G- 3 (Duty O.fficer), 1 ·5 th Army Group
will be alert~d by telephone - telAphone numb r Filpot 3
(day or night).
,j.
Practice Alerts:
Practice a.l0rts will be conducted 7ith the
schedule ArrangAd to permit n full cov rR.ge of the r~spective sectors one~
per month .
�(
u 12.
'T'RA I NING.
1 District and PBS, rrorth of Rome Area., will submj t monthly reports to this Feadquarters on typ -✓ nnd amount o training devoted to Ground
Def,,nse plan subjects .
n l '3 .
INSPF. crrrnr-,rs .
a . GOG, 1 District and CO, FBS, North of Rone AreA , ~rill set
up, ' Inspection Teams ', to check traininf'. programs , rrRctic., alerts, and
provisions of r8spectiv~ Ground D ..fense plans .
b.
r Jriodic
inspections •;ill be r,ede hy this Headquerters .
A,.
Ground D fense plans will be snbrri.i tted to th is HendquH.rtcrs
not l~_ter th,m 15 February.
b.
by l
DetRiled ..,w:1 cu::-ition Pnd demolition plRns will be submitted
1qrch. tt
General ClR.rk yesterdRy receiv d the following ra.dio from General
Al . xand r:
-----
RN. F15940 . "SACMED considers that the tim , has now arrived when you
should complete your plAns for attacking and pursuing the enemy in the event
of his withdrawjng from his present positions or weakening his present front
to such an extent as to offer profitable opportunity for attacks by you at
your present strength .
Please forward earliest poss ible for i nformation of SACniED outline of
your plan in such eventuality together with statement of notice in hours
required by you to put plan into ffect .
0
nsACMED will decide in consultation with you when the right moment for
launchinr:; any such attacks has arrived . "
General Clark today replied to the above as follows:
RN SGS92 . nReference your nessage Fl5940 please note paragraph 2 of my
letter 24 January to Army Commanders . I h.~.ve a lready Fi lerted my Army Commanders to probability of an early attack with their present strengths .
Eighth Army attack will not include ampM.bian operation if launched prior
to 15 March . Oth . . . rwise plan remains genAral same as that contained in
Janm~ry 24 letter .
"Fifth Army will attack with main effort west of Highway #65. If operation is launched in Februar y, Fifth rmy will continue to hold Mt . Grande .
ttpresent rest a.nd training schedules will not be interrupted at this
t:i.me . Will require from seven to ten days to put into effect set piece attRck. Both armies will probably attack simultcneously. Will follow up
enemy withdrawals wjthout delay. "
�(
FLORENCE--JANUARY 29 , 1945--General Clark, accompanied by GenerPl Brann,
left Florence by road at 0715 to visit Eighth Army units . They reached
5 Corps Headquarters in Terra Del Sole at about 1000 hours . Here General
Clark was met by Lieutenant General Mccreery and conferred with him as
well as with the Corps Commander, Lieutenant General C. F . Keightley.
Afterwards he partook of a cup of tea in the Corps Commander's mess , and
he presented Lt . Col . Cornah with the Legion of Merit in the D gree of
OfficJr . Colonel Cornah , now commanding an Indian Battalion, was previously GS0-1 (Ops) at 15th Army Group Headquarters .
Leavin~ 5 Corps Headquarters just before 1100 hours, GenP-ral ClRrk
drove to the Canadian sector . He was met at a cros sroP_ds by Lt . Gen .
Foulkes, Commt1nding the 1st Canadian Corps , and Ma..j . Gen . Foster, Com\
manding the 1st Canadian Infantry Di vision . General Foster presented to
General Clark the offic __..rs of the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade . The
_G enerals then drove to the headquarters of the 3rd Canadia.n Infantry Brigade in Bagna Cavallo just over a mile from the Senio River . Here he met
officers of the brigade . The Generals climbed a tower in the town which
was in use as a.n OP . The party then drove to the 1st Canadian Infantry
Division Headquarters where the General met officers of the Divisional
Headquarters .
The next stop was at the 9th British Armored Brigade Headquarters
commanded by Brigadier R. B. B. Cooke, an old friend of General Clark from
the days when 10 Corps was in Fifth Army. Brigadier Cooke was at that time
BGS 10 Corps under Genera.1 ,1cCreery. At this headquarters General Clark
met not only officers of the 9th Armored Brigade but also of the 2nd Canadian Infantr:v Brigade . The part:r then drove to Canadian Corps Headquarters where General Clark was entertained at luncheon by General Foulkes .
Also at luncheon were senior officers of the corps staff and brigadier commanders from the 5th Canadian Armored Division, which at the time was out
of the Bne and resting in a rear area. The 5th Cana.dian Armored Division
Commander was not present .
At this point Gen9ral Clark also met Captain WilliA.rn Leona.rd (an
Am rican citizen servi ng in th , Ca.nadian Army) whose uncle was a classmate
of Ge11eral Chirk at the United States Military Academy and who served with
him in the 5th Division in the first World War .
After luncheon GeneraJ. Clark went to the headquart,.,rs of the Cremona
Gruppo . This gruppo was the fir st to be actiV8.ted and committed of a new
series o.r Italian formations being equipped and tra1.ned by the Eighth Arr.ny.
They were 8.t this time holding the extreme easternmost sector of the Allied
,,
line in Italy. Ge~eral Clark met the Gruppo Comm~mder, General Primieri, ~ / e:
and other officers of the headquarters ,=ind also o. ficers of the British
y, 1,
liaison unit attachqd to the Gruppo , headed by Lt . Col. Webb-Carter .
i
The party drove about two miles out of Rri.venna and saw troops of the
Gruppo in training . After tM s the party drove to a. sma ll air strip in use
by a,n artillery OP squadron . Gen -~ rPls Clark And Brann flew back to Florence
in L- 5' s, arriving at the command post at about five o' clock .
The General worked on papers in his office for a short ·while and then
�went to his villa for dinner and the evening .
*
*
*
FLORENCE--JANUARY 30 , 1945- -The General arrived at his headquarters at a.b out
1100 hours . BrigadLr Floyd , Chief of Staff of the Eighth .Army, with Briga-
d · er Packard, Army Group Deputy Chief of Staff, lunched -with the Army Group
Corimander .
After lunch the General returned to his villa and spent the remainder
of the day and evening .
*
*
*
rGE--JA-ITJARY 31, 1945--Major Gen~ral Sousloparov and Major General
Kislenko of the Allied Commission arrived at the headquarters to see General
Clark . Genera.l Kislenko is to replace General Sousloparov as the Russian
representative to the Allied Commission in Italy.
FLORE
*
*
1*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 1, 1945•-The General spent the morning in his office
conferring with Genera.ls Cannon, Gruenther, Brann and Brigadier .Hirsch.
1320 the General left by road, accomps.nied by Brigadier Packard.
At
I
The Army Group Commander drove to the Headquarters of the South African
Eng:tneer Railway Construction Group which is in Prato. He met the commanding officer of the group, Colonel W. H. Evans, his second in command, and
officers commanding some of the companies in the group . General Clark spoke
briefly to the company, praising their work and achievements in the past.
The Group was, in a sense, "nobody's baby" but that did not alter the fact that
its work was known and appreciated. The General, accompanied by Colonel Evans,
then inspected two of the tunnels on the Florence-Bologna Railway, on which the
group was then working. Of the 80 kiloneters of railroe.d, some 45 were below
ground, and there weie, in all, some 35 tunnels . Of particular interest was
the main Apennine tunnel, whose near end at Vernio the General inspected.
Here the Germa.n de·m olitions had caused the tunnel to be flooded, and it
seemed almost more like an underg.roi.md river than a railway tunnel.
General Clark left the Group and drove to Castiglione del Pepoli, arriving at about 1600. He was entertained at tea by General VI. H. Poole,
Commander of the 6th South African Armored Division. Present were Generals
Truscott, Keyes and Crittenberger.
At 1700 took place a parade in honor of th~ 2nd anniversary of the forming of the division. Th.ts took the form of "The Sunset Ceremony". In the
main square of the village there was drawn up a guard of honor and two
bands. Facing them was a reviewing stand, flanked by the flags of the United
States and Great Britain. In the center of the square on a rather taller
flagpole there were four buglers. Gerera.1 Cla.rk took his place on the rostrum,
flanked by Generals Truscott · and Poole. The parade was called to the "present"
· and the General salute given. Each band then in turn played sti rring marching
ttmes. The para.de was again called to attention. Retreat was sounded on the
�bugles, and the three national flags were lowered while the national anthem
of South Africa was played . The brass band then played "Abide With Me" as
the sun was setting. Each band played a.gain. All the troops on parade then
marched past General Clark, who took the salute. The pipe band then returned
to the square, formed a circle and played Highland marches, reels, and strathspeys as the Generals and other officers left the ceremony.
After this the assembled officers were the guests of the South Africa.ns
in their club . General Clark cut the Division's birthday cake with a sword.
A part of the brass ·band which had been playing during the ceremony vas
present in the club~ They played regimental marches, including "Sarie Marais" .
Just before General Clark left, the assembled company let themselves go with
"For He's A Jolly Good Fellow".
The General drove back to his headquarters , arriving shortly before 2000
hours . He immediately had dinner with the regulax members of his mess and
played eards in the evening.
~
General Clark today sent the following cable to General McCreary:
~~> ~
RN SGSlOl. "There are increasing indications that addition-~l enemy forces
may be in process of. withdrawal from Italy. Our enemy order of battle m~y no
longer be accurate. I desire to emphasize again the extreme importance of
capturing prisoners along .'your entire. '. arniyufront. You will take necessary
action to secure ' prisoners from front of each of your divisions at least once
every three days . Operations may take form of reconnaissance in force or set
piece attack of battalion size if necessary. If additional ammunition required
request should be made this headquarters without delay.rt
General Clark also cabled Gemral Truscott as follows along the same lines:
RN SGSlOO. "There are increasing indications that Additional enemy forces
may be in process of withdrawal from Italy. Our enemy order of battle may no
longer be accurate. I destre to emphe.size again the extreme importance of capturing prisoners along your entire army front. You will take necessary action
to secure prisoners from front of each of your divi sions at least once every
three days. Operations may take form of reconnaissance in force or set piece
attack of battalion size if necessary. During past week usually reliable source.s
have reported withdrawal German troops from 92nd Division front. Submit plans
for early attack by 92nd Division in order to determine enemy situation on
this front."
*
*
*
F.LORENCE--FEBRUARY 2, 1945-The General spent the morning in his office conferring with General Cannon, Brigadier Hirsch, General Brann and General Gruenther.
At 11.30 General Brann, General Gruenther e.nd Colonel Oxx, Commanding Officer of the Peninsular Base Section, conferred with the General regarding
Leghorn defenses.
The General lunched at his headquarters, and after lunch returned to his
villa for the afternoon and evening.
�FLOREOOE--FEBRUARY 3, 1945--The General worked in his office all day today.
In the afternoon the Army Group Commander held a conference with the chief
members of his staff, including General Gruenther, General Brann, General
Nalder, General Hornby, General Tate, and Brigadier Ritchie. After the
conference the General had the members of his staff for tea in the conference hut.
The General spent the evening playing cards with Gereral Gruenther,
General Brann, General Tate and Colonels Saltzman and Lazar and remained at
the command post tonight.
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 4, 1945--General Clark oonferred with Brigadier Hirsch,
General Gruenther and General Brann. He lunched at the headquarters and
at 1500 General Truscott came to confer with General Clark. At 1530 .
General l~Craery joined General Truscott and General Clark and conferred
for an hour.
The General then retired to his villa for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.
*
(
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY ~ 1945--The General arrived at the headquarters at 1000
hours, and at 1100 hours decorated with the Legion of Merit Colonel Horn
of the Signal Section, 15th Army Group, and Colonel Riepe of the G-3 Section.
Lt. Col. Sutherland, former aide to Gemral Clark and later with the
G-2 Section of Ninth Army, lunched with General Clark at noon today.
After lunch the Army Group Commander retired to the villa for the remainder of the day.
*
*
*
FLORENCE-FEBRUARY 6, 1945--The General spent most of the day in his office
conferring with members of his staff.
In the afternoon Mr. Gowran of the Chicago Tribune called to see General Clark. After his interview with ~. Gowran, General Clark left the headquarters and went to his villa for the afternoon and evening.
General Clark received the following letter from General McCreary
today with regard to future operations=
n 1.
---- \
GENERAL.
In accordance with ~rour request I attach to this letter my outline
plan for the offensive operations to be carried out by Eighth Army in the
Spring. In a.ddition I wish to bring to your notice certain facts in respect
of re-organization, equipment and weather, all of which have a material
bearing on the date by which Eighth Army can attack to the greatest advantage and thereby exert maxi mum pressure on the enemy.
�)
"2.
COMBAT EFFICIENCY OF EIGHTH ARMY APRIL - MAY 19tt.2.
During the next two months four divisions under my command are
due to re-organise nnd expand. The divisions are:56th (London) Division
2 NZ Division
3 Carpathian Division
5 Kresowa Division.
At the present time all these divisions consist of only two infantry brigades. Under the re-organisation plan each division will absorb and train an additional i nfantry brigade.
6 British Armoured D:lvision is due to re-organise 1 Guards Brigade. The plan involves the inter-change of personnel with 24 Guards
Brigade.
61 Infantry Brigade of 6 British Armoured Division is due to re•
organise so as to include 1 KR.RC and the addition of a Support Company.
Owing to commitments in the line it is not possible for the reorganisation of the Guards Brigades and 61 Infantry Brigade to commence
until the end of February. It will not be possible for re-organisation
and training to run simultaneously. The re-organisation itself will take
up to a fortnight to complete before training can begin.
On the assumption that it will ta1ce a division Rt least one
month to train an additional infantry brigade then 6 British Armoured
Division should be available for operations at full strength by the 15th
April.
56 Division is to absorb 24 Guards Brigade under a re-organisat i on programme which will run concurrently with that of 6 Bri t i sh Armoured
Division. This Division will therefore be available for operations by the
same date.
·
2 NZ Division commences re-organisation in early March and will
be ready at full strength by 15April.
I would point out that all the divisions in Eighth Anny have
been in the line for long periods, this applies in particular to 6 British
Armoured Division and 78 Division who have been in mountainous country
for many weeks. It is absolutely necessary that divisions who have had no
experience of fighting in the PO Valley, with its peculiar difficulties,
should have time to train for this type of country which is ent:i.rely different from the terrain to which they have become a ccustomed. The specific operation to be undertaken is one that will require special and detailed training.
The case of the two Polish divisions is"different in thnt the
personnel in the new brigades are not trained soldiers, and although these
new infantry brigades do already exist I consider thnt they will not be
fit for o~fensive operations before 15th April.
It is apparent from this programme that the offensive stren~th
�of Eighth Army will be augmented by no less than four brigades after the
middle of April .
"3 .
LVsT.
~
employment of a force of LVsT on my right flank is a major
factor in my plan and one to which I attach great importance . On present
information the full number of LVsT required for training in LAKE TRASIMP-NE a.rea vrill not be assembled in the training area before 25th March.
As a result of a Sta.ff Conference held at my Headquarters and attended by
senior representatives from A.F . H.Q. it became evident tha,t a period of
not less than 18 days must be allowed between the time the ship arrives
at the port and the LVefr arrive a.t LAKE TRASIMENE for training purposes .
This period is accounted for by the fact that 10 days are required to
service the vehicle and make certain modifications. The other 8 days
are required to cover the unloading of the ships and movement by transporter from the coast to LAKE TRASIMENE . A smaller number will arrive a.t
the training area before 25th March but no acceleration in the training
programme will result. After careful examin~tion it is considered that
at lea.st one month will be required between the time that the full number of
training vehicles is availabl e at LAKE TRASIMENE and the date when an
operation is po s sible. Of this period one week will be required for crew
training, one week for Flotilla training, one week for combined training
with the infantry who are to operate in the vehicles and one week to concentrate the personnel and take over operational vehicles .
I have ta.ken steps to commence the training immedietely of one
LVT TTnit formed out of RASC personnel, which unit should be ready for operations by about 25th Aprj_l . The second L'\rr Unit will be formed from the personnel of 27 L and one squadron <?f 121. These two regiments are a.t the
present time in the ljne as infantry but will be relieved during the present
month. Owing to the numbers of men that hs.ve to be trained and the late
date of arr:i.val of the LVsT in ItA.ly this second unit will not be ready for
operations unt:i.1 the f'irst week in May. Before this second unit can operate
all training vehicles will have to be moved from LAKE TRASIMENE to the
battle area and in addition have certain modifications made before they
can be considered as operational vehicles .
To give the operation every
every way desirable for the operation
plete Brigade Groups can be lifted in
dice success by the employment of one
chance of success I consider it in
to take place at a time when two comthese vehicles rather than to prejuBrigade at a slightly earlier date .
"4. WEATHER.
All records po:i..nt to the fact that April is a rainy month . The
rivers and streams fed from the Apennine watershed are still liable to
flooding during this month. The enemy is fully aware of this and has therefore prepared The Eastern bank of the SENIO for demolition so as to take
advantage of this fact . In A;ril the rate of evaporation from the soil is
lower than in May, so that the ground will retain wet and mud for a longer
period after rain . So that I can deploy my superiority in armour it is important that the offensive should be launched when the weather and the going
are reasonably good . I hope it will be possible for me to employ a PRrachute Brigade in these operations . The successful employment of such a
�(
Brigade is dependent to a very large degree on favourable weather, which is
another strong argument in favour of a later date rather than an earlier
date .
tt5 .
AIR.
Toview
of the fact that the over- all striking power of my Army
has been materially curtailed by recent decision?, it is more than ever
important that maximum air support should be given a.t the commencement of my
attack. In my view, for a mj_nirnum of two days, the total air effort in
ITALY should be p11:lced at my disposal . I submit, therefore, that consideration should be given to the advisability of staggering the attacks of Fifth
US Army and Eighth Army so that each in turn can derive maximum benefit
from air support . If, as the Spring advances, time becomes more pressing
then it might be advisable for Fifth US Army to attack before Eighth Army.
"6. THE PLAN.
My plan is based on the maximum concentration of force at the
vital points of attack . As a result the hilly sectors of the Army front
will be lightly held by the minimum number of troops and those troops in
the main formations that are least suited for offenaive operations . This
grouping will inevitable make the cover plan difficult but under the circumstances this will have to be accepted .
I hold the view tha.t in early May tanks, and in particular those
equipped with Platypus tracks, will be able to operate in the PO Valley.
In addition to the pla.n attached to this letter I have instructed
my Corps to be prepared to follow up the enemy should he a.t any time carry
out a major withdrawal. In this event I propose to open up three main axes
of advance:Route 16
Route LUGO-N!ASSA LOMBARDA-MEDICINA-BUDRIO
Route 9n
General McCreary' s Outline Plan of attack is as follows:
INTENTION.
Eighth Army will establish a bridgehead over the River SANTERNO
with a view to rapid exploitation NORTH towards FERRARA in conjunction with
operations of the 5 US Army Westwards towards OOLOGNA.
"l.
POSSIBLE GROUPING.
5 CORPS.
56 (London) Division.
78 Division
2 NZ Division
8 Indian Division
2 Armd Bde
9 Armd Bde (less 7 Hand 14/20 H).
21 Taruc Bde
2 Para Bde
2 Commando Bde
Cremona Gruppo
�9 .Armd Bde to include 4 H capBble of lifting
two ba.tte.lions in ¥..ANGAROOS.
)
2 POLISH CORPS
J Carpathian Division
5 Kresowa Division
2 Polish Armd Bde
7 Arrnd .Bde
43 Ghurka Bde
Fruili Gruppo
Jewish Bde.
7 H (KANGAROO lift for one battalion).
13 CORP2.
10 Indian Division (12 battalions).
2 HLI
Lovats .Scouts
One Gruppo
14/20 H.
Army
Reserve.
6 Brit Armd Div or one division shown
as being under 5 Corps.
n3. CORFS TASKS.
CORPS will:a) Establish a bridgehead across the River SENIO between
incl S POLITO 3640 and incl S SEVERO 3233.
(b) Establish a bridgehead over the River SANTERNO to include
MASSA LOMBARDA 2741.
(c) Be prepared to exploit rapidly Northwards on the axis BASTIAARGENTA-FERRARA.
{d) Mount an operation across the VALLE DI OOMA.CCHIO employing
specia.l equipment with a view to seizing the ARGENI'A GAP.
This latter operation not to be put into effect until a firm
bridgehead across the River SANTERNO has been established.
2 POLISH CORPS will:Establish a bridgehead acros s the River SENIO between excl
S SEVERO 3233 and incl FELISIO 3031.
(b) Establish a bridgehead over the River SANTERNO to include
MORDA O 2536, this bridgehead to link up with the bridgehead over
the River SANTERNO established by 5CORPS.
(c) Be prepared to exploit with mobile forces
(i) On the axis MORDA.NO 2536 - FANTAZZA 1844 - MEDICINA 1245.
( ii) On the axis CASOLA CA.NINA 1536 - CASTEL S PIETRO 0837.
Tasks (a) and (b) will be timed to synchronise with the
operations of 5 Corps.
"<af
\
J\
�. 13 CORPS will:(a) Hold the Corps front and practise active deception.
(b) As the operations of 2 POLISH CORPS outflank or cut
off enemy troops opposing 13 CORPS make a general advance
towards Route 9.
(c) Be prepared to concentrate and come into Anny Reserve
SOUTH of the APENMINES as soon as the enemy have been
cleared up as far as the IEFI' Boundary of the Corps.
"4. Preliminary Move.
2 POLISH CORPS will plan to take over as far NORTH as excl
S SEVERO one month before D Day.
"5. Alternative Grouping.
If HQ 10 COP.:PS is available to Eighth Anny in April - 1/.8,Y it
may be desirable to interpose HQ 10 CORPS between 5 CORPS and 13 CORPS
so as to reduce the length of the front of 2 POLISH CORF'S. This will
enable 2 POLISH CORPS to focus its whole attention on the sector of attack. tt
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 7, 1945--At 1000 hours this morning the Mahe.rajah of
Dewas called to see General Clark. At 1030 Brigadier General Eberle
and Brigadier Nicholson of the G-3 Section, AFHQ, who had just returned
from a tour of the Fifth and Eighth Anny fronts, called to see the Army
Group Commander.
At noon General Mclarney arrived from Caserta, conferred with General Clark and remained for lunch.
After lunch General Clark drove to the airport with General McNarney
where he bade goodbye to the Theater CommRnder. Upon his return to the
headquarters, the General saw Brigadier Hinde for a few minutes prior to
his departure from the headquarters. The Brigadier was wj_th the G-4 Section of 15th Army Group Headquarters and is leaving for Belgium to take
a new assignment.
The General later in the afternoon departed for his villa. In the
evening General Clark dined with Mr. and Mrs. Umberto Coletti returning
early in the evening to his villa for the night.
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 8, 1945--~he General spent the morning in his office
conferring with members of his staff. After lunch he retired to his villa for the afternoon and evening.
*
*
*
FLORET\JCE--FEBRUARY 9, 1945--General Clark spent today between his office
and the villa and spent the ni~ht at the villa.
�General Clark today replied to General McGreery•s letter of Februa~
6th as follows:
1
"1. I have studied your letter dated 6 February, Subject, 'Operations'
and the Outline Plan that accompanied it . I a.m well pleased with the scope
of the plan and apprectate your cooperation in solving a difficult problem.
"2. I am in accord with paragraph 1, 'Intentions', of your Outline
Plan providing that the operation through the ARGENI'A GAP is feasible .
However, any one of several factors may make it desirable for you t6 shift
the direction of your main effort. For that reason I desire that after
Eighth Army establishes a bridgehead over the River SANTERNO it be prepared
to exploit North toward FERRARA or Northwest toward BUDRIO.
"3. Your plan to hold 13 Corps front lightly is in accord with my
thought. However, to hold the frontage indicated, including M. GRANDE,
with the troops you have listed for 13 Corps aprears impossible . This of
course is your responsibility, but I must insist that M. GRANDE be firmly
held. The loss of this most critical feature would, as you are well aware,
abort all of our carefully prepared plans for the offensive . Incidentally,
your map shows that M. GRANDE is in the Fifth Army sector , but I am informed
by my Chief of Staff that you understand clearl:v· that it is in the Eighth
Army sector .
I
"4. I run aware of the advantages of postponing the attack untll May
as envisioned in your letter . However, circumstances may require an allout 15th Army Group attack in April. I therefore desire that you complete
plans for such an attack to be launched about 10 April. Since special
equipment for an operation across the iTALLI di COMACCHIO will not be available by this date , and because it is believed the condition of the terrain in
the ARGENI'A GAP will be unfavorable for large scale operation, it is desired
that Eighth Anny plans for the early attack be based on a rapid exploitation
m, towards BUDRIO after a bridgehead over the SANTERNO River has been established .
"5. In paragraph 2 of my letter of 24 January, Subject: 'Future
Operations', I stated that in the event of a major enemy withdrawal from
Italy, 15th Army Group would attack as soon as possible . Such an attack
continues to be a possibility, and, if ordered, will be executed following
the same basic plan as the attack outlined in paragraph 3 above.n
*
*
*
FLORENCE-- FEBRUARY 10, 1945--At 1100 hours General Clark decorated and
promoted the following officers of his headquarters at a small ceremony
held in front of his office: Lt . Col. Walker, General Clark's personal
pilot, and Master Sergeant Wilson, of the Chief of Staff Section, received
the Legion of Merit, Master Sergeant Glotzbach, of the Adjutant General's
Section, received the Bronze Star, and 2nd Lieutenants Porter and Bergman,
of the Flight Section, were promoted to the rank of 1st Li eutenant .
At 1130 hours Major General Duff, Quartermaster General of AFHQ,
called with General Tate to see General Clark.
�3D
At 1230 General Foulkes, Comma.n ding General of the Canadian Corps,
ca.me to confer with General Clark and remained for lunch. Just before
lunch the Army Group Commander presented General Foulkes with the gift
of a carbine. General Foulkes departed shortly after lunch .
Following General Foulkes' departure, General Clark left the headquarters for his villa, and in the evening entertained Genera.ls Brann,
Tate, Colonel Saltzman and Lt . Cols. Lazar and Ibold for dinner and poker .
General Mccreery, today replied to General Clark's letter of yesterday as follows:
\
n1. I am in receipt of your instruction of 9th February and have
studied the points you raise in relation to my plan.
"2. I fully realise that the main weight of the Eighth Army attack
will have to be either Northwards towards FERRARA, or North,"Test towards
BUDRIO.
I submit that the right time to decide on which a.xis the main
effort should be made is when the Eighth Anny have a firm bridgehead
over the River SANTERNO.
''3. I note that in the event of an offensive before the special
equipments arrive you desire the main effort of Eighth Army to be made
Northwest towards BUDRIO.
u4. I appreciate the importance of MmrrE GRANDE, and will ta.ke the
necessary steps to ensure that this massif is securely held when it
passes to my command."
*
*
*
FLORENCE-- FEBRUARY 11, 1945--The General spent the day between his office
and the villa and spent the night at the villa .
General Clark today wrote General Truscott as follows with regard to
future operations:
"l. I have studied your comments on plans for f uture operations and
am pleas~d that you are in accord with the general plan as I outlined it
to you at our conference on 4 February.
"2. I agree that it is desirable to clear the area up to the general
line PIANORO - PRADURO - M. MANTINO and to use that line as a ba,se for
future operations. I believe that this area West of Highway 64 can be
cleared by II Corps as part of the main attack and that it may be possible
for the 10th Mountain Division to reach the general line M. PERO - M.
MANTINO - VILLA D AIANO - M. BELVEDERE in time to be relieved by the BEF
and moved to a reserve position before the main attack is launched . It
is essential that operations West of Highway 64 be conducted without
drawing strong enemy reserves to that area. If the general line PIANORO -
\
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�I
31
PRADURO - ~1ANTINO is reached a.s indicated above, it is certainly desirable to give careful consideration to a strong attack generally NW
from the PRADURO area to strike the BOLOGNA defenses at their weakest
point in preference to a continuation of the ·main attack on BOLOGNA
between Highway 64 and 65. However, as I have explained to you previously, I cannot agree to a main attack generally NW a.long the high
ground West of Highway 64.
.
.
"3 . I note that you suggest that Eighth Army make an effort from
M. GRANDE . I agree that an attack from M. GRANDE, if made in strength,
might produce effective results, but th0 reduction in strength of
E1.ghth Army, with which you are familiar, makes it impossible to concentrate sufficient forces in the main effort of that army and also attack from M. GRANDE in strength.
"4. Present plans for Eighth Army's attack include the employment of special equipment for an operation across the VAILI di COMACCHIO.
This equipment will not be available for operation before 1 May. Since
an all out attack before that date is probable, I ha.ve instructed the
GOC, Eighth Army to prepare plans for an attack about 10 April and
about l May. You will also prepRre plans for full-scale attacks on
these dates.
n55. In paragraph 2 of my letter of 24 January, Subject: 1 Future
Operations', I stated that in the event of a major enemy withdrawal
/
from Italy, 15th Army Group would attack as soon as possible. Such e.n
attack continues to be a possibility, and, if ordered, will be executed
following the same basic plan prepared for the later attack. "
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 12, 1945--The General arrived at his headquarters at
0930. General of the Army, George C. Marshall, U.S . Army Chief of
Sta.ff; General McNarney, Commanding General of MI'OUSA; and Colonel
McCarthy, War Department Secretary General Sta.ff, arrived from Pisa by
car at 1230. General Clark greeted Generals Marshall and McNarney a.nd
a guard of honor was held for General Marshall with the following units
represented: 1st Bn., 135th Infantry Regimen~, 34th Division; Division
Special Troops, 92nd Infantry Division; Brazilian Composite Pla.toon, 1st Infantry Divisi'on, BEF;,.__,~
, t Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders; 3/8th Punjabs,
19th Indian Infantry Brigade, 8th Indian Division; 166th Newfoundland Field
Regiment; Special Service Battalion, 6th South African Armored Division;
24th Guards Brigade, Welsh Guards; 2nd Battalion Inpiskillings, Irish;
1st Canadian Armored Brigade, 1st Canadian Corps; Defense Company, Headquarters 2nd Polish Corps; 26th Battal!on, 2nd New Zealand Division; 67th
Regiment Legnano, Italian; Platoon of Italian partisans; Three .American
nurses from 't>th Evacuation Hospital; Four WACS, Fifth Army; Four ARC
girls from Florence contingent; Two ATS girls, 15th Army Group; One Indian
nurse, 18th Indian General Hospital; South African, British and Canadian
nurses from 107th S. A. General Hospital.~
After the guard of honor General ClPrk and General McNarney returned
to General Clark's office with General Marshall, and General Clark oriented
�(
General Marshall on the Italian situation in his war room.
At 1300 hours the Army Group Commander enterta.ined General Marshall
at a buffet lunch in his hut. The following-guests were present:
General -~ arshall, General McNarney, General Hull, Colonel McCarthy,
General ~cCreery, General Keightley, General Foulkes, General Anders , General
Cannon, Ai:r Commodore Leese, General Gruenther, General Saltzma.n, Colonel
McMahon, Brigadier Hirsch, General Bra.nn, Gemral Ta.ta, Lt. Col. Ostler,
General Hornby, General Coxwell-Rogers, Gereral Nalder , Colonel Grogan,
Colonel a. C. Smith, Colonel Sanceau, Colonel Monfort, Colonel Negroni
and Interpreter, Captain Savary. During the lunch General Marshall
chatted with General Clark, General McCreery and General Anders. After
lunch General Marshall s~oke briefly to the assembled officers, pointing
out that the Italian campaign was the most perfect example of magnificent
teamwork bet ~reen many different nationalities fighting together for one
common cause. The General of the Army then gave a brief resume of the war
on the eastern front, western front , the war in the Pacific and in the
China-Burma area.
After General MArshall's talk, General Clark and General i1arshall returned to General Clark's office where they put on warm clothing for a
trip to Fifth Army. The party left the command post at 1515 in sedans.
Arriving at a poiht on the Mount Altuzzo road where sedans could not pass,
the party changed to jeeps, and Generals Clark and Marshall travelled together over the Mount Altuzzo road into Firenzuola and thence to the Fifth
Army cormna.nd post. Upon their arrival at Fifth Army at 1730, they were
met by General Truscott and his Chiefs of Sections. General Truscott
entertained Generals P. arshall, Clark and . cNa.rney for dinner and the night.
Operations Instruction #3 was issued today and reads as follows:
"1. It is estimated that the German preparations for a withdrawal to
the line of the ADIGE are now complete, and that the plan can be put into
operation at short notice, if not already started. There are, however, no
factual indications that the plan will be put into effect at any stated
time. The enemy would prefer, other things being equal, to remain on his
present line and retain control of the whole area of Northern ITALY at
present in his hands for various reasons. He will withdraw, therefore,
only because of other and more important considerations and in particular
because of the need of detaching troops for other theatres. If and when
the enemy decides to withdraw, he will execute the withdrawal from his
present front only under pressure. The amount of resistance which he will
offer will vary according to the extent to which he has already thinned
his front.
2. The enemy can shorten his present line by withdrawing his left
to the line VALLI DI CO MACCHIO - MEDIC INA - Mr. GRANDE, allowing him to
release up to three to four divisions. If the enemy releqses more than
this number it will probably involve a withdrawal to the line of the TICINO
and PO and subsequently to his strongest prepared positions - the ADIGE or
the AU'S lines.
0
"3.
The enemy can be credited with three capabilities:
�33
(
a. To assume the offensive.
b. To remain on present positions , and when forced, to withdraw
to successive positions.
c. To withdraw voluntarily to a pos~tion behind the PO to enable
him to release divisions for other the~1tres.
"4. There is no firm evidence of any large-scale withdrawal although
prepP..rations to withdraw from Western ITALY still continue. Based on pa.st
performance it can be assumed the enemy will adopt the second of his capabilities, making us fight for any ground we desire. See G-2 15 Army Group
Appreci ation No. 39, dated 5 Feb, attached at Appx 'A' for detailed analysis.
"5. 15th Army Group is charged v:nth the mission of:
a.
b.
c.
Holding present positions in event of an enemy offensive.
Containing the maximum number of enemy divisions in ITALY.
Bringing the enemy to battle to destroy German forces in
ITALY.
d. Finally clearing ITALY of the enemy.
"6. In line with the assigned r'li. ssion, 15th Army Group plan of operations will be staged in three phases:
Phase I
-
Phase II -
Capture and establishment of a bridgehead around IDLOGNA.
Developing the PO River position.
Cros sing the PO with the object of capturing VERONA
and scaling the main outlet out of ITALY and developing the ADIGE
river position.
Phase ITT-
It is operationally desirable that each phase follow the other
without pause. For phase lines and bourrlary between Armies, see the map
attached at Appx 'B'.
"7. After BOLOGNA is captured and the bridgehead established, it is
desired that the attack be continued to cross the PO and capture VERONA as
soon as practicable . The main axis of 15th Army Group attack will be on a
line BOLOGNA - VERONA .
ng. It is considered th~.t a thrust by 15th Army Group directly Uorth
on VERONA from BOLOGNA bridgehead would cause the enemy to withdraw from
!ffl ITALY, thereby making large-scale operations in NW ITALY unnecessary.
tt9. After operations outlined in paragraph 6 have been accomplished
and if the situation at the time permits, it will be operationally desirable to seize bridgeheads over the ADIGE river and to capture PADUA a.nd
VENICE without pause. If, however, the enemy elects to defend the ADIGE
line in strength, it will probably be necessary to halt and regroup and to
prepare for a formal river crossing .
"10.
The enemy may decide to withdraw from NW ITALY for the ree.sons
�enumerated in paragraph 1 and/or because of a. collapse of German resistance,
a decision to surrender, or, most likely, because our attack tOW"ard VERONA
is threatening his major line of withdrawal . In the event he decided to
withdraw from NW ITALY, he may follow one of -two procedures:
a . To withdraw all organised resistance from NW ITALY to a line
of the TICINO - PO or other prepared lines . Provided this withdrawal occurs prior to our taking BOLOGNA, it will be highly desirable to open the
port of GENOA to send in administrative personnel, food-stuffs, AlvG representatives, etc.
b . To withdraw from NW ITALY in conjunction with his withdrawal
from his present position. In this event FIFTH ARMY is charged with the
protection of 15th Army Group left flank . As our attack progresses toward
VERONA, and when enemy resistance in NW ITALY has les.s encd to a degree
permitting, IV US Corps, operating under 15th Army Group oontrol, will be
detachBd from FIFI'H ARMY for operations in NW ITALY in conformance with
policies and procedure prescribed by this HQ . IV US Corps will consist of
British, Brazilian, Italian and US troops, commanded by M4jor General Willis
D. Crittenberger .
1
"11. Administrative instructions for the occupation of NW ITALY will
be issued separately. In general the occupation will be divided into two
phases . Phase I will be the military occupation and the elimination of
any remaining German or Fascist Italian formations in NW ITALY, and the
establishment of law and order among the civilian population until the establishment of Allied Military Government can be accomplished . 15th Army
Group will be responsible for this phase with o. 2 District under command .
The operating agency for this phase will be IT Corps· Headquarters with the
necessary attachments from No . 2 District .
In Phase II, 15th Army Group will pass responsibility for the
military administration of NW ITALY to No . 2 District and for Allied Military Government to the Allied Commission, both under command of AFHQ . 15th
Army Group, after coordinating with No . 2 District, will report to AFHQ
when Phase TI can be implemented . If the situation is such that it would
be more convenient to hand over NW ITALY to No . 2 District in stages, 15th
Army Group will recommend a program for the transfer of responsibilities.
NW ITALY is defined as the area for which Headquarters No . 2
District ultimately will be responsible , viz: the Compartments of LIGURIA
and PIEDlVIONTE, and the Provinces of VARESE, COMO, MILANO, PAVIA and
PIACENZA.
"12 . a . It is desired that plans be prepared by Armies covering
operations outlined in Phases II and III of paragraph 6, viz: the development and crossing of the PO river position with the object of capturing
VERO TA. Reference should be rm.de to letter, subject 1 Future Operations•,
dated 24 Jan 45, ref No . 48/G-J(Ops) issued by this Headquarters. Flans
will provide for early traininr, of personnel in river crossings, utilizing
all expedients at our command. Details of the River PO and ADIGE crossing
sites and terrain studies are being currently issued and will continue to
be issued by this Headquarters.
�35
b. IV Corps Headquarters will prepare plans to occupy the area
Ii.berated in NW ITALY. For purposes of this plarming, IV Corps Headquarters
is authorized to contact directly No. 2 District, AMG, 15th Army Group, and
other necessary Headquarters. tt
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 13, 1945--General Clark, accompanied by General Marshall,
General McNarney and General Truscott, left the Fifth Army command post at
0830, arriving at II Corps command post at 0900. There they were met by
General Livesay, Acting Corps Commander, and II Corps staff officers . Also,
General Coulter and staff officers from the 85th Division were present .
After Generals Marshall, Clark and McNarney rad been introduced to the officers, General Marshall spoke briefly to the assembled group.
At 0920 the party left for 34th Division command post where they were
met by General Bolte and his staff, a.nd ste,ff officers of the 91st Division.
General Marshall spoke briefly to the officers and men assembled, after
which he presented three Distinguished Service Crosses. The Chief of Staff
also pinned stars on Brigadier General Braun, Assistant Divisional Commander of the 34th Division.
At 1100 hours Generals Marshall, McNarney, Clark and party drove to the
command post of the ?nd Battalion of the 361st Infantry in the vicinity of
Fiumetta. There General Marshall met the battalion commander and officers
and men. The Chief of Staff spoke briefly to them. The party then inspected a battery of artillery where they talked briefly to the officers
and men. Generals MArshall, McNarney and Cla.rk were entertained at lunch
by Major General Kendall at the oommand post of the 88th Division.
After lu..~ch a guard of honor was held, consisting of the 2nd Battalion
of the 350th Infantry who recently had been awarded the Vfor Department citation. General Marshall presented the Distinguished Service Cross to a soldier jn a simple ceremony. General Marshall then spoke to the battalion,
General Clark also spoke a few vmrds ,i to the assembled troops . Following
this ceremony Generals Marshall, McNarney and Clark and Colonel McCarthy
changed from jeeps to sedans and drove to Montecatini where they boarded
General Clark's train. Generals Gruenther and Truscott arrived shortly
thereafter, and the Generals all oonferred in the sitting room attached to
General Marshall's bedroom aboard the train. At 1900 hours Generals Mascarenhas , Commanding General of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force , General
Zenobio , Division Commander, and General Cordeiro de Farias, Artillery Commander of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force , and Ntajor Walters arrived for
dinner . After dinner General Marshall decorated Gemral Cordeiro with the
Legion of Merit , Degree of Commander. The Brazilian Gernrals left the train
at 2100 hours, and at 2130 the train left for Lucca . Generals Marshall,
Clark, McNarney, Truscott and Gruenther talked until the train arrived at
Lucca at 2300 hours and then retired for the night aboard the train .
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 14, 1945--The party left the train at Lucca at 0830 accompanied by General Crittenberger, who had come to the train to pick up
�Generals Marshall, Clark and McNa.rney and Truscott. They drove in sedans
to the command post of the IV Corps in Lucca. There they met IV Corps
staff officers and also Major General Hays, Commanding General of the 10th
Mountain Division, and Brigadier GenerAJ. Ruffner, Artillery Commander of
the Division. General :Marshall spoke briefly to the assembled officers.
After a short stay at the IV Corps oommand post the party drove to the
command post of the 4th Tenk Battalion where they met General Pritchard and
watched the battalion training as infantry. General Marshall spoke to several _groups of officers and men during their exercises. They then drove to
the command post of the 1st Annored Division, and General Marshall spoke to
the assembled members of the Division staff.
At 1040 the party entered the 92nd Division area at Montramito where
they were met by General Almond and changed from sedans into jeeps. The
party then inspected a nru.le battalion, after which they drove to the 599th
Field Artillery Battalion command post. Enroute the party stopped at a
bath unit where they met Colonel Notestein, Commanding the 371st Infantry,
and Generals Marshall, McNa.rney and Clark spoke to several of the officers
and men of the 371st who were returning from the bath. At the 599th Field
Artillery Battalion command post in the vicinity of Pietra Santa , General
Marshall spoke briefly to the officers and men.
The party then drove to the command post of the 3rd Battalion of the
370th Infantry where they were met by Colonel Sherman, the Commanding Officer. The party inspected defense positions and spoke to several of the
officers and men, after which they drove to the 317th Engineer BattRlion
where they stopped brieny and spoke to the battalion commander . General
Marshall and party drove to a battery of the 600th Field Artillery Battalion
where they observed artillery in action. General Marshall stopped and spoke
to several of the officers and men. Enroute to the 92nd Division oommand
post the party stopped briefly at the 758th Tank Battalion.
At the 92nd Division command post in Viareggio, General Almond entertained Generals Marshall, McNarney, Clark, Truscott, Gruenther and Crittenberger for lunch . During lunch General Marshall ~ -oke briefly to the
assembled staff officers.
After lunch the party left the 92nd Division for Pisa. Enroute they
visited the 32nd Field Hospital one kilometer south of Viareggio where
General Marshall, General McNarney and General Clark spoke to many of the
battle casualties .
At 1415 the party arrived at the Pisa airport where they were greeted
by Generals Cannon, Chidlaw, Webster and Meyer of the 12th Air Force.
General Cannon introduced General M~rshall to several of his staff officers.
The Army Chief of Staff , with General McNarney, left the Pisa airport
in General McNarney1 s C-47 at 1430 hours . Gereral Cla.rk, with General
Gruenther, returned to Headquarters 15th Army Group in L-51 s, arriving at
1530 hours . General Clark worked for two hours in his office on an accumulation of papers and then retired to his villa with General Saltzman for
the night .
�FLOOENCE--FEBRUARY 15, 1945--The General arrived at the command post at
1100 hours and held a conference with Generals Gruenther~ Saltzman, Brann
and Lt. Col. Lazar to discuss the T/0 of 15th Pxmy Group. After the conference General Clark promoted Lt. Col. Lazar· and Lt. Col. Ostler to the
grade of Colonel. At 1230 General Clar}-- entertained Colonels Pesek and
McConnell of the G-3 Section, Colonel Sloan of the G-2 Section, Colonel
Monfort of the G-5 Section and Lt. Col. Yarborough for lunch.
After lunch the General returned to his villa for the night.
*
*
*
FLORENCE-FEBRUARY 16, 1945--The General arrived at the Headquarters at
0930 and at 1000 hours T\h.j . Gen. Beaumont-Nesbitt, Liaison Section AFHQ,
who had just come from Polish Corps, came to confer with General C~,rk.
At noon Lt. Gen. Arrlers, Polish Gorps Commander, came to see General Clark
and conferred for an hour on the complex situation which has arisen with
regards the Poles as a result of the Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin conference at .Yalta over which Gen. Anders wa,s extremely worried.
At 1300 hours Admiral Morse, Flag Officer Western Ita,ly, and Captain
Basant, Royal Navy Liaison Officer of 15th Army Group, came for lunch.
General Clark entertained General Anders, General Beaumont-Nesbitt, Ad~
miral Morse and Captain Basant for lunch.
After lunch General Clark returned to his villa for the afternoon am ~ /
evening.
;<i- c.J"v
~~
General Almond today wrote the following letter to Gereral Truscott,
with a copy to Army Group Headquarters, with regard to command and combat
efficiency of the 366th Infantry:
)\ (/
"l. On 28 November 1944 the 366th Infantry Regiment was 1:1~ttached to
the 92d Infantry Division, then operating as an active division on the
Fifth Army Front. Since that date the equipping, training, and combat employment of the 366th Infantry have received the constant attention of the
Division Commander, his staff and certain individual officers from divisional units. The present low combat effectiveness of the 366th Infantry,
from the standpoint of leadership of its off·cers and combat efficiency of
the unit, indicate a factual report on the subject to the Army Commander.
This report covers the period 28 November 1944 to date and includes some
personal knowledge of the Division Commander concerning this regiment
dating back to 1941 when the unit was training at Camp Devens, Massachusetts.
The discussion herewith submitted is grouped under the following titles:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Or€faniza.tion and E::1.rly Training
Preparation for Combat Employment
Command and Sta.ff Functioning
Operations
-
Annex 'A'
Annex 'B 1
Annex 'C 1
Annex 'D'
n2. The undersigned has intimate knowledge of the early training
progress of the 366th Infantry; i.e., from February 1941 to September 1941.
(See Inclosi.n:-e No . 1). The training progress over that period , a,nd under
)
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~9~~~~ ~t9' t~/ ~
the imposed leadership of five Regular Army o.L ficers, ~ras mediocre and the
performance of the regiment during VI Corps Maneuvers in Massachusetts,
1941, left much to be desired. Si nce arrival overseas, in March 1941~, this
regiment has served in detachments throughout Southern Italy guarding airbase activities until 28 November 1944, when after closing in the Staging
Area, became attached to the 92d Division.
n.3. The 92d Division instituted immediate steps to i nsure the equipping and concentrated training of the units of the 3~th Infantry as they
arrived in the PBS Area, LEGHORN. Command inspections were held, a training program prescribed, and completion of combat equipment speeded up.
The Division Connnander addressed all officers and men of the regiment in
the PBS Section emphasizing the importance of preparing the regiment for
creditable performance of the regiment in action. All these efforts on
the part of the 92d Division appeared to be gratefully received and effective performance was promised. However, from the beginning, it was apparent
that the lack of responsibility and a thorough preparation for routine duties on the part of junior officers and the supervision on the part of
higher of ficers of the regiment was of a low grade. (See Inclosure fo. 2).
"4. The operations of the 3_66th Infantry, a.s an effective combat
force, since commitment of the first units on 2 December 1944, have been
characterized by poor leadership, irresponsib~~ity, lack of supervision
and the abandonment of much equipment A.t crit~cal times by enlisted personnel. (See Inclosure No. 3 - Operations).
0 5.
The command and staff f t .nctioning in this regiment is most ineffective. This condition has obtained ever since the Regimental Commander
and his staff and Special Units were introduced into the chain of command
to control the 366th Infantry battalions then operating on the coastal sector of the 92d Division, the quietest and most moderate climated portion
of the front. It was at once evident that the Regimental Commander exercised little command control over his troops and his staff; that the Regimental Headquarters acted in a lethargic and nearly always in an ineffective manner. To correct these deficiencies the Division Commrrler and
his staff have made ma.ny visits to 366th Infantry Headquarters to check activities, offer helpful advice and insure efficient rerformance on the part
of the .Regimental Commander. Under this close supervision, the then Regimental Comman<ler - Colonel H. D. QUEEN, became ill with rheumatic pains
and ha,s been evacuated, Lt. Col. ALONZO G. FERGUSON a.ssuming control as
of 13 December 19Li/t. (See Inclosure No. 4).
n6. Since assuming command Colonel FERGUSON and his staff have been
highly cooperative but most usually incapable of accomplishing satisfactory
results in a reasonable time. In the hope tb a.t this condition could be
corrected and realizing that the best available officers of the regiment
were then in command and staff positions, the Assistant Division Comma.nder
and necessary staff officers from this headquarters were given instructions
to practically stay with the unit to observe, to organize the headquarters,
and to see personally that the staf f functioned properly and by supervision
that it translated the commander's decisions into action. To date practically
no progress is in evidence. (See paragraph?, below).
�tt7. It was believed that constant a.nd unremitting supervision would
bring improved operations provided the commander responded to the suggestions and directives in a manner forceful enough to obtain reasonable results. The undersigned has personally discussed, many times witp Colonel
FERGUSON, the necessity for effective opArations and the removal of ineffective staff officers or commanders . Colonel FERGUSON has never recommended a single officer for removal, but on the other hand , has always
found excuses justifying the failure of his subordinate to perform his assigned task . Such excuses have become intolerable and they lead to but
one conclusion; that the commander of the 366th Infantry, Lt . Col. ALONZO
G. FERGUSON, is incapable of commanding his regiment in an effective manner; so much so that the capabilities of the regiment to perform anything
except routine duties on a quiet front , requj_ring no movement of command
groups or wire installations are seriously questioned . The conclusion is
also reached that a more capable colored officer should be procured to command this regiment, if such is the policy of the War Department or Theater
Commander, or , if none is available, that H i;vhite officer and the required
staff officers be assigned to the regiment . It is possible that the War
Department may have established a policy requiring negro leadership throughout this regiment and the problem of replacement for officers might well be
considered by higher headquarters . Further losses of field officers or
company commanders in this regiment will eventually necessitate the assignment of white officers to maintain a minimum standard of combat effectiveness in order to derive any battlefield utility f'rom the regiment .
ng .
The following recommendations are submitted:
a . That the Regimental Comme.nder be repla.ced by a more capable
officer - colored, if War Department policy requires, if not - by a white
colonel with an adequate staff.
b . That the regiment be assembled in a training area under an improved leadership for traj_ning a.nd development .
c . That a system of development and/or supply of competent officers and men be established . tt
*
*
*
FLORENCE- -FEBRUARY 17, 1945--The General arrived at his headquarters at
1000 hours and conferred vdth Briga.dier Hirsch , General Brann and General
Gruenther .
At 1300 Maj . Gen. Nalder ca.me for lunch with General Clark . General
Nalder is leaving the headquarters today for a new assignment as Chief Signal Officer, AFHQ . General Clark sent a :rre ssage to General Maran, who is now on
leave in the United States, informing him that he is now Chief Signal Officer, 15th Army Group .
At 1400 hours General Almond and General Truscott arrived and conferred
with Genera.I Clark for an hour.
I
At 1700 hours the General returned to his villa where he dined quietly
and spent the night .
�FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 18, 1945--The General spent the entire day at his villa.
In the afternoon the General played golf at the Florence Golf Club with
General Saltzman.
In the evening at 1700 hours the General entertained Generals Gruenther,
Brann, Saltzman, Colonel Lazar, Lt. Col. Novo~ny and Lt. Col. Ibold for
dinner and cards.
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 19, 1945--The General arrived at his office at 1000 hours.
At 1030 hours he received news that Lt. Col. Walker, General Clark's personal
cub pilot, Lt. Col. Faust and Major Kerr, Transportation Officer of 15th
Army Group Headquarters, had just been killed in a plane crash after ta.lcing
off from the Florence field on their way home on temporary duty in the States .
General Clark immediately drove to the scene of the accident. At 1130 hours
Lt. Col. Palmer, G-5 Section Supply Branch on General Somervell's staff,
called on General ClRrk with Colonel Monfort, G-5 of 15th Army Group.
The General lunched at the command post, after which he returned to
the villa for the afternoon and evening.
*
*
*
FLORENCE•-FEBRUARY 20, 1945--The General arrived at his headquarters at 0930.
At 1030, with General Hornby, General Saltzman and General Brann drove to
Castel Fiorentino to the American cemetery for the funeral of Lt. Col. We.lker,
Lt . Col. Faust and Major Kerr who were killed :yesterday in a plane crash.
The General returned to his headquarters at 1.330 for lunch.
The General spent the afternoon in his office working on papers and
conferring with members of his staff and at 1630 hours the following fiction
writers visited General Clark's headquarters: Kay Boyle, Roger Burlinghame,
Carl Carmer, Marquis Childs, Mary Cookman, Dorothy Ca.meron Disney, Toni Frissell, Beatrice Blackmer Gould, Ca.rel Hill, Joseph Niarshall, Nancy Wilson
Ross, Harold Von Schmidt, Rex Stout, Stanley Young. These writers ere escorted by Lt. Col. Rorke of the War Department Public Reh.t ions Office, Maj.
Holland of Hq. Army Air Forces, Major Thruelsen of MAAF Public ReJFtions ,
Ya.jar Hoyte Kline of MA.AF Public Relations and Capt. Francis Sanford of MA.AF
Public Rela,tions.
The General briefed the party in his war room, after which he
taj_ned them i.n his conference hut for tea. General Cannon, General
Brigadier Hirsch, General Saltzman, Gereral Sullivan, Colonel Gn:gan
General Brann were also present at the tea. The pu-ty left at 1800
enterHornby,
and
hours.
At 1830 General McNarney with General Nelson , Deputy Theater Commarrler,
and Mr. Henry Taylor, of Scripps-Howard Newsps.pers, arrived at the headquarters and conferred for an hour before dinner with General Clark in his office
and war room, after which the GeneraJ. entertained them for dinner at his
mess.
After dinner General Clark, with Generals McNa.rney, Nelson, Saltzman
�4\
and Mr. Taylor talked for two hours in General Clark's conference hut.
Generals McNarney, Nelson and Mr. Taylor then returned to the Excelsior
Hotel for the night.
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 21, 1945--At 0730 hours Generals McNarney, Nelson and
Mr. Taylor arrived for breakfast with General Clark at his headquarters.
At 0745 General Cannon arrived and joined them in the mess.
At 0800 Generals Clark, McNarney, Ca.nnon, Nelson and Mr. Taylor
drove in General Clark's Cadillac to the forward command post of IV Corps
in Taviano where they were met by Colone 1 Nance, Deputy Chief of Staff of
IV Corps, and General Truscott's aide. At Taviano the party changed into
jeeps and drove to the IV Corps TAC Headquarters at Castelluccio where
they were met by General Truscott, General Ori ttenberger and General Cra.ne.
This headquarters also serves as an excellent OP. General Crittenberger
pointed out to the party the hill. features over which the 10th Mountain
Division and Brazilian Expeditionary Force have launched their attacks;
namely, Mount Belvedere, which the 10th Mountain Division took yesterday,
and Mount Torraccia, first phase objective of the 10th Mountain Division,
and also Mount Castello, objective of the BEF. General Crittenberger explained to the assembled party the plan of attack.
The party then drove to an observation post of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force where they were met by General Mascarenhas and members of
his staff. General Masce.renhas explained the plan of attack which was to
be undertaken within the next hour.
General Clark and party then drove to the command post of the 10th
Mountain Division where they were met by Gemral Hays who oriented the
party on his current situation. General Clark expressed to General Hays
his great satisfaction at the results of the f:irst combat test of the loth
Mountain Division. After the orientation, General Hays took Genera.ls
Clark, McNarney, Cannon, Nelson, Truscott and Mr. Taylor to an excellent
observation post where the current battle to the we·st of Mount Belvedere
could be observed. General Hays explained to the assembled officers how
he had accomplished his mission and how he was to follow up his attack.
General Hays entertained Generals Clark; McNarney, Cannon, Nelson, Truscott
and ~. Taylor for lunch, after which they drove back to Florence. The
Army Group Commander entertained Genera.ls McNarney, Nelson and Mr. Taylor
for dinner this evening at his mess.
The Army Group Commander today dictated the following memorandum
·::-7
General McNarney with regard to new artillery units destined for Fifth
Army:
"I am afraid if the present schedule of arrival of artillery units
is maintained they will be too late for our forthcoming offensive.
"Information from your headquarters indicates that one battalion of
8" Howitzers and one battalion of 155mm Guns have been moved to staging
area in the United States preparatory for shirunent overseas. i O estimate
�f
{
has been given of dates of shipment . However, the schedule indicates that
two battalions of 8" Howitzers are due here in March.
"Will you please follow this matter up .
like as follows:
I suggest a ca.ble something
'" Understand at least one battalion 8" Howitzers and one battalion
155mm Guns earmarked for this theater have been moved to the staging area
in the United States preparatory to movement overseas . In view of our urgent need for heavy artillery in coming operations, strongly recommend
every effort be made to establish priority to i nsure arrival of these battalions by end of March . 1 tt
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 22, 1945-- At 0900 Lt . Gen. Doolittle of the Air Force
called on General Clark with General Cannon and conferred with the Army
Group Commander for half an hour .
At 1000 hours General Clark decorated and promoted the following officers and enlisted men of his headquarters : Major H. W. Buchanan and Major
M. C. Hoffman to Lt . Colonel , Captain E. M. Swift and Captain T. L. Eastmond
to Major, the Legion of Merit to Lt . Col. R. C. Brisach and Captain F. W.
A. Allen (British), and the Bronze Star to Staff Sergeant R. H. Hager .
At 1100 hours the General attended a memorial service for Lt . Col.
Walker , Lt . Col. Faust and Major Kerr of 15th Army Group Headquarters and
Major Mallory of TAF .
General Brann lunched with General Clark, after which they played golf .
The General returned to his villa for the evening.
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 23, 1945--General Clark arrived at the headquarters at
1000 hours , and at 1100 hours Lt. Col. Williams, 15th Army Group Historian,
came to see General Clark. The General sp ent the greater part of the afternoon in his office conferring with General Gruenther who had just returned
from Rome .
At 1630 hours the General went to his villa . This evening General Cl::1rk
had a few officers for dinner and poker .
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FI~BRUARY 24, 1945--The General errived at his headquarters at
1030 and conferred with General Gruenther, Brigadier Hirsch and General Brann.
At 1230 Genere.l Cle..rk and General Gruenther had lunch with Mr . & Mrs .
Rosso , former Italian ambassador to the United States at their villa. The
General spent the afternoon at his villa, r eturning to his headquarters for
di nner . He entertained Mr . & Mrs . Rosso and Mr. & Mrs . Umberto Coletti for
dinner with General Gruenth er and General Saltsman at his mess .
�43
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 25, 1945--General Clark spent the day at his villa and
in the afternoon played golf with General Brann.
The Army Group Commander today sent the following "Eyes Only" cable
to General McNarney:
RN SGS 134. "Conversion of 366th Infantry to general service engineers
should be started iithout delay. Do not know whether AllrOUSA staff knows
of this change yet . I will instruct Five .Army to deal directly with
~ITOUSA concerning conversion as soon as I hear from you . "
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 26, 1945- -The General came to his office and worked on
papers and conferred with members of his staff, returning to the villa in
the afternoon .
The following reply to General Cll!rk's cable to General McNarney of
yesterday with regard to the 3~6th Infantry was received today:
'
I
RN F 33757. "Conversion of 366th Infantry Regiment reference SGS
134 is subject . War Department will be requested to issue necessary directives ~.s soon as you or Fifth Army advise exactly wha.t units ·are
wanted . 1 Engineer General Service Regiment and 2 Engineer Separate
Battalions or 3 Engineer Separate Battalions, an Engineer Group Headquarters and 26 Driver Augmentation Teams for Truck Companies are possible
combinations. Either of above sets of units can be 90% equipped wj thin
30 days . Ml'OUSA will deal directly with Fifth Army as soon as you issue
your instruct ions to them. n
General Clark replied to General McNarney today a s follows:
RN' SGS 135. "Desire you request War Department to issue necessary
directives for conversion of 366th Infantry into one Engineer General
Service Regiment and two Engineer Separate Battalions . Reference your
message F33757. This has been coordinated rith Five Army. Suggest in
future you deal directly with Five Army in this matter furnishing copies
of communications to this headquarters. n
*
*
*
FLORENCE- -FEBRUARY 27, 1945--General Clark arrived at the headquarters
at 0900 . At 0930 Major General Stayer, Surgeon General of ~ITOUSA;
Brigadier General Ferreira, Surgeon General of the Brazilian Armed Forces; Brigadier General Uartin, Surgeon of Fifth Army; a.nd Colonel MarquesPorto, Stn'"geon of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, called on General
Clark. At 1000 hours the Army Group Commander received the following
Indian ,journalists: Joseph Pothan of the "Dawn" in Delhi, Kishore Nandi
of the tr qava Bharat" in N'a gpur, s . H. Mahmud of the ttNawa-i-Waqttt in Lahore, V. K. Narasimhan of the "Hindun in Madras, F . W. Bustin of the
"Civil and Military Gazetten in Lahore , Jaganath Deshnrukh of the nsakal"
in Poona, Durga Das of the "Hindustan Times" in Delhi, H. R. Sti mson of
ttThe Times of India.'' in Bombay, J . N. Sarkar of nAmrit a Bazar Patrika"
�44
in Calcutta a.nd A. N. Sivaraman of "The Di.nama.ni n in Madras. General
Clark briefed the journalists in his war room and answered many questions
pertaining to the welfare of Indian troops fighting in Italy.
At 1130 Colonel Gale, who hnd just been assigned to 15th Army Group
Headquarters as Air Officer of the G- 4 Section, came to call on General
Clark.
General Brann came for lunch, and a.fter lunch General Brann, General
Saltzman and General Clark played golf . The General returned to the villa
for the evening.
*
*
*
FLORENCE--FEBRUARY 28, 1945- -General Clark, accompanied by General
Gruenther and Brigadier Packard , left Florence by road at eight o'clock.
He arrived at Forli. at approximately 101,.5 hours where he was met by Lt .
General Charles Keightley, Acting Eighth Army Commander, and Brigadier
Harry Floyd, Chief of Staff, Eighth Army. The party drove a short way
along Route #9 to the headquarters of the 2nd New Zealand Division . Here
G~meral Clark was met by Lt . Gen. Bernard Freyburg, Co:mrw.nding the Divi- .,
sion, and was introduced to some thirty senior officers from the Division. ,
General Clark took a cup of tea with General Freyburg and the other officers and gave a short taTh on the current operations in Italy.
The party then drove to the Headquarters of 56th (London) Division.
Here General Clark was rret by Major General Whitfield, the Divisional
Commander, and was introduced to some
Division . He gave another short talk
of Merit (Degree of Officer) on Major
Rifles . Major Almond had earned this
quarters in conjunction with aircraft
of the oomma.nding officers from the
and pinned the Medal of the Legion
~. c. Almond of the London Irish
award for work at Allied Force Headreconnaissance and photography.
General Clark lunched in General VJ1.1.itfJ eld' s mess and afterwards
General Keightley took him to see an exhibition of captured enemy equipment in Forli. The exhibition consisted mainly of tanks, machine guns ·
and mines . One of the most interesting exhibits was the new Gerrm.n
rocket, weighing about 100#, which had only recently come into use on
the Italia.n front . General Clark was then taken to the Adolf Hitler Barracks where at this time were quartered the Irish Brigade of the 78th
British Infantry Division. The Brigade Commander, Brigadier Scott, met
General Clark at the entrance and showed him around the barracks . General Clark was particularly interested in the very fine canteen for other
ranks of the Brigade .
After this the party paid a visit to the "Dorchestern Club in Forli .
This is a very large day leave center equipped with every imaginable
luxury. General Clark saw several restaurants , reading rooms, writing
rooms and watched for several minutes the pipe band of the Inniskillings
who were heating ''Retreat" in the courtyard .
Generals Clark and Gruenther drove to the Forli airport, boarded
their C- 47 plane and flew back to Florence, arriving at the comm.and post
�(LJ
�/
45
at approximately 1645 hours .
villa .,
*
General Clark spent a quiet evening at his
a,,(_~~
tv-0
*
Ii
*
FLORENCE--MARCH 1 , 194§--Genera.l Clark arr ~ived at his office at 1030
hours and conferred with Generals Gruen th er , Brrmn and Brigadier Hirsch .
The General lunched with General Brann and played golf in the afternoon,
retiring to his villa to spend the night .
*
*
*
FLOREJ'iCE--lVIARCH 2 , 1945- -The General spent the morning in his office ,
and at 1245 hours Admira l Morse and Ca.pt:::iin Besant came for lunch. .After
lunch the General went to his villa for too afternoon and evening.
General Clark today dictated the f ollo tlng r andom notes for inclusion
in his diary:
ttPOLISH QUESTION--The announcement by tbe Big Three at the Ya.ltP ·coni'erence with rega.rd to Polish terr:i..torial sub- divisions after the war , as
delineated by the Curzon Line, created a pa.nic in the Polish Corps ,
commanded by General Anders, in my 15th Army Group.
General Anders has long been an outspoken opponent of this soluti on
and , having been a prisoner of the Russians along wjth thousands of his
men and most of them living east of the Curzon L:i..ne, the solution was
entirely unacceptable . Anders' first vi olent reaction was to send a
letter to the Commanding GenerPl of the Eight h Army requesting that his
~ c orps be relieved immediately from front line duty. He even intjmated
that it would be better to accept the Polish Corps as prisoner s of war.
fi
He felt that under the circumstances he could not be responsible f or holdvsv"'\ I"' inf:; a sector with mixed emotions as prevailed among his :rren. Mccreery
talked to him, and I sent for Anders. The g~st of my conversation was
I)
✓ .9--('
"What are you going to do about it? If you turn in your suits now you
1
lost the respect of the Alli es, your only friends. Your men are going
to follow the cue you indicate to them . If you become a defeatist and
•• indj cate thr1 t all hopes are lost to your nien , you will have failed in
1
_,,, 1~
~ your duty as their commander . n I told Anders that here was an opportunity
for him to b 8 a great µitriot - forget himself and to require that his men
,, f / '
mai.nt,:dn the fighting strindards tbey are known to have . I told him that
/ . \t
.9 in my opinion our President Roosevelt would not sit at the conference and
, willinf?:ly turn the new Poland lo ck , stock aijP. barrel over to the BolshetiJ. u> ~ vists . I told him he was taking the most ~loomy attitude possible and
,,
t~at i t could not possibly be as bad as he fore cast . The only thing for
~
him to do was sit tight, maintain the stA.ndard of his men at the highest
}
pos~ible level and await developments. In such a. case, the pitr:iotic
attitude l'lhich he hR.d t aken a nd prevailed upon his men would be brought
by met the attention
of President Roosevelt and also to the Frime Mi nister
~
,
/- 1/
I
(
.
�G , _
~~~JJ6-'q ~
~A~C
I
Before leaving me he promis ed that Ms men would maintain their
defensive sector but that he had t.o go to England to discuss it w:i th
his government . The questfon which worries me is: \!ill the Pole~ be
able to take part in an import~nt role in the offen sive ba.ttle which I .
am planning. There j_s some question that they wi ll. I have ta.lked this
matter over with all concerned, including Eighth Army Commander and staff,
but the real answer will be disclosed wren Anders returns for a conference
with me . With the withdrRwals from 15th Army Group, it would be a serious
blow if J could not count on the Poles for all- out offensive action.
15th ARMY GROUP A'T' ACK--My plans for tm attack of ooth armies have
crystallized. Instructions have been given to the Army Commanders. I
feel that with the situation rnaching critical proportions in both the
east and west, 15th Ju-my Group must attack in April. The eA,rliest I can
do that would be between the 10th and 15th - the delay being caused, by
the arrival of LVTS and ne cessary reorg~_nization of Eighth Army units .
Fifth Army will be rea.dy. Accord:!.ngly, I hive djrected that plans be made
for an atta.cking using the 10t h of April as a target date . By tha.t time
weather should be improved , ground conditions should be more favorable
providing there are not more snows or heavy rains , ammunition situation
satisfactory and replacements on hand for at least a two-months ' bat tle .
My infantry superiority vdll be approximately 1 . 4 to 1 , hardly suff icient
for a. breakthrough, particularly in the mountain terrrJin . However , I feel
it imperative that the divisions I have under my control must be throvm
into the battle as early as possible . By that time I feel that r,:erhaps
four German Divisions ,; ill have been withdravm from Italy. Two have gone
up to the present time. I do not believe he can remove more than two per
month due to interference of his communicationr; by our air . If conditions
Are favorable in mid- April and my infantry superiority has been increased
by the withdrawals indjcated above an::1 with a little bit of luck, we may
have a great victory south of the Po River .
I run sure thP t Field Marshal Alexander, as well as General McCreary
of the Righth Army and most of his commarrlers will ant to delay the
attA.ck until May. I feel that it vould be a great error to deliberately
plan the attack for May. Conditions ma.y demand that we wait that long,
but certainly we must be ready by early April. I nny have quite a problem
sell 1 ng this early attack to Field Marshal Alexander. I will have a
staunch supporter, however, in General Marshall and will get Joe McNarney
to apply pressure in his deputy capacity. "
*
*
*
FLOREN'CE--MA.RCH 3 , 1945-- 'roday is General Gruenther 1 s birthday. Doctor
Poling, 'Sd.itor of Christian Herald, ew York , a Protestant minister,
journalist and radio commentator who has been sent to this theater by
Pres:ident Roosevelt and General Marshall, called to see General Clark
with Colonel Ryan , Fifth Army Chaplain. At 1230 hours Lfo,ltenant General
Morgan, newly- appointed Chief of Staff, AFHQ, with Major General Airey,
G- 2 of AFHQ, came to see the Army Group Commander. After Generri 1 CJ.ark
had oriented Generals ?forgan and Airey, he entertained them for lunch.
Brigadiers Packard and Hirsch were alBo present for lunch .
After lunch the General returned to his v j 11a for a.n hour, returning
�41
at 1630, at which t5rne he gave a cocktail birthday party in honor of
GenerAl Gruenther .. Sixty officers were pr e sent at the party.
This evening General Clark ga.ve a. small dinner party for General
Gruentber at his villa .
*
*
*
4, 1945--The General spent the entire day at his villa .
In the evenjng General Clark entertained Colonels Smith , Sutherland and
Major Houston for dinner at the vill.a.
FLORENCE--MA.RCH
General Clark today sent the following cable to General Keightley:
RN SGS146 .
Please convey to General Prjmiera my congratuJRtions
upon the successful recent offensive operation by the Cremona Group .
clearing of the coastal area south of Po di Prj ma.ro, as well as the
casualties infli cted upon the enemy a.nd the number of prisoners taken ,
fortifies the confidence in which these Italian troops are held as a
result of earlier favorable act1.ons . I shall l ook forward to further
ach:i evements of your group with keen acticipation . n
*
0
*
FLORENCE- -MARCH 5, 1945- -The Gereral arrived at the headquarters at 1000
hours nnd worked on papers and conferred with various ne mbers of his stp.ff
untH 1100 hours , at ·w hich time he decora.ted CaptAin Bachhuber , Ms Radio
Offj cer , with the Bronze Star and offered the Captain his best wishes, as
today is his birthday.
The General had a slight chest cold today. He returned to his villa
after lunch and remtd ned there for the afternoon and evening .
*
*
*
FLORENCE--MA..B.CH 6, 1945--Air Marshal Slessor , Deputy Commander of
Mediterranean Air Forces , called to see Generr-1 Cfark a.t 0930 this
morning. The General spent the reim. ind er of the morning in his office
working on important a.d1;1inistrative matters and conferring with variou s
staff officers . In the afternoon the Army Group Comma.nder retired to Ms
v:illa where he spent the night .
*
*
*
FLORENCE--MARCH 7, 1945--At 0930 hours this morning General Clark savr
Brigadier Irwin who has just cone from India where he has been serving
with the 14th P.rmy. The Brigadier has recently been appointed to command
the Staff College at Quetta , India .
At 1030 hours General Clark bP..de goodbye and presented a Bronze Star
Medal to Colonel Warren, Graves Registration Officer of Fifth Army.
Colow~l Warren is returning to the United States for a new assienrrent .
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Clark, Mark W. Diaries
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark (1896-1984) was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in World War I and World War II, and was President of The Citadel from 1954 to 1965. <a href="http://www3.citadel.edu/museum/Clark_Inventory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This finding aid describes Clark's archival collection at The Citadel Archives</a>, the bulk of which covers Clark's World War II career and his time as Citadel President.<br /><br />This collection features diary entries from June 1942 to December 1950.
Publisher
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The Citadel Archives & Museum
Rights
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Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Source
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CP Clark
Relation
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Mark W. Clark Collection
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Type
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Text
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https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/20
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mark W. Clark Diary, January 1 - March 6, 1945
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark's World War II diaries were kept by an aide. These entries are from January 1 - March 6, 1945.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
CP Clark
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
Rights
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Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
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Mark W. Clark Collection
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Type
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Text
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https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/1666
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41
THE CITADEL,
ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM
at 1630, at which tjme he gave a cocktail birthday party in honor of
General Gruenther . Sixty officers were pr e sent at the party.
This evening Genere.l Clerk gave a small dinnAr party for General
Gruenther at his villa .
*
*
*
FLORENCE- -MARCH 4, 1945--The General spent the entire day at his villa.
In the evenjng General Clark entertained Colonels Smith , Sutherland and
Major Houston for dinner at the villa.
General Clark today sent the following cable to GenerHl Keightley:
RN SGS146 . 11Please convey to General Prjmiera my oongrA.tulations
upon the successful recent offensive operation by the Cremona Group .
clearing of the coast81 area .south of Po di Prjmaro, as well as the
casualties inf licte<l upon the enemy and the number of prisoners taken,
fort:ifj es the confidence in which these Italian troops are held as a
result of earlier favorable actions . I shall look forward to further
achievements of your group with keen acticipation."
*
*
FLORENCE--MARCH 5, 1945- -The Gereral arrived at the headquarters at 1000
hours and worked on pe.pers and conferred with w-irious JTBmbers of his stciff
until 1100 hours , at which time he decorated Capti:iin Bachhuber, hj s Radio
Qffjcer, with the Bronze Star arrl offered the CaptRin his best wishes, as
today is his birthday.
The General had a slight chest cold today. He returned to his villa
after lunch and rema5ned there for the afternoon and evening .
*
*
*
FLORENCE--MARCH 6 , 1945--Air Marshal Slessor, Deputy Commander of
MedHerrrmean Air Forces, called to see Gener:,l Clark at 0930 this
morning. The General spent the reroo inder of the morning in his office
working on important adninistrative matter s and conferring with various
staff officers . In the afternoon the Anny Group Commander retired to Ms
villa where he spent the night .
*
*
*
FLORENCE- -MA.RCH 7, 1945--At 0930 hours this morning General Clark saw
Brigadier Irwin who has just cone from Indfa where he has been serving
with the 14th P.rmy. The Brigadier has recently been appointed to command
the Staff College at Quetta , India .
\
At 1030 hours General Clarlc bti.de goodbye and presented a Bronze Star
Medal to Colonel Warren, Graves Registratfon Officer of Fifth Anny.
Colonel Warren is returning to the United States for a new ass:ivinent.
�At 1215 hours General Mccreery, who had just returned from leave in
the UK, called on General ClRrk Pnd conferred for an hour. After lunch in
his rress the General returned to his villa for the afternoon .
*
*
*
FLORENCE--MARCH 8, 1945--Crenera.l Clark was interviewed by Mr . Smith, Head
of the New York Herald -Trib1 ne Bureau in JtPly. After the intervie v
General Clark conferred with General Gruenther and otr er rre ribnrs of his
stRff fol'. an hour. The Gener 1 lunched in his mess, a:rrl after llli"lCh left
for Rome in his C-47, accompanied by General Brann ~md General Saltzman.
General Clark today dictated .the following random notes for inclusion
in his diary:
"I have sent the following lett :~r to Army Commanders in order th( .t
they may be prepared to take advantage of an 9pportunity which would be
mi~sed jf we were not ready:
"l. The following factors clearly indicnte tba t the day is rapidly
approaching when 15th Army Group must rontribute its full smrA to the
final offensive tmt will crush the German armed forces .
g . On the Eastern and Western fronts , Allied Armies continue
their successes against weakening enemy resistP.nce .
(
]2 . For many days the weather has :i:ermi t ted Allied Air Forces to
pound Germany with devastnting effect .
£• The fact .that the enemy resjstance to our recont limited objective attRcks is not so clesperate as in rrevious attacks mA.y indicate
that h:i s morRle is lower j_n some infantry uni ts .
g. The enemy' s reserves of war m11.terials in this theater are
gradually decreasing and his lines of communication are so bP.dly interrupted by our air forces that additional supplies are brought in with
great djfficulty.
~• The enemy continues, under great difficulties , to withdra
divisions from our front .
2 . It has been impossible, thus far , to indicate a D- Day for our
offensB . Consequently, under current instruction("'! , Army Commanders have
been directed to prepare plans to attack as follows:
g. As soon as possible in the event of a major enemy wjthdrawal
from Jtaly.
Q. About 10 April .
£•
3.
~-
About 1 May.
It is now directed thet plans be completed, moverrents rrede a:nd
preliminary operations executed to permit the main a.ttPck to be launched
�on 10 April, shoulrl conditions varran~.
he.situation. · 11 be revie~ed
and d9cisions made firm 1 April. It is realized tht=i.t if the attack 1.s
launched on 10 April, the proposed operation on VALLI di COMACCHIO will
be limited to the personnel that can be transported in approximately
forty· (40) Fanta.ils available :in tre ore ration area on tha.t date .
b. If on 1 April it is decided that the rre.in attrck should not
be laun~hed on 10 April a new t~rget date will be prescribed by me .
Eighth Army will increase the size of the operation in the VALLI di
GOMACCHIO as additional resources become avaj lnble.
4.
Based on present plans tha.t Eighth Army1 s attc-'1.ck vd 11 precede
Fifth Army' s attack by an estimated three to fj ve days , it is desjred
that Arm~es prepare plans for employrrent of the air forces on all suitable targets withi.n their zones of action. Plans for employment of air
forces will be submitted to this headquarters hy 25 fl1arch for fjnal
coordination between Armies . u
ttI have discussed this rm.tter with Field Marshal Alexander, for I
feel that on the British s i de there js certAin reluctanoy to an attack
in April - preferring to wait until May. I djscussed the rretter with
Generals McCreery and Truscott. The latter is in hea.rty agreement. I
made it plain to ~1cCreery that I wouJrl im.ke the decision on the 1st of
Apr i l; that the attack might hav A to go without the VALLI di COMA.CCHIO.
All the way through the feeling in the Eighth Army is: 'Let's wajt and
the job may be easier' • My feelin~ is that when the Boche crumble on
all sides we must hit him soon with everything we bB ve .
Many conferences have been held and drafts of instructions prepared
on the Allied occupation of Austria. Gereral McNarney came to see rre
to discuss the subject. I indicated that 15th Army Group should be the
agency to plan its occupation but that I, as its commander, had no desire to nsit on my t.R.il" while fighting was going on in the Facific and
be a commande...,. of Anerican troops in Austria.
As these drafts of instructions CPme to my heR_dquarters for comment,
they were not clear as to 15th Army Group's part:1 cipation . In fact, :it
WRs rather delega:te<l to the Armies .
I r8peatedly protested , indicating
to AFHQ that there wa,s no other agency than 15th f!..rmy Group to coordinate the movement of British and Anerican troop s in their initial positions in Austria; that my re8ponsibilities in connection vlith the occupation of i ndu.strial Northwest Italy R.nd Northeast It!:'.l ly o t its proximj ty to Tito 1 s "tinder:. boxn and my re'"'ponsibilities for possibly handling
a large number of Germen prisoner:=: in the Po Valley wa.s too intimA.tely
associated with the moV9ID8nt of troops into Austria; that it could not
be divorced from my responsibilities .
I have had a :p9.per prepared as follows ,
with AFHQ 1 s approval:
Pro.
I understR.nr it neets
1
n1. In compliance with paragraph 3, cover letter Allied Force
Headquarters, subject, Operation FREEBCRN, dated 22 February 1945, the
following comments nre submitted.
�( /
2 . 15th Army Gr oup has been charged w-ith the rP-sponsibilities of
clearin~ Northern ITALY, of the primary disarmRment of enemy troop~ , and
of the control and admi nistr~.tion of German forces j n ITALY. Tasks
assigned by Operation FREEBORN further charge 15th Army Group wit h re leaqing troops for the initiation of that or-er~.tion . Perforce , frori the
units ;equired for the operations in Nco:-thern ITALY must come the units to
be initially involved in Operation FREEBORN .
3 . It is agreed that the tasks ass5_gned are so related that definite
plans at this t:ime can not be drawn for the coord~nated movement of
initial uni ts into AUSTRIA . For this reason , arrl because j t is impracticable to forecast the nnnner in which Oyeration FREEBORN may be executed ,
i t is essential tha.t simplicity and flexibility of plan be preserved .
4. To the end that simplicity be rre.intained and control rass Ydthout
break of continuity a.t thH logical time, it is recommended th=tt one head quarters control the movement8 of uni.ts from tMs theater dest ·ned for
AUSTRIA . Inasmuch as 15th Army Group will be in control when the occupation of ATTSTRLI\. is started , :it is recorrnnended tha t this headqu::~rters be
charged with the movement to and o ccura tion of initi a.l positions in
AUSTRIA by Eighth and Fifth Armj es . 15th Army Group shoulrl be relieved
of its responsibilities in AUSTRIA at a date to be determined by SAC . n
*
*
*
FLORE rcE --MAROH 9 , 191,.5--The Army Group Commander was still in Rome toda.y,
nnd there was no thin5; of importance going on in the comrnand post .
General Clark today received th8 follow:ixl1s letter from General
UcCreery regarding Armoured Infantry Carriers (KANGAROOS):
" I have now to use 27 Lancers , who were going to man KANGAROOS , to
man sixty extra LVTs for which American crews are not a.vaila. ble . This has
nA cess:i tated my using J/4/20 HussP.rs, . the armoured rAgiment at present
supporting 13 Corps , to man sixty KANGi\.ROOi", to enable me to complete enough
KAT\JGAROOS to carry thre e complete inf,mtry ba.ttalions . I cons::_der thnt the
provision of these KANGl\ROOS is of great importnnce to emtble the leading
infantry to keep up with the tanks when exploitation takes place from my
brjdgeheads over the rivers S'Ki'-ITO 8.nd SA JTER 11JO . Therefore, I am most
anxious that I should be able to carry at least three Ba.tt?lions in this
way. I selected 14/20 Hus ars because they are the only regirrent RVa:i lable
wh:i. ch is not already in an ,li.rmoured Brigade . · he selection of any other
regj 111ent for this purpose would involve breaking- up an l\rmoured Brigr>de ,
which I can not afford to do now that I have lost two Armoured Brigades
wi t h Camldian Corps; and another reason is that 14/20 HussP...rs would not be
fully employed wj th 13 Corps in the hilly country.
On the other hand, 10 Indj an Di vision may hP ve limited opport,mi ties
for the employment of a fe•v troops of tanks whAn the tiT'le oomes for them
to undertake limited offensive operations , to help the general plan .
Would it b.-., possible , as the sc~ctor is on the imm~3diate right of
Fifth Army, to plac8 1.mder commanii 13 Corps one or tr.ro sq1.1.Rdrons of
American tanks for this p11rpose? I would be most grBteful if this could
be considered . tt
�l
51
FL0R...:iHCF,--MARCH 10 , 1945- -In the absence of General Clark ! Gene~a.l .
Gruenther this afternoon greeted Genern 1 Mayne of the IndJ_a 0ff1.c 8 1.n
I~ondon . The Chjef of Staff oriented General Mnyne on the. situation ~n
It9 l:r in G ,ner~l Clark's rvro- Room ann t}•en entertainod hJ m for tea in
the conf~rence hut .
*
*
*
FLOR"8 CE--MA.RCH 11 , 1945--General Gruenther today entertained GonerP._l
Anders, Commander of the Polish Corps , for lunch in thA absenc9 of Generr-1
Clark. G8neral Anders ha -3 .just returned from London where he has been
in conference 'Ni th lead1_ng Polish of-f:i c -i al s anc high British mili tA.ry
and cj vil officials .
*
*
*
FLORE JCE- -MARCH l?. , 1945--General Clark is still in Rome 1Yith Gener::i.l
Brann and GenerPl Saltzman, and therA f:rerA no importr>nt co forences or
visitors to the commann post today.
*
*
*
FLOib\CE'- -MARCH 13, 1945- -GenerBl Gruenther today jnterv~ewed Pat F'r;:ink,
War Correspondent, who had cone to 15th Army ..rroup HeP r 1 quarters to see
Genernl Clark . The Army Group Chief o Staff ri.lso had as h~ s guests Mr .
Patterson, United States Ambassador to Yugoslavia, and Mr~ CochrR-n of the
U'NRFA for tea. in the conference hut after orient-tng his guests in General
Clark' s War Room .
*
*
r,-
*
/FLOREJ, cE--rnL1i:CH 14, 1945--General CJ1...rk arrived from Rome by B-25 at 1630
rours with Generals Saltzman, Bran"1. nnd I:ewis . He drov0 d5rectly to his
,,nv'{~ / headquarters where he conferred vith GenerPl. nruenther untjl 1300 hours
v _-i.
after i•1hich he went to Ms v-nla for the night . General Gruenther anc1
pr~Jr J
Colo~1ol Porter dined wj th General ClH_rk at the
,,-,.
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V 1
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~
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N~
✓
pr'-
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~
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,.
C
r
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~
I
*
FLORE11!., --MARCH 1(, 1945--'T'he Gen8rnl arr 'voc1 at his headquarters at 1000
hours , worked on accumulated papers anrl conferred 'U th rrembers of his staff .
Colonel Donaldson , Army Ground Forces Board , called on Gener al CJ1:1 rk to
congratulate him per sonally on his nomination to full general. At 1200
hours Mrs . Clare Booth Luce a:rr-i ved an( conferred with the Army Group
Commancer un irt'23o. t-fovlly· appointed ambassador to Yugoslavia Patterson,
Governor Cochrr-m of the Ul'.JRRA , and Ma,jor GR.tes, , Vfilitary Att.-,che to
Yugoslavia, arr ·i ved at 1230. At 1_300 General entertn inetj_JJrs . Luce~- - Ambassa(ior Patterson, Governor Cochran and Lajor Gntes at H buffet lunch .
The following women's organizations were represented at tre buffet lunch:
Women I s Auxiliar~r Corps , AmericP.n Army 1Jurse Corps, Brazilian ExpPdi t j onary
Force Nurse Corps, Arerica.n Hed Cross, Psychological ':";p rfr,re Brr-inch , Royal
Air Force hrr-sinr; Sisters, Italia.n R.ed Cross, Queen Alexandr-ta Imperial
Military Hur sin.., Service , British R.ed Cross Servi_ce, South _/\frican Nursing
�(
Service , Army Territorial Service , .Soldiers, '"3ailors & AirmP.n"· Families
Ji ssociation Imper·1 al 1flilitary Nursing •~erv:i ce, l\fow Zealand Nurse Corps ,
Roval Canad1.A.n Army Viedic~l Corps , ENSA , Council of 1 Tolunteer Women \for}:ers,
Sa1vf'tion Army an0,· F~men Volunteer Servicn .
After lucnh the General le ft for h5_s vj 11.a for the remainder of the
afternoon and evening.
The Army Group Commander t oday sent the following message to General
,~c"farney with r Jgarrl. to promotion of Gener8.l Brann :
R 'T SGS166 . urny only nomination for pror1oti on this month is Brieadier
GenerP.1 Donf'llr1 W. Brann whosq qualifications h2VR already been outlined
in previous letters +o you . He has been G-3 of }t'ifth Army c nr1 15th Army
Group sincf; June , 1943 under most d-ifficult combat cond~ tions . He h~s
demonstrated outstanding ability anc1 richly deserves promotion to i'1aJor
Generr>.l. I urgently recornrr1end that he be included on next 1:i.st which you
submj t to War Department . TT
*
*
:F'L0REHCE--MARCH 1 1) , 1945--r;,he General arrived at his headnuarters at 1000
hours . At 1100 he held a. small decorRtion an< 1 promoti.on cerHmony at which
he decorated A_r:il promoted thr➔ f ollovrin~ officers anrl enlisted men froJ'l1 15th
Army Group Headqmrters: Colonel Jos.eph R .. Burrill, 1st Lieut0nHnt Louis J .
Sir kin , S/Sgt . "8lwin L. Carpenter , T//4- Robert n. Blosser r-i.nct Pfc . Bernard
J . H. Nelson were awardGd the Bronze Star med2.l; Mr . r'hite , M/Sgt .. Holly ,
1st Sgt . Davis and T/ Sgt . Freedman were promoted to second lieutenants. The
General lunched at his mess at th0 heP-.dquarters and after lunch r~turned to
his villa. for the rest of the a ternoon ann night.
*
*
*
FLORE"'T ' --MARCH 17, 1945--rr'he General arrived at h:.~ headrrnarters at 1030
hours ::i.nr . rret w:ith member. of his staff anc·1 1:mrked on pap~rs . At 1230 he
went to the Florence airport with General Lew:s to meet Mrs . Mc1Jair . He
returned to his headquarters for lunch with lVlrs . McNair and GenerHl Lewis ..
General Bolte called General C1Brk to tell him of tho death of Generel Gus
Braun, I1 sqistant Divisional Commander , 34th Infantry Division. GenerPl Braun
was shot down by enemy rmti-aircraft fjre while inspecting the front line in
an L-L:i., In thA even-~ng at 1930 the GenerP.l attended the West Point annual
dinner at the Hate 1 t~xcelsior , Ai'ter vhich he returned to his villa for the
rest of the evenim; .
1
*
*
*
FL0RENCE --r.i1ARCH 18 , 191+5--ri:ihe General arrived at hi.s rer,dquarters at 1030
hours . GAnera.l 1cCreery arriv9d at 1100 an0 conferred vr:ith the A my Group
Commander on future oper at:ions . At 1130 General Truscott arrived and thA
Generals all conferred togethP-r until 1230 . General Clark lunched ri.t h:i s
:beadquarters anr1 after 1 mch played r.solf with GenerR 1 Brann, then returned
to his villa .
�53
I
In a conference todny vi th Fifth Army and Eight 1 Army Commanders, t}-e
followino: dAcisions v,mr0 rePch,Jd:
nrt ~as dec:ided that the Fifth Army vmuld make the mA.in effort in the
forthcoming attack in April. General McCreery ~greed thPt it is impossible
for the lSth ftrmy Group to be strong in two places simultaneously.
General r"cCreery inf or med G-ener al Clarr: that the gighth Army ,..,ould
attPck with three divisions, all attackiYlg simultaneously to breA.ch the
SANTPER.l\JO . An additional di.vision ( the 78th D:tvision) w:i.11 be in the corps
reserve and ~iv-ill rroceed to the ARGElITA gap, passing through the 8th
Ind-i_an Division.
GAneral Mccreery expects to do the spit operntfon east of VALLI d'.i
COMACCHIO on the night of March '30th. He cannot use crash boats but wi 11
use some LVT s. He will not drop the par10,chut:i st~ of the 2nd Fa.rachute Bri gR.de
in the BASTIA br-1dge area. He will set up the 5r)th Di vision or re.rt thereof
with a view to its ma.king an amphibious operation combined w:ith a re,rachute
drop in the PORTO T·¼.GGIORE area. The determination of whether or not this
operation is to bA carr ·i ed out will be rode by &ereral Mc Creery in consultation with General c1:~.rk.
mhe 2nd Parachute Brigade wag e.ttr, ched to the Eighth Army on the di::i_y
of the conference, 18 r~arch . In the event this unit is not us0d in the
PORTO MAGG IORF, area, pl~ns viJ.l be rrade for its 1R ter usA elsGwhere.
General Mccreery expres "oed himself as being satisfied with his
relations with the Navy respectinC; plans for forthcoming operations.
0
General Mccreery understood that his attRck was to b9 I118.de first,
and understood thoroughly the cover plan, which is to the effect thRt
U. S . troops a.re to be employed in the PO valley to rei!'tf cr en the Eighth
Army. He preferred tb.r1t the cover plan indj crite th=i t the attack would be
made south of Route 9.
General McCreery rill ITIRke more and morA uso of the 13 Corps ..
Gt=meral Clrtr1 told General HcCreery that once a bridgehead over the
SA\lTER.110 has been established, a small LVI' · effort may be des:irable to
assist in the capture of the BASTIA br:Idr;e.
G~neral Mccreery
bt:1 the main ob.jective
until the ~ighth Army
d~rected on FRRRARA a
understood that Generf-11 Cl.ark desired that FERRARA
of the •ighth Army att;.,ck, but cannot become so
opens up thA ARGENrA g:::ip. Once the main effort ~-s
strong secondary effort r1ill be continued on BUDRIO .
In the Fifth Army the main attack w:i 11 be rm.de with the II Corps,
with the 3li-th Division attacking Hill 407 with one combat team, the 91st
Division attacking rrr . ADO'Tg wHh two regirrents, the 8 ,°ith Division attacking
Mr . RUl'UCI wHh one RCT, ancl the 6th South Afr:i can Armored Divisi.on
attacking L . SOLE. On the left the IV Corps will i11cL1de the 10th
Mount ain and 1st Armored Divis1.ons, the Brazi Hans holding the left flank
and t:vo colored regiments bAini:s in the area. The att,-,ck of the IV Corp~
will probPbly "he launched 48 hours before the II Corps attack begins .
�54
Fift h Army D-Da.y will probably be the third or f ourth dn.y After
Ej ghth fl_rmy D- Day. General CJ.Ark ,~oulrl yr efer to hP ve th A Fifth Army
· attack on D plus 4 of the r.::ighth Army if ocndJtions are suita.ble ..
The employment later of the 85th Division V[ill be dictE ted by conThe 92nd Division , as reconstituted , will jump off
on D minus 5 for the 15th Army Group in an a t tack on MASSA.
ditions at the time.
Both Army Commanders had mcpressed thP-mselves as being sat:1sf:i..ed
concernjng air cooperation .
It was agreed that attacks may be postponed on '?!+ hours ' n.otice . n_
*
*
*
FLORENCE- -MARCH 19 , 1945 --General Clnr1< arrived Pt his headquarters at
1000 . He spent the morning working on B.ccurmilated rapers and conferring
w~ th members of his stP.ff. After lunch he returned to his villa for the
aften1oon and evening .
FL0RKJCE--TV'i.RCH 20 , 1945 --Genera Cle.rk arrived at his hendquarters Pt
. 0900 hours .
•1a,jor General CursAtjee of the Indian ~.lfed ·i cal S9rvice called
on Genera.l Clark . At 1130 the Gene,,.Rl had his picture tHken with General
Gannon by Miss Toni Fris3ell, lBarling AITBricPn woman photogrnpher. At
1230 General .Tye , Vice ChiPf of ImperiPl Staff, War Office, arrived ..
Gener~l Cfark briefed him in his /far Room ,. fter 1hich he entertained him
for lunch. Brigadiers Hirsch and nckarr were also nrAsent for lunch.
• GenerPl tTye left directly After lunch . At H.15 I 'Iajor Q9ner~.1 Birks , RAC ,
AFHQ , came to call on Gener al Clark and conferred f"or half an hour. The
General left for his villa and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening
there .
1
General ClRrk todpy receive<i the following nemorandurn from Rome
Area Allied Command:
HThe followi ng infornw.tion
your GSI(b):
j
s submitted pursuant to a request from
1. Since NovAmber, 1941.1,, a group of persons in ROME had been under
investif.;ation because of tbeir avowed intention to ke ep alive the Fascist
Fart;r jn Liberated It::,ly. 'rhey planned to ac8omplish this by T.'.B1=lns of
periodic meetings , recrui tinf.; ne v rre mber , publish-i ng clandestine leaf le ts
a.nd newspapers , and finally by orgPnizing :md arming nr-1.ction squnds" :.rM ch
would bG ready to create disturbmces or ex9cute whatever orders vrnre
given them .
2 . The number of " Action squa.dsn really in existence is not known ,
but one has been discovered and all members of it are now under arrest .
"rhis group ·ms responsible about ;:?? January 1945 for the rnurder of an
individual in SIEl\JA. cihortly thereafter certr-i in membei"S of tb8 group were
arrested by CC . RR and are no·,'? held A.t Reaina Coel:i ,fail in ROME .
�55
}
On 24 Feb 45 an explosion , thought to be sabotage , occurred on an
on pipe - line in ROME . The follrn.ving day an informant who hAd penetrated
the group, rAportP.d to our CIC 0etRchment tb~ t th('.~ grour had a ~~clared th0.msr-;lves
responsible for the explosion nnd wern enthusiastic about their succes"'.
'rhe informant further stRted thn.t rembers of the group declared their :intention to 11 kill General Clark when he comes to ROME on 1 Mr-i.rch" .
Yonr headquarterq was notified on 26 Feb 45 by telegram' of this threat .
Meanwhile, instructions rere g,v rm by th:i s headquarters that all rerw in:i ng
members of this group were to be arrested as soon As located . Action was
taken with the result that all merbers of the group were under arrest And
i n prison on 5 Parch .
3. Plans had also be0n TTB.de for the arrest of the principal figures
of the clandestine Fasc5 st Party. This acM on was taken on 8 March, 28
arrests being Affected .
Invest5 gat d..on still continues ano the case rm :v not yet be considered
coriplete . However, these points TIFY be stated :
a . No AVidence j s on hadn to indicate t!-F t the main Fasci.st group
gave orc1ers to ma'l;;:8 an Pttemnt on the life of General Clark . rrhe threat
appears to rnve originate,1 within th9 riction squad jts~lf. As stnted before,
this squad is "1oW entirely ~ccounted for ann in prison.
b . No 9Vidence is on hand to verify tl1e existenc,3 of other action
squads working for the clandestine Fascist Group . If there Are nore squads
in existence the7 hAve done nothing ovArt .
c . As a result of the recent arrests , all persons in ROME of
Fascist background are extremely uneasy about their future t=ind appear
eager to avoid any Ftet5.ons wh~ ch would brjng them to the notice of the
Allied security author·ties .
/+.
The tbreat upon the life of General Clark has had no publicity
whatsoBver and ::is knmm only to a few mef'lbers of this headqurirters .
*
*
FL(1-qEJCE-- MARCH 21 , 1945--Generrtl CJ.ark , accompvnied by Br~ gadier FPckard ,
left Florence by roarl at abo1J.t 0715 hours . He reached Forli At 0945 where
he was rnt by an of:ricer from the ls t Polish LAncers. From there he drove ,
preceded by the officer guide , in an armored cA,r , pennants flying, to Faenza
whj ch he reached 2.t 1000 hours .
Here there was a srna 11 ceremony. Gener2l
Anders was presenting dr-~corations to officers anr' men of the 2nd rolish
Armored Brigade at the comm;:inr post of t 1e 1st Polish Lancers. The ceremony
fllas in the courtyard of a small CAstlP. in FP.enza . The bimd and honor guard
were drawn up ac1nr; t . e decorn,es anr! sp s ctators were dram up on the other
two sides of the s quare. Grmerr>l CJr rk was received by General Anders and
was an interest d spectator of ·she cerenony. After vards the troops taking
part marched past General c1, rk anrl the decorees . ri7he ceremony was followed
by a Ahart rPception and luncheon in
neigh rinF; hotel tA.ken over for the
occasion . General ClPrk met Genernl Bohusz- Szyszko who was tr>king over
�5G
command of the Polish Corps from GenerPl Anders, ,rener~J. Duch , Com.m?nding
Jrn Ca.rpnthian Division, Genernl Snlik , Commandjn~ 5th KresoV'P Division,
and manv other Polish officers . Dvr ing thr; r0ception Generr-i l A Y1ders pro moted a•· ;vo1mri; tc"P1k_ front gunner from the Armored "8 rigade to th8 rnnk of
lr-mce corpornl. This ooy, vho h?d enlisted und .,r a fnlsA age r1hen he WP s
onl;,r 16, w~.s the sole mrrvivini:,; membAr of the ere r of a tPnk knocked out
by a German gun and he had k~ llBd some tvrnlve Qqrrn.n infrmtrymen for wh ~ch_
exploj t he he 0 been decorated.. (},:meral C]p rk made a short sr1eech ancl
GGnerPl Anders repl:ied . After lunch GenerP.l ClRrk, Gener 1 J\nders Pnd other
officers droV9 to the headq1i;=irters of the 1st c~.rpnthi1v1 Brigade . Generril
ClBrk discussed thP- local ta~tical si tnation ri th tho Brigade comrnP :nder ..
He then drove to the 1st battalion of the same bri gr1de wherB the troops
were dravm up in his hoYJ.or in a small f orrr:e tion. A ye unq; Fol~. . sh 1P nee
corporal WHS called out from format.;on and :introduced to Generril Clark . He
h· d a few da.ys efore faken r2rt in an offensive rntrol ana hnd yersonall;-r
a.ccoimted for '-,0me f01-ir or five G9rrnrm:'. Gene.r[-11 Clr_rk decided on thP✓ spot
to awar' th: s 1.R.nce corporal tho Arre ricPn Bronze JtPr. From there he drove
to the comm~nd post of the 5th Wilenska Brigade , p-:irt of the Sth KresovP
Division . From -shere he r1 rove to the hePdquarters of the D-ivisj on 17here he
took tea with Generr-tl Anders , ,orps Cor11ITJP.nder, GenerRl Sulik , Division2.l
CommRnder , an,1 other senior officers of the Corps . Al so present at the tea ·
party vere rrember s of the An~lo- P ol i sh Ballet , who under the spon s brship of
E2'JSA werr3 playing to the Polish Corps Rt this t.! me . Genernl Clark pa.:i c a
short visit at the Army Group Polish Artille ry ano. drove to Forlj airfield .
He to0k off in his ovrn pb.ne at 1515 and arr:ived back at his command p os t
at 1600 .
(
J
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FLORENCE-- itA.RCH 22, 1945--General CJE.rk with General Gruenther left at
0845 hours by B-25 for CasertA to attend the Supreme Allied Comma,nder 1 s
conference. Following are the mintrte s of this conference:
ttAllied officers attending the conference were Field Marshal
Alexander, Lt . General Mc!farney, Vice Admiral Hamilton, Lt. General Eaker,
Rear Admiral Lewls, Air Marshal Garrod, Lt. General Clark, Lt. General
Morgan, Brig. General .~agruder, Honorable Alexander Kirk, Rt. Honorable
H. Macmillan, Rear Admiral Stone , Colonel Smith, Major General Noce,
Brig . GenerBl Spofford, Rear Admiral Packer, rJfajor Gener,·:11 Gruenther,
Brig. GenerRl 1:berle, Brig. General Cabell, Brigadier Nicholson, Mr. Offie,
Colonel Hobson, Mr. Barnes, Brj gad .".er Jeffries and Colonel _Bastion.
1.
--
]ID!UTES OF PR"EVIOUS MEETI ~ G
(SAC (P) (4$) 3rd Meeting)
THE CONFERENCE approved the minutes of their meeting held on
15th lm-9h 1945.
2.
JUGOSLAV ORGANIZA'!.'Io ,rs AI'ID MISSIONS IN I ALY
(previous reference SAC (P)
(4~) 3rd
Meet ing, Minute 3)
I
�51
(
"MR. MACMILLAN, referring to the Supreme Allied Comm:mder' s invitation
to the British Resj_dent ·1inister an0 U.S. Political Adviser to obtain the
formal approval of the new Jugosla.v governement to the closure of the Royalist
Missions in ROME, NAPL-~S a.,.~d BARI, reported that re had forwarded a communication on this roo tter to the Br i tish Ambasiador · to the Jugosla.v government; no
action had, however, been taken to raise with the ,Jugoslt:lV government the
questions of the disposition of the Jugoslav · personnel of these mis•3ions or
the enlistment of Jugoslavs in Allied Porces. He was of the opinion that this
matter shouu.d be tak"m up jointly by t..½e British and United States Ambassadors
to JTJGOSLAVIA after the latter had assuned office.
MR. OFFlE stated that no diploma.tic action j n · rega rd to the closure of
the missj_ons had ,et been ta.ken by the United States. The matter would,
however, be raised whe n the Un:ited States Ambassacfor had arrived in BELGRADE.
He agreed with rtr. Macmillan's proposal :i.n reg,:ird to the question of the
disposition of Jugoslav personnel.
THE SUPREME AU,IED COMMANDER:
3.
(a)
Directed that the reference to the disposition of the
Jugoslav personnel, oontained in Minute 3(a) of SAC (P) (45)
3rd Meeting, be regarded as cancelled.
(b)
Invi ted the British Res 5d ent ~inister and the U. S. Political
Ad,,iser to arrange for joint representa tions to be W1de to
the Jugoslav government, ·n accordance with Mr. Jiacmillan 1 s
proposal at 'X' above, when the United States Ambassanor to
JUGOSLAVIA had arrived in BELGF.ADE.
LOCAL GERflIAN STTRRENDER
IJLIT.!1!
(Paper No. SAG (P) (4t;) 'i5 and Addendum)
THE CONFEIDJNCE had before them a rev1.sed drR.ft djrecti ve to
Commanding General, 15th Army Group, Commander-in-Ch~e f, F,edi terranean, and
Air Comm~..nder-111-Chief, Mediterranean, giving the t· .Rks of the land, sea and
air forc e s in the event of local German surrender in ITALY a.nd attHching
drafts of the instrument of local surrender arrl initial orders to be -~ssued,
in accordance with it, to enemy land, naval and air forces.
THE OONFERENCE, in discussion, agreed tha.t detailed amendments as
set forth in:.Appendix I A' should be made to the draft documents circulated
under paper To. SAC (P) (45) 15.
VICE AmITRAL HA.MILTON requested that final approval to the Naval
Appendix should be deferred unti 1 it harl been examined by the Commander-inChi ef, Medi terranean, ho was returning from LONTX)N on 22nd March.
MR. MACM[LLAN, referring to the Supre:rre Allied CommFmder 1 s right
under the draft instrument of surrender to refra:i.n from accorc1ing to disar:rred
German personnel the privilege of prisoner of war status, suggested that an
examination should be rr:Rde a~ to the status of Italian r,ersonnel of the
l~a.scist divisions who may be expected to surrender at the same time. He b ~~lieved there was in existence an instruction from the Combined Chiefs of
�53
Staff that such personnel should be +,reated as prisoners of war.
(
REAR ADMIRAL STONE confirred that it· ·had been directed that
captured personnel of Italian Fa s cist divisions should be treated as
prisoners of war and considered tba t if any var:ta. tions from this instruction
were to be mde, the natter should be referred to the Combined Chiefs of Staff.
LIEUTENANT GENE,1lAL McNAl'lNEY believed that these Italian rersonnel
should be treated in a mnner precisRly s imilar to Germans who surrendered
at the same time.
BRIGADIER NICHOLSON cons1.dered that the instruoM.on from the
Combined Chiefs of Staff was only intended_ to cover Italian r,ersonllel cartur-ed
during normal combat under present conditions. He presumed that in the e vent
of' local surrender there would not be any objection to treating such Italians
similarly to surrendered Germans .
MR. OFFIE said that . the dispositi on of Fascist and Nazi surrendered
personnel, {including prisoner s of war) after the termination of hostilities,
was now under discuss1- on by the E)Eopean Advisory Council in LONDON.
THE .SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER:
Directed the Chief of' Staff:
(a) To redraft the directive, draft instrument of surrender,
an:1 initial orders to enemy land, naval and air forces,
circulated urder paper No. SAC (p) (45) 15 a11d to submit
the revised drafts for his approval.
(b) To appoint a suitable committee, to ·e xami.ne the status,
to be accorded in the event of local enemy s,~render in
ITALY, to 1_:ersonnel of the Italian Fascist divisions and
to repo~t to him in regard to the policy which should be
adopted and the connnunications, if any, vfuich should be
made on this subject to the Itiuian government and to the
Combined Chiefs of Staff.
·
4.
JUGOSLAV NATrONALS IN _ITALY
(Paper No. SAC (P) (45) 17)
THE CONFERENCE had before them a revised pa.per setting out policy
to be adopted in connection with Jugoslav claims to jurisdiction of the:i.r
nationals in ITALY, together with a draft letter to Headquarters Allied
Comtnission, giving directions on the communication to be a.ddress;d to the
dele~ate to JUGOSLAVIA on the Advisory Cou~cil, concerning the sta.tus of such
Jugoslav nationals in ITALY.
BRIGADIER GENERAL SPOFFORD said that a previous letter , approved .
by the Supreme Al lied Comma.nder, had not been forwarded by the Allied Commies.i on
to the Jugosla.v delegate, as it had been forestalled by a note from the J.a.tter
setting out certain claims in regard to Jugoslav nationals. The letter
circulated under paper No . SAC (P) (45) 17 was designed to cover the pro cedure
�r
to be foll.owed in connection w:i th the apprehension ,of deserters from Jugosle.v
units, and to set out the Allied policy in conw~ction i.-vith th8 treatment of
Jugoslav nationals. In regard to alleged deserters the proc'.~ dure suggested
fol lmved that which was informally- in operation as between Allied forces but
added two safeguards, by requ: ring notification ·of the alleged desertion within
ninety days and a sta.teoont of the date of' enlistment of the person concerned.
The object of these provisions was to µ:-otect Jugoslav nationals whom the
Jugoslav partisan elements might seek to have declared deserters on political
grounds.
REAR ADMIRAL STONE considered that paragraph 3 of the draft letter
should be amended, as the Allied Commission could not, of itself, take the
action suggested. He agreed w·"th Mr. MRcmillan that the wording nprior to
initiating any action towards the apprehension of deserters you will require
the competent Jugoslav authority to s~cure in writing the following particulars", would be suitable.
LIEUmENANT GENERAL EAKER, referring to his statement at the ."'
previous meeting concerning Jugoslav nationals now sGrving with the United
States Army Air Forces, suggested that paragraph 6 should be re-worded to
read, "that the Jugoslav nationals who a.re now serving in or with the
Allied forces will not be classified as deserters and are not subject to
· call-upn.
THE SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER:
(
Directed the Chief of Staff to revise the letter circulated
under par:er No . SAC (P) (45) 17, in accordance with the above
discussion a.~d subsequently to despatch it as amended.
5. PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE ACTIVITIES DIRECTED TOWARDS THE BALKANS
(Paper No. SAC (P) (45) 16)
THE CONFERENCE had before th em a paper setting out the need for
the reorganization of Psychological Warfare .activities directed towards the
Balkans a.nd requestin~ the approval of the Supreme Allied Comm-:i.nder to the
arrang,e ments which had been rmde and to the despatch of a cable to the
Combined Chi efs of Staff, informing · them of the reorganization and requesting
that they should make such representations to the British and United States
governments as might be necessary t~ ensure that this policy be carried out.
MR. KIRK said that the cable should be re-worded so as to describe
the functions of the separate British and United States organizations as
being the prov·sion of inf.ormtion rather than the dissemination of propaganda.
THE SUPREiE ALLIED COMMANDER:
Directed the Chief of Staff to revise the cable circulated under
Paper To. SAC (P) (45) 16, in accordance with Mr. Ki.rk' s remarks
and subsequently to despatch it.
�6.
CURRENCY RESPONSIBILITIES OF 'IRE ITALIAN GOVER~
(Paper No. SAC (P) (45) 6 a:nd Addendum)
THE CONFERENCE had before them a paper suggesting that though the
ItRlians n())V recognized their responsibilities for Allied Military currency,
the matter was one which must be discussed at governmental level and the
Supreme AlHed Commander should refrain from further comment. The paper
att~ched a draft cable to the Combined Chiefs of Staff giving effect to these
recommendations.
THE SUPREME ALLIED cm11MANl}ffi. :
Approved the draft cable circulated under SAC (P) (45) 9
Addendum and instructed the Chief of Staff to despatch it."
After lunch, ield Marsh~l Alexa.mer conferred with Generals Clark,
Gruenther, Morgan and Airay i:h the G-2 War Room. After the conference,
General Clark was net by Mr. Offie, Political Adviser to AFHQ, who drove
with him to the airport. The General took of from Caserta at 1430 hours,
arriving at his headquarters at 1645. He dined at his headquarters with
regular members of his mess and after dinner returned to his villa for the
night.
1
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FLORENCE--MA.RCH 23, 1945--Gereral Clark arrived at his office at 1000 hours.
At 1030 Major General Ullman, Deputy Engineer in Chief, ~ar Office, with
General Coxwell-Rogers , Engineer 15th Army Group, ca.lled on the General. At
1045 Mr. Tighe, Head of Reuters Bureau in Italy, called for an interview with
General Clark. At 1100 hours Pat Frank of the Overseas News Agency called to
see General Clark with regard to the Jewish Brigade. At 1130 Mary Ha.stings
Bradley of Collier• s M&,gazine who is here in Ifa.ly to 'VITrite a story on WACS
in the Italian theater called for a short interview with General Clark. At
1230 General Kuo who he ads the Chinese Military Mission to Moscow arrived to
s ee General Clark. The General oriented him on the s ituation in Ita ly. At
1300 hours General Anders, C-in-C Polish Armed Forces, who had just returned
from London, a.rrived ·with Brigadier Frith, British Liaison Officer with the
Polish Corps, and they were guests of General CJ.ark with Generfl l Kuo for
lunch. Before lunch, General Clark de corated L/C vVaclaw Ryszewski with the
Bronze Star. Immediately after lunch the General returned to his villa for )
the afternoon and evening. Genera l Gruenther left today for the United
Kingdom on a mission for General Clark.
----- -
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FLORENCE--MARCH 24, 1945--The Army Group ConmR rrl er arrived a t hi s office a t 1030
hours and conferr ~d with General Bra nn and Brigadier H:ir s ch. At 1230 Genera l
Clark entertained Ars. CJ.B.re Boothe Luce, Lt. Genera l Hartkesworth, Comma nd ing
10 British Corps, Colone l Blanchfi eld, Chief Nurse V-fri.r Department, ajor
Wharton, Head Nurse Fifth Army, Miss Theron, daughter of Gener 1 Theron, Chief
Administra t i ve Officer with the South Africr-m Forces in Italy, and Lieutemmt
Heyl, Acting A. D.C. to Mr s . Luce, for lunch. Directly a fter lunch the Gener~l
left for his v i lla for the a fterno on a n...:iu even·
,
ing.
�61
Operations instruction
#4 was is sued today and re~ds as follows :
1. The offensive directed by this operations instruction should result
in a major disaster to the enemy, and consequently have an important effect
on the prompt ter mination of hostilities . If fully successful, it should be
of so crushini:t. and thorough a nature th:"Jt i t will be the JE st coordinated
offensive against German forces which the 15th Army Group will make. The
attent ·on of all ranks within the 15th Army Group should be ca.lled to the
unprecedented opportunities which are provided a.t this t ·.me for dealing a
mortal blow to the enemy and acceleratjng the day of victory. It is of vitril
import nee thP t each indi vjdna.l who contributes to the offensive shall devote
fully his energy and abilities to dr:iv:ing the a:ttn ck home to the enemy \vherever
he ma y be found , so that the m xJmum number of Germ1:m troops will be destroyed
or captured . To this end it is directed that all cornManders use every effective
means to acquaint thoroughly the troops under their command with the opportunities that lie before them a.t this tirre, and that leadership be active
throughout the operations to exploit fully every phase of the situation as it
develops .
2 . a . 15th Army Group will launch an all out attack 10 April 1945 to
destroy maximum number enemy forces South of the PO, for ce cros s ings of the
PO River a.nd capture VERONA .
(Note: 15th Army Group D Day v'lill be the day
on which Eighth P..rmy launches its attack to cross the SENIO River ).
b.
15th Army Group' s . operation will be divided into phases as
follows:
(1)
(
(2)
(3)
a.
Phase I - The breaching of the SANTERNO River by Eighth
Army a nd the debouchment of Fifth Army into the PO Valley•
to include the capture or the i solation of the City of
'
BOLOGNA .
Fhase II - The breaktbrough by either or both Armies to
encircle German forces South of the PO R1ver .
Phase III- The cros s ing of the PO Riw~r a.nd t he capture
of VERONA .
Eighth Army will :
(1)
Breach the SENIO and SAN.PERNO Rivers.
(2)
Attack immediately after a bridgehead is established
over the SM-r:!:ERNO:
(3)
(a)
In the direction of BASTIA.
(b)
In the direction of BUDRIO .
If the situation 1s favorable, launch an amphibious
operation , combined with a rarachute drop , to assist the
ground forces to break through the ARGENl'A Gap. (Note:
Depending upon the s uccess of operations to secnre the
ARGENTA Gap , the CommRndfag Gen j'.:> ral, 15th Ji nny Group, j n
�consultation with Gene...,al Officer Cornrranding, Eighth
Army, w j 11 rnake the decision that an attack on FERRARA
is to be +11e main attP.ck of Eighth Army with a second ry
attack on BUDRIO).
(
b.
Fifth Army will:
(1)
Launch the ma.in effort of 15th /i_ rmy Group and attack wj th
the mission of debouching into the PO Valley with a secondary
mission of capt1Jring or isolating the City of BOLCGNA. Fifth
Army will be prepared to launch the first phase of :tts main
attack on 24 hours notice after Df-2 .
(2)
Launch a preliminary attack to capture MASSA (P 9101) on
D - 5. Be prepared on capture of MASSA to exploi t toward
LA SPEZIA .
c . Priority for air support will be given initially to Eighth Army.
When Fifth .Army' s main attack is launched , priority for air will be given to
that attack. Air plans for support of these operations wjll be issued by MAT.AF .
d.
Jotification of postponement of Eighth Army1 s D Day attack , due
to unfavorable weather, will be given by this Headquarters 24 hours in advance
of H Hour .
e.
Inter -Army boundary:
fo change .
4 . Phase II .
a.
b.
Eighth Army w· 11 :
(1)
Prevent enemy forces escaping Northwards by siezing and
holdi ng key road centers whfoh dominate the main crossing
areas at FERRARA and BONDENO .
(2)
Make earliest p ossible contact with exploiting columns of
Fifth Army in the BONDENO - FEF.RARA area .
(3)
Send strong mobile columns of armor and infantry for this
purpose directed on FERRARA and BONDENO , with intermediate
objectives PORTO!f'.AGGICRE (M 2669) and S . NICOLO FERRARESE
(M 1871) , by way of the ARGENTA Gap.
Fifth Army will :
(1)
Explojt with armor and infantry in the corridor between
the RENO and PANARO Rivers, with a view to joining Eighth
Army a.t the earliest poss 5. ble time in the BONDENO or
FERRARA area, thereby completing the encirclement of enemy
forces South of the PO River .
(2)
Seize S. GIOVAtTIJI (L 7765) . Thence direct the rrnin effort
on CEtf'10 (L 8574) - S. AGOSTINO (L 9381) - BONDK'1'0, denying
to the enemy cross ::i.ngs of the RENO River .
�(3)
Launch a seconda.r:r effort Narthwest from the S. GIOVANNI
a.rea to seize crossings of the PANARO River near BOMPORTO
and COMPOSANTO, thence to turn Northward in the corridor
between the PANARO and SECCHIA River, movi.n g on OSTIGLIA .
c . Inter-Army botmdary: Present boundary thence CASTENASO (L 9949)
CASTEL :MAGGIORE (9057) - ARGELATO (8964) - CASTELLO D' ARGILE (8669) - CENTO
(8574) all inclusive to Eighth Army, thence exclusive to Eighth Army FINALE
(8685) - CE ·JESF.IJJI (F q205) .
5.
Phase III .
a . It is vitally important that both Armies be prepared to seize any
opportunity to capture existing bridging and ferrying equipment useful in a
crossi ng of the PO River. It is probable that sueh opportunities may occur
du.r:ing Phase II operatj_ons . In the event that ~my means of crossing a.re
secured by force of either Army, every effor t will be rrade to establish a
bridgehead over the river and to initiate the move through this bridgehead
of all ava.ilable forces for exploitation on VERONA .
f
b . If , upon reaching the FO River , suitable Irea.ns of crossing a r e
avai l able , reconnaissance of crossing · r-dtes will be begun arrl bridging
equj_pment moved up a s rapidly as possible .
~
c . In the event that bridging equipment must be brought forward
and crossings over the Po River made age.inst enemy opposit1.on , additional
instructions will be issued covering these operations .
d . OperaMons Instruction Number J , this Headqm.r t ers, dated
12 February 1945, states trm.t as our a ttack progresses toward VERONA , and
when enemy resistance in Northwest Italy bas lessened to a degree permitting ,
IV U. S. Corps will be detached from Fifth Anny far independent operations in
Northwest Italy. The instructions in Orer at i ons Instruction Number 3 remain
current but are in no way intended to i nterfere with the employment of rv
Corps in the main battle .
e . Separ ate instr uctions covering the occupation of Jorthwest
Italy will be issued shortly.
f.
6.
Inter- Army boundary:
La.ter .
Naval Supper t :
a . The following measures a.re being taken by Ro~ 1 Navy to assist
15th 'lrmy Group's offensive:
(1)
(
I•
On East coast:
(a)
Prio1· to D Day, naval a.ctivj t y designed to sj_mulate
the preparation of an amphibious operation in the arel1
of PORTO GARIBALDI .
(b)
At a date to be selected by Eighth Army after D Day,
a demonstration be landing craft and light supporting
�units off PORTO GARIBALDI to support the cover plan.
A sim.11 Commando will also be landed North of PORTO
GARIBALDI if practicable .
(
(2)
On West coast:
Naval bombardment in support of Fifth Army's attack along
West coast. A demonstration by light naval craft off
CHI.AV.ARI to simulate a landing at a time to be selected by
15th Army Group.
b.
Plans for Royal Pavy operations will be issued separately.
7. Present enemy strength and probable reaction to this operation
issue separately.
*
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FLORENCE--MARCH 25, 1945--The General spent the entire day at his villa.
*
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FLORENCE--MARCH 26,-.. 1945--General Clark arri.ved at his heAdquarters at
1030 hours. At 1230 Mr . Edward Flynn, former President of the Democrntic
Party, called to see the General. Mr. Flynn had just returned from Moscow
as Preside:ht Roosevelt 1 s personal representative on a special mission. After
a short orientation in the Commanding General's War Room, General Clark
enterbdned Mr . Flynn far lunch.
~ ~~- 0 ~
~Al"
,
,_;1~y- ().
-6,-v'
~
General Clark today received the following rre ssage from Generrtl
Gruenther on a mission to the United Kingdom:
RR 16880. "Arrived London 1030 after hectj_c trip due to foul weather .
GIG., will not return until Tuesday. He advised his office today that he
personally will deal with conference. His subordinates believe we have
excellent chance for favorable decision especially in vie , of sympathetic
Eisenhower attitude. However, Churchill, Brooke and Monty have been together
for past t wo days and that may prove disadvan~e .. Inform Alexander .n
*
*
FLORENCE--MARCH 27, 1945--Tb.e General arrived at his office at 100 hom. . s.
At 1130 Admiral Cun..ningham, C-in-C Mediterranean , with Admir~tl Morse, Flag
Officer Western Italy, Captain Besant, RNLO 15th Army Group, Rnd Commander
Adair, Admiral Cunningham's operati ons officer, arrived a.nd conferred with
General Clc"J.rk in his War Room for an hour. General ClEirk them entertained
AdmirPl Cunningham, Admiral Morse , Captain Besant, Commander Adair , «reneral
Rrann and Brigadier Packard for lunch. After lunch the GenerHl drove to
his villa, returning to Ms headquarters at 1600 hours. Me.jor General Poole,
G.O.C. 6th South .frican Armored Division, who hB.d just returned from a short
leave in South Afrj ca, called to see General Clark. He brought with him a
springbok head, a gift from Field Marshal Smuts to General Clark. Generel
Poole also brought General Cfark a CP.Se of excellent South African wines and
liqueur. General Poole left the headquarters at 1630. At 1645 Mr . Flynn
�who had just returned from a trip to the Fifth P.rmy front it.h Colonel
Grogan, . Public Relations Officer , 15th Army Group, carre to say goodb~e to
General Clark before leaving for tre United States . GenerBl Clark d ned
in his mess at the headquarters. ImmediP..tely after dinner he returned to
his villa. for the night.
*
*
*
FLORENCE--MARCH 28, 1945--General Clark arrived at his readquarters at 1030
hours and spent the morning oonferring with rrembers of his staff and vorking
on p:i.pers in his office. He lunched at the headquArters and at 1500 left for
his villa for the afternoon and evening.
General Clark today sent thB following message to General Eisenhower
for General Gruenther:
RN SGS212 . ttYou do not need to stop at Cri serta but should come directly
to Florence. If i' icholson not with you, you should go directly to Caserta,
otherwise he will proceed to Caserta after leaving you at Florence ."
*
*
FLORENCE--lVIARCH 29, 1945--Generc. l Clark left Florence by a:ir at 1045 hours
e.ccompanied b~ General Truscott, General Coxwell-Rogers, Engineer 15th Army
Group, General Brann, G-3 15th Army Group, and Colonel Miller of th e G-3
Section 15th Army Group. The party arrived at Cervia ajrfield on the Adriatic
coast at 1145. It was met by GenerFil McCreary, 8th Army Commarrler, and
Brigadier Floyd, his Chief of Staff. The party drove to Castiglione de Cervia
where there was bej_ng held a demonstrat ·on by "Bn Assault Br:i.ga.de. This
Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Cln.rke, was a mixture of Royal Armored Corps
and Ro~l Engineers, both highly specialized in armored as f:ault work. The
demonstration consisted of five items .
.I
1 . An AVRE drove to the edge of an anti-tank ditch and rolled a la.rge
fascine into the ditch. An Ark then drove across the fascin0 and positioned
itself in a second ditch. Sew~ral tanks then drove across, using the fascine
and Ark as bridges.
2. ''Crocodile" flame thrower tanks carried out attacks on a series of
imaginary enemy positions. This was a most impressiv sight • . The flame
thrower was in the place where normally the front hull gun would be and the
fuel was suppl· ed from a small trailer towed behind the tank. The tanks
threw jets of flame with oonsidera.ble ace iracy up to about 150 yards. This
type of flame thrower used very heavy oil which ga.ve the flame a greater
distance and a l so the ability to penetrate into hollovr ditches, slit trenches,
etc . During this attack we also sav, an extremely effective smoke screen la.id
dovm by two close support tanks.
3. An already constructed Bailey bridge, 170 feet long, was pu"'hed forward
by an AVRE and positioned over a.n 80 foot ga.p. A Churchill and a Sherman then
drove a cross the bridge. During the whole demonstration nobody w11s exposed outside
his armored vehicle for more than about half a minute .
�4. Two AVRES drove up to a filood bank and dropped ~- consjderable
number of nbeeMve" charges. These were then placed against the flood bank
by hand in three frames . They were fused together and the fus e lighted .
The men concerned got into their AVRES and drove out of ra.nge . There were
some twenty charges and tre combined effect placed a considerable ~B-~ in the
flood bank. Meanwhile, anothAr AVRE achi eved the same effect by firing eight
petards against another par t,j on of the flood bank . These petards weigh about
forty pounds each and can be proje_c ted with accuracy up to approximately 100
yards . One of these breaches was then slightly smoothed out by an armored
Sherman . dozer and another AVRE plac ed a small box girder bridge across a ditch
on the far side of the breach. An Ark went through the breach and over the box
girder brjdge and pos i tioned itself jn yet another a.nti - tank obstacle. Tanks
were then able to cross the whole series of obstacles without d i fficulty , a
total distance of soDE 50 feet involving two banks and two anti - tank ditches .
Apart from the original men who had placed the charges, nobody was for one
moment exposed outside an armored vehicle .
5. The party watched three flail t~nks mrkinR in echelon clearing a
24- foot ga.r through a mine field of teller mines and wooden box mines . These
tanks were of the nerab" type which had been developed from the original
"Scorpiontt tan s first used at Alamein .
During the demonstration, Genere,l Mccreery entertained GenerRl C]Frk
and the other spectators at lunch in a marquee erected near the oemonstrRtion.
Among other senior officers present were Lt . General Charles Keightley,
commanding Fifth British Corps , and Najor General Bohusz- Szyszko, newly
appointed commander of the Polish Corps, Immediately after lunch General Clark
pinned the Legion of Merit , officPr degree, on Brigadier Stayner who wa.s at
the time DA & Qffl at 8th Army Headquarters and who had spent a considerable
period in the same capacity with Fifth Army. General Clark and pa.rty drove
to Cervia airfield and took off at 1445. Because of a thick cloud , the plane
had to go as high as 13, 500 feet over the mountains . General Cl~..rk arrived back
at t he eommand post at 1600 hours . GererP.l Gruenther returned today from the
Unitec Kingdom and France .
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FLORENCE--MARCH 30, 1945--Today General Clark received official vrord that) )
Congress had approved his promotion to full general. He arrived at his
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headquarters at 1015 hours . At 1230 Mljor General Bohusz- Szyszko, Polish
Corps Commander, Major General Odzierzynsky, Artillery Officer Polish Corps,
Lt. Colonel Karczmarek, GSO{l) Polish Corps , ann Brigadier Frith, British
Liaison Officer wjth Polish Corps, arrived for lunch . After lunch the
General returned to his villa for the afternoon and evening.
GenerRl Clark today received the follo ring cable confirmjng his
appointment as full general:
F 52153 .
"Mark Wayne Cla.rk , 05309, Li eutenant General to GenerPl
Date of rank 10 March 1945. For his
information temporary appointment ann01mced Par. l SO 76, War Department
29 March 1945. n
in the Army of the UnHed States .
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FLORENCE- -MA.RCH 31, 1945--General Clark arrived a~ his headquarters at O?JO
hom·s and at a small ceremony in front of his office General Gruenther pinned
four stars on the General. General Clark bad waited unti.l today to wear hi~
four stars as it is his ~on Rill' s birthday today. At 0950 General Clark wi ~h
Generals Cannon and Gruenther drove to a revriewing field near the Florence A.:lrport
to review the S~th Infantry Division. Upon their arrival at the parade grounds
they w~re met by Generals Truscott, ,Keyes ard Kendall. General Clar~ was ~"eeted
by four Ruffles and Flourishes and the General' s March . The Comnanding Officer
of troops, General Lewis , ordered the Division to parade rest . General Ke1;d~l~
then jntroduced General ClRrk who made the follordng address to too 8 ~th DiVJ.s1.on
troops:
"General Truscott General Kendall , officers and men of the 88th Division .
It v;as a.bout a year ag~ - just about a y, ar ago that I ha.d the privilege of standing
in front of this Division and welcom:ing you to Italy. I predicted a.t that time
that you would cover yourselves with glory, as you have done. You were commanded
by Genera.l Sloan , and a magnificent leader has trained you for btttle . When General
Sloan introduced me to tlY-. 88th Division on that day he said, "I take pride in
·ntroducing your Army Commander, General Clark, because I was his instructor at
a tactical school and I taught him all the Jessons of war correctly, so he is
boUt""ld to be a success . tt He put me on the spot at that time , becaum1 if we
failed I was a bum commander; if we succeeded re was a good instructor . We
succeeded, and you men did a magnificent job and co·vered yourselves with glory.
You could not have done otherwise the way you were traine d and with the great
leadership you md and the fighting spirit which you rad develoyed .
ovi since that time you have gone through many battles. You fought hard
and joined up with Gener~l Truscott• s VI Corps in the Anzio Bridgehead, and then
together with General Truscott ' s VI Corps and General Keyes ' II Corps , with
_your Division leading as a spearhead , you took the Eternal City of Rome . And
you kept on going for hundreds of miles to the north , broke the Gothic Line ,
captiEed Mt . Grande am are now ready for further effort. You a.nd. the other
magnificent Allied troops of tre Eighth And Fifth Armies have defeated a.nd kept
dovm here and chewed up over twent y- f i ve of tre best German divisions in the
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German army. Suppose those Germans were now opposing our troops in the West ~
Suppose they were in the East opposing the Rus s ian Army t It would be a different
story. You have kept them here , and their home , Germany, is being invaded from
all sides . Their homes are being destroyed and their morale is at its lowest
ebb . What ' s better toward having a. great victory than that?
.
This is a settin g for a . tremendous victory for the Allied Armies in Italy; \
with good weather at hand, with the snow abo1~ off the mountains, with our
a.1:1mun:ition stock high, with our di visions rested and refitted, with trerrendous
air power at hand to support us . I have wi th rre today General Cannon , Commander
of al~ the ~ir forces in Ital!· He has assured me that all his fighter bombers,
all his medium bombers, all his heavy bombers will support us mignificcmtly
when we att ack ~ .
are fighting for a great victory . We will have that victory
o~ly if each d;v1s1on, each regiment, each battalion, each company and every
single man decides to do his part . You mve a job to do . It in only by the
overwhelming coordinatert effort of all- -both Armies arrl every company a.nd man
and division-- tha.t we will get this success which you men deserve more than any
other troops that I know of in the world .
W:
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So good luck to you . I hope tba.t the next time I see you it will be well
north of the Po River . Good luck and God bless every one of you . u
.
After the address General Clark with Generals Truscott, C~non and Ken~all
dismounted from the reviewing platform and inspected troops by Jeep, returni ng
to the grandsta.nd . General Clexk then decorated 1st Lt . Ralph Decker And 1st
Lt . Lindsey Wheeler , both of the 351st Infantry Regiment, with the Distinguished
Service Cross . After the decorations the Division passed in review . At the
completion of the ceremony, General Clark with Generals Trus~o·~t? Coulter ,
Cannon and Gruenther drove to the command post of the 88th D1.v1s1on wh.P-re
General Kendall entertained these senior officers at lunch. After lunch the
General returned to his headquarters . At 1515 hours General Clark saw· Chaplain
Anthony, the new 15th Army Group Chaplain . At 1530 the Army Group Comma.rrler
held an operational ~eting with Generf11 Truscott and General 1cCreery. Generals
Cannon, Chidlaw, Air Commodore Lees , with several other senior _staff Air Force
officers were present at the neeting . After the rreeting, at 1645, a cockt1-1.il
party was held for General Clark in his conference hut where a.11 chiefs of
sections and close personal friends of the General were present to celebrate
his promotion to General . At 1900 the Genera.l drove to his v·11a where he
entertained a few friends at dinner .
Following are the notes on conference conducted by General Clark :
naeneral Clark stated tha. t the purpose of the conference was to hear a
description by the Air Force representatives present of the air plan far the
impending operations. He then outlined br i efly tre plan of or,erations for the
Fifth and Eighth Armies, pointfog out that the primary objective of the 15th
Army Group attack, starting 9 April, will be to drive the Germans out of their
present positions and to des troy their forces south of the Po River . He
emphasized the point that the first stages of the Eighth Army offensive are
designed to open the door in the area of the ARGENTA gap for an attack toward
FERRARA .
He then invited GenerRl Cannon to conduct an explanation of the air plan.
Colonel Adams discussed in some detail the condition of enemy communications and the dt1.rnage thereto whj_ch has been· effected during the past two months
by our Air Force operations . He pointed out that as a result of the air program
during February an<l March the enemy has rever been able to conduct through- traffic
via the BRENNER PASS from BOLOGNA to INNSBRUCK, and that during this :r:eriod otlt'
air has effected continuous interdi ction along the river lines north of the
ADRIATIC . The frontier belt has been interdicted during all of March, with
some posit ions barred for a longer period . The extent of interruption of enemy
traffic is indicated by the slow rate of withdrawal recently of three German
divisions , of which one required three weeks , a second between three and four
weeks and the third four weeks .
Regarding the enemy' s a.ir capabilities, it was stated that re bas nothing
available in this theater to rorry us . He at pres8nt has approximately 160
German and Italian planes on north Italian bases , including 25 fighter - bombers
whose maximum effort should not exceed 15 sorties. Tmse a.re mostly Italian,
although two squadrons of German- manned ships were reported recently to have
arrived in the UDINE area .
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el Pottenger outlined the air plan 1.or
comrng
orera t·iono. It
is int~n~:d to employ the maximum possible air pcm er avaiJs.ble in the ti18ater,
with large - scale attt=i.cks on troop concentrations , e_ssernbly areas, dumps and
gun positions. All MAT.AF resources and strategic heavy bombers will be
considered available for these operations .
cl
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On D-Day the entire effort of the Desert Air Force will be appli:d to the
Eighth Army front , which will be aqsisted by the XXII TAC . Attacks will be .
made on headquarters and occupied gun positions. The bulk of heavy bombers will
attack a troop concentratfon area (APPLE ) between 1350 and 1520 hours . ?ther
heavy bomber gro, Jps will be used against gun position areas. The follow ng day
fighter - bombers will make attacks on gun positionr· a.reas and headquarters, and
will conduct armed reconnaissance . M8dium bombers will be used ag8inst concentration areas (BAKgR and CHARLIE)
From D plus 1 onward, it is di.ffjcult to
anticipate targets that will develop , and therefore no prearranged schedule has
been made , but all medium a.nd heavy bombers wj 11 be available .
The resources of the XXII TAG are deemed sufficient far support of the
IV Corps. ·II Corps attack will be a ssisted by rredium and heavy bo~bers and by
the DAF .
argets will include bridges, occupied aree.s , dumps , assembly areas
and targets to the North.
The night air effort will start on the night immediately preceding D- Day,
the DAF operating in the battle area and the XXII TAO further afield to the
North and Northeast . The 205 Group, strategic bombers, wi 11 be a vr-dlable for
targets that may develop .
Certain safety aids will be used in these operations, including radio beams
as indicated, on the Eighth Army side , as well a s markers and smoke . The Eighth
Army will fire a flak line at 15,000 feet at prearranged points along a certain
line. Similar arrangements have been made on the Fifth Army front .
General McCreary asked wh ther a practice wi th a smaller number of aircraft
might be advisabl e . General Cannon thought this not necessary and. stated that
the air leaders will fly over the area in advance of the operations. General
Gruenther pointed out that on a previous occasion an accident due to nschanical
failure had caused premature dropping of bombs by other ships in the formation
involved . General Cannon stated that this could be prevented by having bomb
bay doors opened over the water before the fornations come into their targets .
General Cannon pointed out that these operations will get the entire air
effort available in the r,: editerranean.
General ·1cCreery Rsked whether on D- Day sorre of the medium bombers should
be employed on i nterdiction missions against gun areas in order to give the
maximum suppor t to the all- out effort . General Cannon stated in re ly that if
add:ttional ta.rgets present themselves on D- Day the mediums , and :ii' neces sary tm
entire available effort , may be used. General Brann asked when the interdi ction
line indicated on the RE ·m would be effected, to which Colonel Pottenger replied
that this was not set definitely but ~ould be effected when and if appropriate .
Air Vice Marshal Vivian Foster asked what weather would be considered
acceptable , to which Genera.l Cani1.on replied 2/10- 3/10 below 20 , 000 feet and
6-mile visibility.
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General Clark stated that he considered tbe proppscd air support entirely
satisfactory and v,as very pleased with the progr m, particularly the fact that
the entire air resources vill be available if rew targets present themselves .
He pointed out that in this battle German logistics should be more d·ffi cult
than in the past , and recognized the necessity of not withholding for too many
days at a time the bombing of enemy communications ."
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FLORENCE--A'FRIE 1 , 1945--General CJark arrived at his headquarters a.t 1000 hours
and at 1100 he attended Easter services at his command post . General Clark read
the lesson at the service . At 1200 General Clark decorated Lt . Colonel
Bla.ckford , Executi ve Officer of the 8th Evacuation Hospital, with the Legion of
Merit . Colont~l Blackford was leaving for the United States on temporary duty.
Genera.1 ,~ar tin , Fifth Army Surgeon, Colonel Kirkman, Comoorr1ing Officer 8th
Eva.cuation Hospital , GenerHl Gruenther , Gereral Saltzman and Colonel Porter
were present at the ceremony. At 1215 Gereral Clark saw Mr . Shertok, head of
the Political Department of the ,Jewish .A.;,ency which adv:i ses the High Commissioner
for Pa~lestine on all questions of interest to Jews . He ne otiated the formation
of the Jewish Brigade in London . The GenerRl lunched at his headquarters and
after lunch returned to his villa for the remainder of the day.
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FLORENCE--APRIL 2 , 1945--Genera.l Clark arrived at his ooadquarters at 0930 hours
and worked on papers and conferred with n:embers of his sfa.ff . At 1230 Mr. Gouve
de 11 urville , French Ambassador to Italy, arrived . General Clark brjefed M. Couve
in his War Room. At 1300 Mrs . Gouve with Captain Savary, French Liaison Officer
with 15th Anny Group , Mt's . Savary, !ID:" . Orebaugh, Atrerican Consul in Florence ,
and Mrs. Orebaugh came to lunch with t.he General . After lunch the General
returned to his villa for the afternoon and evening.
General Clark today received the -Pollowing cable No . FX 53949 from
Field Marshal Alexander :
'' In our FX 50565 of 27 March this headquarters agreed that previous
objection to operations of French troops across the Franco- It~lian border were
wi thdra m to the extent necessary for implementing the plan outlined in SHAEF
forward 18185 of 26 March .
'Phe political objections which hitherto have prohibited our agreement to
French troops operating over the border not only still exist but are becoming
more serious .
It was the intent of our FX 50565 that French tro ops operating a cross the
border should be kept to the minimum neces sary t o accomplish the mission of
co~atin~ng the German troops in Northwest Italy. The poli ticr_l repercussions
which will follow are acceptab,l e because the innnediate operational benefits to
be gained by containing these German forces will greatl y a,-; ,3ist 15th Army Group
in their coming offensive . However , wo, CB.n not aggre.vate a dangerous i tua.tion
?Y unrestricted employment of French troops in Italy. Furthermore , it j_s the
intention of this headqua.rters to request tre immediate vTithdrawal of all French
troops from Italy . at the earliest practicable moment after the German~ cease to
fight or when the coming battle in Italy has p- ogressed to such an extent that
the th-reat on the Franco- Italian border is no longer required" .
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FLORENCE--APRIL 3, 1945- -Gerera.l CJ.erk arrived at his 1::eRdquarters at 1000 hours
and at 1030 saw Colonel Mathews who is with the Engineer Section Survey Branch,
War Department. At 1145 General McNarney arrived from Caserta. and conferred wjth
General Clark in his Viar Room for an hour . Just before lunch Genera l McNarney
pinned four-star insignia on Gener~l Clark in his office . General Gruenther,
General Saltzman, Colonel Porter, Captaifu Berenson and Captain Lampson were µ-esent
at the small ceremony. General Clark entertained General McNarney for lunch, and
at 1330 he left by L- 5 with his Aide for the 92d Division in the area of ~iareggio .
Today is the first day the General has flovm with Ma.jar Ozwald, his new L-5 pilot .
Upon his arri vn.1 at the cub strip he was met by General Almond. Genernl Clark
with General Almond droYe to the 3rd Battalion of the 370th Infantry Regirrent
where they w·ere met by Colonel Sherman , Comnanding Offjcer of' the 370th Infantry
Regiment . General ClRrk spoke briefly to the assembled h,tt~.lion, telling them
of the important part they mve played in the Italian campaign and how very
shortly they would have a chance to ps.rticipate in a great victory which they,
as well a.s all troops in Italy, des~rve . Too Generril then drove with General
Almond to the command post of the 92d Djvision where he was briefed by GenerRl
Almond a.nd the G- 2 , Lt . Colonel MacWillie, on the 92d Division front. With
General Almond, Gener~l Clark then drow~ to tre 4Li,2d Infantry Regiment area where
they inspected the 100th InfBntry Battalion. The 442d had just returned from
France-1 and the General spoke to the ba.ttalion, welcoming them back to Italy,
telling them how proud he as to have this fine regiment and old friends back
again with the Fifth Army and 15th Army Group . The Genera l rret the new commander
of the battalion, Major Conely, and the regimental commarrl.er, Lt . Colonel Miller.
After his short talk, he drove through the areas of the other two battalions
of the regiment , stopping to speak to officers arr1 rren a:rrl inspecting bivoua.cs
and company rresses . At 16oO the Army Group Cornr..a nder left the 442d areP with
General Almond and drove to the command. post of the 473rd Infantry Regiment where
he was met by Colonel YarlJOrough. The 473rd Infantry has recently been activated
from anti- aircraft personnel . General Clark spoke briefly to n1n Company, telling
them how pleased he was with the fine spirit they have accepted the1.r new role
as infantry. The Gen ral explained ,,hy these rren had been converted to infantry
and the important part they were to play in the great victory to come shortly.
The GenerAl also said that in forming this regiment he looked for the best
reg;mental commander that could be found and Colonel Yarboroµgh was it . The
General then visited a rest center set up by the Red Cross for men of the 473rd
Infantry. At 1730 General Clark arrived at a cub strip in the Serchio Valley
at Chivazzo where he took off in his L- 5, arrjving at the IV Corps cub strip at
1750, where he was met by General Crittenherger . They then drove to the IT Corps
headquarters at Castelluccio. The General' s VRn which was sent from his readquarters was all set up and waiting for him on his arrival. The General was
entertained by General Crittenberger arrl trembers of his staff at dirmer. Duri ig
dinn~r , Gener~l Crittenberger drank a toast to GenerRl Clark, congratulating him
on h1s promotion and telling hjm how proud IV Corr.a was to serve under his co~mand .
He then presented General Clark with a card rraking him an honore..ry rrember of the
IV Corps . After dinner the General went into Gener 1 Crittenberger' s War Room
for an evening conf'erence . He retired eRrly in his van for the night .
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FLORENCE--APRIL 4 , 1945- -General Clark awoke at 0645 arrl breakfasted with
General Crittenberger at 0715. At 0745 GenerAl Clark attended a IV Corps
briefing in the i:•rar Room after which the GenerRl spoke to IV Corps staff members
telling th ,m of the future plans of the Fifth and Eighth Armies and of hjs hopes
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for a complete success . At 0830 General Clark with General Crittenberger
left the IV Corns command post in General Clfl.rk' s Cadillac . At 0900 they
arrived at the Riola bridge where they were met by General Keyes and General
Prichard . The General then changed into his jeep , said goodbye to General
Crittenberger , and with Genern.l Keyes and Gener..-1 Pri?~rd flrove to the 27~h
Field Artillery Ba.ttr-ilion comm~mded by Lt . Colonel Philip Draper , at one tirre
A. D. C. to General Clark . General Clark inspected artillery pieces, spoke to
several of the officers arrJ men telljng the,m that if it had not been for the
magnificent support of the artillery, the success ~s that the doughboy has had
j n? Italy would have been impos sible and that we were now going into th: ~inal
phase of the war and ·that they would have another great chance to part1c Jpa.te
in the gr-eat victory. The Gener 1 enroute to th A 6th South African Armored
Division command post picked up General Poole , GOO . He then inspected a
company of Frontier Force Regiment (Indian) and iret Lt. Colonel Armstrong,
Gominanding Officer of tha 4th F . F . R. The Ge:nerP 1 spoke brj efly to th A
assembled company and his ad.dross was translat8d by Colonel Armstrong. He
told them how proud he was of the 6th South .African Armored Division and how
they were to participate shortly in a great vict ory. The General then drove
to the command post of the 6th South A.frica.n Armored Division rvhere he trllked
to staff officers and ha.d a cup of tea . This Division was today relieving the
1st Armored Division in the Mt . _9ole a1~e·· and the two divisions were in the
1
proces ,, of infiltration . Gener
Keyes tl::En said. goodbye to Gener,al Clark who\ //
with General Prichard and General Poole drove to a point on the road where
/ /
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the General met representatives of the 4/22 FieJrl Regiment , SP., and 1/6 Field
Regiment, anti-tank and anti - aircraft units of the 6th South African Armored
Division . The Genern.l spoke briefly to th<➔ assembled officers and men. He '
then said goodbye to General Poole and drove rdth General Fricmrd again to
the R:tola bridge where he was rret by Genera 1 Crittenberger . General Prichard
said goodbye to the General and left for Lucca where his division was tP king
up its new headquarters . Generals Clark andCrittenberger drove to Rocca
Pitigliana, the commann post of tha 10th Mountain Division, where they were
met by General Hayes, who entertained them for lunch. After lunch, General
Clark with General Cri ttenrerger and General Hayes drove to a forward observation post where General Hayes pointed out terrain f'eatures over which the
10th Mountain Division wo11ld launch the forthcoming a.ttack. After leRving
the observation post GenerPl Clark stopped in at the 3rd Battalion of the 86th
Infantry Regiment where the whole battalion was assembled . He was ~t- by Lt .
Colonel Hay, Commanding Off:i.cer of the regiment . The General spoke to the men
of the 86th comnending them on the magnificent job they heve done a.nd what a
shot in the arm the 10th r.fountai Division was to the Fifth Army when they:
arrived in Italy. General Clark exp a.med the big picture , telling them that
the Eighth Army would attack in a few days and shortly thereafter the Fifth Anny,
and that they would have a great opportunity to cover themselves with glory as
they have done in the past . General Clark then bid goodbye to Colonel Hay and
drove with General Crittenberger to Gaggio Montano where they were met by
General ifia.scarenhas . With General Mascarenhas , General Clark then visited a
battery of the 2d Brazilian Field Art illery Batt, lion and met the Divisional
Artillery Commander , General Oswaldo Cordero de Parias . The General inspected
artillery pieces a.nd spo¼3 briefly to the officers an,1 :iren. He then drove to
the command post of the Brazilian Exped itionary Force where a guard of honor
was held for him after which General Cl.8.rl pinned the Silver Star on 3/Sgt .
Zeflerino Crepaldi of the B. E . F. The Ganeral spoke to staff personnel of the
B. Ji: . F . cornmend ··ng them on the magnificent oontribution that they had nHde here
in Italy and how proud he was to h ve these fine Brazilian troops, so ably led
�led by General ,.fa.scarenhas , under his commarrl. The General then Md goodbye
to General Mas carenhas and left for the Perretta cub strip, arriving there
at 1800 hours. General Clark said goodbye to General Crittenborger and took
off in his L-5 for Florence. He arrived at his headquarters at 1845 , spent
an hour in his office am returned to his vjjlla for the night.
Special Operations Instruction #5 was issued today nnd reads as follows:
"1.
Information
An operation will be initiated very soon on the front of FIFTH Army,
as part of the 15th Army Group offensive, with the object of capturing MASSA
and exploitin~ towards LA. SPEZIA .
11
2.
Intention
Allied Special troop units, Allied r issions and partimm forces will
give the greatest possible support to this operation.
n.3 .
Method
a . Immediately upon receipt of this Instruction Agencies will pass
the follow;ng orders to all units and Missions operating, or in contact with
partisan formations operating, within the area bounded by Highway 12 to the
East, Highway 9 to the iforth, Highway 45 to the West and the present front
line and Highway 1 to the South, all boundaries inclusive :
(1)
All possible enemy columns, transport, garrisons and encampments will b., attacked
(2)
Every effort will be made to prevent enemy movement on all
his principal routes of travel by the employment of mine fields and roadblocks covered by fire .
(3)
All enemy command post will be liquidHted :;md all supply
installations, especially those containing ammunition
and petrol, will be destroyed .
(4)
All .,n.,my line communications will be cut and where possible wireless sets destroyed .
(5)
The final details of Anti-Scorch plans will be completJd
and preparations rTJ.ad, to put them into effect .
b . The provisions of this Instruction will not apply to S.A.S.
Oneration ' TOMBOLA' for whom instructions have been issu.,d separately.
"4. Hissions and Partisans not within the Are of Operations
Orders of a. similar nature will be issued at a lat r date to Missions
and partisan forces op,rating outside the area covered by this Instruction, in
order to relate their FJ.ctivity to the overall Allied plan and the progress of
Military operations .n
�FLORENCE--APRIL 5, 1945--General Clark arrived at his headquarters at 0RJ0
a.nd a.t 0900 a guard of honor composed of British and American troops wa.s
held in the G-3 square for Field Marshal Alexander who was greeted by General
Clark . The Field r.na.rshal then decorated several American staff officers from
15th Army Group and Fifth Army Headquarters ,1ith British decorations . After
the cer .,mony, General Clark with Field 1arsha,l Alextmd r walked back to the
General s War Room ;\There they conferred for an hour. The Field Marshal then
left by road for Fifth Army Headquarters .
At 1030 General Cla.rlr saw Major General Beaumont-Nesbitt, Chief of the
Liaison Section, AFHQ . General Beaumont- Nesbitt came to report to General
Clark on matters pertaining to Poli.sh Corps. At 1045 General ClRrk with
General Saltzman, General Tate and General {iblo visited Ordnance units and
installations in the Florence area . The General lunch d with Gen ral riblo
at one of the Ordnance units. The Gen ral returned to his headqtmrters at
1430 where he srent two hours working on papers and conferring with m mbers
of his staff, after which he returned to his villa for the night .
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FLORE CE--APRIL 6, 1945--General Clark arriv.,d at his headquarters at 0830
hours . General Cannon came to say goodby., to (}en ral Clark before leaving
for Caserta to his new assignment as Comrm.nding General, Mediterranean
Allied Air Forces . General Cannon is to be succeeded by Genernl Chidlaw
who is now commanding XXII Tactical Air Command .
This morning the G .,n .,ral also saw G~neral Thomtls North who heads the
Miscellaneous Section of the Operations .Division, Var Dept=irtment. General
Clark had a. portrait made this morning with his four-star insignia for War
Department files . The General lunched at 1230 with regulAr members of his
mess and at 1330 he attended the wedding of Captain McCormick a.nd Lt . Brubach . General Clark gave the bride a\vay . He return d to his headquarters
inunediately after the wedding and at 1600 he left for the villa for the
evening.
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FLORE iTCE--APRIL 7, 1945--The Army Group Commander a rived at his headquarters at 0900 hours . He saw Colonel Herckel who formerly was Chief of Staff
to General Beucler and an old friend of General Clark's f'rom Oujda . The
General spent the morning conferring with members of his staff in preparation for his press confer . . nee . At 1230 hours t he General held a press conference for approximately 120 correspondents and field pr ss censors . Following is a complete list of the correspondents and their papers :
Howard M. Norton of the Ba.ltimor~ Sun, Donald Sanders of United Nations
News Service, Sgt . Jack Foisie of the Stars and Stripes , Sgt . Robert
Fleisher of the Stars and Stripes , James Roper of United Press , Collins
Geor ge of the Pittsburgh Courier, Max Johnson of the Afro-American, Lem
Graves of the Norfolk Journal & Guide and Raul de Castro of the Correio da
Manha.
�15
Henry Bagley of Associ ated Press , Allan Fisher of COIA.A , J oel Silveira
of Diarios Associados, Ruben Braga of Diario Carioca , Thacilo Mitke of
Agencia facj onal, Thomas L. Stokes of Scripps-Howard Newspapers , Egydi.o
Squ ff of O Globo, Frank Norall of COIAA , Milton Bracker of the New York
Ti mes , Michael Chinigo of International News Service , Walter Collins of UP,
Al do Forte of UP, Richard Mowrer of the Chicago Daily News , Newbold Noyes
of the Washington Star, Gene Rea of 11 Progresso , N. Y., Vincent Sheean of
""ANA and John C. Smith of the New York Herald-Tribune .
Michael Stern of Fawcett Publications, Joe Robinson of United Nations
News , Sgt . Dave Golding of the Stars and Stripes, Clay Gowran of the Chicago
Tribune, Pat Frank of Overseas News Agency, Sgt. Harry Sions of YANK , Martin
Moore of the London Daily Telegraph, Wallace Rayburn of the Montreal Standard , H. 0 Connor of SAFA, P. Durnford of SABO , s. James of SABC , C. Bell of
th., South African Bureau of Information , H. Bierman of South African Public
Relations , J . Holmes of South African Publ ic Relations , N. Nichols a.n official photographer , Edd Johnson of the Chicago Sun, Eva Putnam of Transradio
Press , Ted Lurie of the Palestine Post , James Roper of United Press, Hall
Conefry of Scripps- Howard, Maurice Watts of the London Daily Sk . tch and Capt .
Bonney of Parade .
Sid Feder of Associated Press, Griffin Bancroft, George Palmer of As sociated Press, Martin Moore of the London Dai l y Telegraph, Desmond Tighe
of Reuters , A. Agiulo of Reuters , P . Lessing of Exchange Telegraph, Geoffrey
Talbot of BBC , S. Barber of News - Chronicle , J . Cooper of Daily Express ,
G. Pearce of Daily Express, J . Fisher of Daily Mail, R. Beamish, A. Hammond
of Kemsley Newspapers , P. Ure of London Times , H. McKie of Austrailian Press
H. Southwell-Keely of Austral ian Press , N'. Lourie of Palestine Post , I . Finkelstein of Palestine Press , J . Barreto of French Press , L. Vernay Ramondy
of FrJnch Press, J . L' Hospital of French Press , P. Galozzi of French Press,
Lt . Clermont of French Press and G. Noble of New Zealand "Press .
C. Lewis of New Zealand Press , G. Duncan of New Zealand Press , G. Mira.ms
of Jew Zealand Press, Francis Halla.well of BBC , Clete Roberts of Blue, Godfrey ,,,albot of BBC , Jack Findon of Union Jack and Frederic Ullman of Pathe.
These correspondents and radio and movie men were accompanied by the
following officers from Allied Force Headquarters: Brig. Gen . A. H. McChrystal , Major C. A. Harkrader , \1!8.jor C. S. Lock, Major P. Henderson, Major The
Viscount Stopford, Col . T. Mccrary, Capt . J . Newman, Sq/Ldr T. J . N. Smyth ,
Sq/Ldr R. M. Williams, Sq/Ldr D. ,J . A. Griffiths, Major P. B. Lowe , Major G.
Clewes , Sq/Ldr G. Summers , Capt . Ranamitha.m, Capt . Badzynski, Lt . Skorups~i,
Capt . R. Eckhouse, Lt . R. Sutter, and Col. Herkel .
After the conference General Clark entertained the correspondents at a
buffet luncheon at his headquarters . Shortly after lunch the General left
for his villa. for the evening.
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FLORENCE--APRIL 8, 1945--The General spent the entire day at his villa .
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�FLORENCE- -APRIL 9, 191.,5--General Clark ·arrived at his headquarters at 0830
hours and at 0930 he held his first op,._,rational morning conference in his
War Room . The following officers attended and will attend future morning
conferences at 0930 hours: General Gruenther, General CMdlaw, Commanding
12th Air Force, Brigadier Hirsch, Brigadier Packard, General Brann, Air
Commodore Lees , Deputy Co~rnander 12th Air Force, and Colonel Boettiger ,
Chief of Staff 12th Air Force . Also attending were several junior officer
specialists on weather , engineering, etc .
This morning the General saw John Chabot Smith of the ~ew York HeraldTribune and Milton Bracker of the New York Times . L .. ~-~
·
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r'-Y~
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oday is D- Day for the Eighth Army attack. General
by General Gruenther, l~ft Florence by air a.t 1220 hours , arriving at Forli
airfield at 1300. He was met by Gene r al Mccreery and proceeded immediately
to an observation post a couple of miles ·1est of Faenza. Here were also
General Cannon, Commandin.o- Mill' , General Chidlaw, Commanding 12th Air Force,
and Air Vice Marsha.I Foster, Commanding D.AF . The observation post ,vas a
farmhous in the Polish sector a.bout two thousand yards from the front
lines . From this OP the assembled officers had a rtng-s ide view of the
bombing program laid on in prep:=ira.tion for the Eighth .A:rmy attack sheduled
to kick off that evening. There were some 800 heaview who had two area
target s not more than two to three square miles . They dropped in the space
of an hour and a half some 175, 000 fragmentation bombs , obtaining almost
perfect patterns ,.,ith each wave . They were follO\r.red by some 200 mediUIDs
who rmd three rath .,r smaller targ ts of gun areas around Castel Bolognese .
After they had finished there were about 500 fighter hombers who kept up
the attacks on pin- point targets until the attack was due to go on.
)
General Clark met General Anders , C- in- C Polish Forces , General BohuszSzyszko , Commanding 2 Polish Corps , G~:r.eral Sulik, Commanding 5 Kresova
Division, a.t another observation post . He then went to Headquarters 2 New
Zealand Division where he was met by General Freyberg, the Divisional Commander . He then drove to TAC 5 Corps Headquarters where he met General
Keightley. All these commanders expressed thems elves full of confidence
in the success of the attack. General Clark also talked on the phone to
General Russell , Comma.nding 8th Jndian Division . General Clark and Gene ral Gruenther left Forli by air about 1700 hours , e.rriving back at the command pos t at 1745 . General Clark took shortly ther;after to his villa for
the evening .
General Clark today issued the following statement to his troops :
n15th Army Group is resuming the offensive with the object of destroying the German forces opposing us .
nrn the past year the Fifth and Eighth Armies , composing 15th Army
Group, have captured Rome and driven the enemy northward through his Gothic
Line and have had their progress stopr,ed only by a combination of mountains ,
water obstacles and winter weather . The recent period of rela_tive i.nactivjty
has nor drawn to its close .
)
�nAs never before we now have an opportunity to deal a. decisive blow.
With our enemy weakened by recent severe blows on other fronts the shock
of a severe attack here will do much to speed his defeat, with consequent
saving of lives and hastening of the day of victory over all our enemies.
"It is therefore of extreme importance that every individual should
devote himself completely to the success of this new offensive . Ea.ch man,
whatever his job, must at this time give himself up utterly to the execution of these operations in order that every possible advantage will be
denied the enemy and every opportunity taken to crush him completely. All
must make full use of past training, of ingenuity, of rmter:i.el, and finally,
of that courage wh:tch is needed to drive the battle home to the enemy in
spjte of every discouragement which may lie in the path that leads to complete victory.
"It is my greatest hope that this will be the last ma,jor offensive
that will be conducted by 15th Army Group . Whether t his is so or not de pends on us . If we carry out our attack with maximum fury and wjth relent less t horoughness so that the enemy is forced to retreat , surrender or die ,
we may well realize your hope and mine that further major operations will
be unnecessary.
0 And so I call upon all of you to give now, as you rave done in the
past , the full rreasure of your devotion to your countries and to the allied
cause in order that we may exploit fully the opportunities of the moment .
No one knows how· great these opportunities are or what success ·we may obtain if we ta.ke full advantage . Hit them with all you t ve got, and with
Goa's help we will have a decisive and perhaps a f i nal victory.n
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FLORENCE-- APRIL 10, 1945--General Cla rk arrived at his headquarters at 0845
hours and at 0930 held hi.s mornjhg conference . At 1030 the General saw
Brigadier Carr, Regional Commissioner Liguria; Colonel Poletti, Regional
Commissioner Lombardia; Colonel Hancock, (British) , Deputy Commissioner
Lombardia.; Colonel Mar s hall, Regional Commissioner Piedmonte; Colonel BovnTIB.n ,
Regional Commissioner Emilia; Colonel Fiske , Deputy Executive Commissioner
Allied Commission; Colonel Jordan, Deputy Commissioner Liguria; and Colonel
Monfort, G- 5, 15th Army Group .
At 1230 Lt . General Edmond Schreiber, Go~ernor of Malta, came to see
General Clark . The General briefed hlm in his War Room, after 'lhich he
entertained him at lunch . After lunch, General ClPrk returned to his villa
for the afternoon and evening.
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FLORENCE--APRIL 11, 1945--General Clark arrived at his headquarters at 0845
hours and held his 0930 conference . At 1030 the Gene ral attended a drumhead
service on the occasion of the visit of His Grace the Archbishop of York,
Primate of 1?ngland . Before the service, General Clark met the Archbishop .
General Clark read the lesson at the service .
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After the s rvice the General returned to hi.s office and savr General
Worsham, Engineer Section, War DepRrtm,nt, with General McCoach, Engineer
M'rOUSA . The General also saw Mr . Nixon of BBC and briefed him in the War
Room. At 1230 the Archbishop of York came to lunch with General Clark.
Before lunch the General briefed the Archbishop in his War Room . After
lunch, the General left for his villa for the rest of the afternoon and
evening .
The following is a message sent by General Clark to the patriots of
northern Italy:
"Patriotst The final great battles for the liberation of Italy and
the destruction of the German invader have started •
•
HYou are prepa.red and ready to fight . But the time for your concerted
action in aidlng the Allied armies has not yet come . Certain bands have
been given special instructions what to do in this the first phase of the
battle; they have received their instructions by special means knovm to
you . Other bands will concentrate on preserving their districts and towns
from destruction when the enemy is forced to withdraw. You have all been
prepa~ed for your tasks when the tjme comes for concerted and all- out action .
(
rrTo those bands which have not been given specific tasks for the immediate future you are to nurse your strength and be ready for the call.
Do not play into the hands of the enemy by acting before the time chosen
for you. Do not squander your strength and rresent an uncoordinated effort . Do not be tempted to premature action.
ttWhen the right time for great .nd decisive action comes one and all
will be called upon to play his or her p:i.rt in liberating Italy and in destroying the hated enemy. "
General Clark today sent the following cable to General Cannon:
"I want you to know how fully I appreciate the splendid and effective
air support which the Air Forces have already given us in the current ~.t tack . J ha.ve been especially g·atified by the excellent cooperation which
we have received from all air .force personnel starting with the early
planning phase . Our air ground team is now a great success , and I am confident of your all out support in the f1 1 ture . tt
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FLORENCE- -AFRIL 12, 1945--General Clark arrived at his headqua.rters at 0830
hours and held his morning conferencJ at 0930 . At 1000 the GenerRl saw
Colonel Horace B. Smith of the Public Rel~tions Section, War Department .
General Clnrk lunched at his headquarters and at 1330 he left by car for II
Corps Headquarters at 'ionghidoro , arriving there at 1500.
1
The General had sent his van up ahead and it was waiting for him when
he arrived . The General conferred w."th General Keyes for half an hour and
�at 1530 General Clark with General Keyes vis i ted the Legnano Gruppo headquarters wh .,re they were met by G ,neral Utili, who briefed them on the
situation . General Clark w-i th General Utili and General Keyes then inspected Italian artillery positions of the Legnano Gruppo and General
Cl ark spoke to several of the officers and men .. He also visited an infantry battalion in reserve and spoke to the battalion telling them of
the magnificent contribution the Italian troops are making and how honored
he was to have them under his command . Returning to II Headquarters
General Clark stopped enroute at the headquarters of the Corps Engineers
(19th Engineers) where he spoke to many of the of ficers and men , commending
them on their fine work in support of the combat troops . General Clark
with General Keyes arrived a.t II Corps Headqu:-1.rters at 1830 . General
Keye s ent.,rtained General Clark for dinner and after dinner General Clark
attended a briefing in General Keyes' War Room . The General retired early
to his van for the night .
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FLORE CE-- APRIL 13, 1945--The G ,neral awoke at 0645 and received the news)
of President Roosevelt • s death. The General had breakfast with General
Keyes , members of his staff a.nd at 0745 attended the morning conference
and briefing in the II Corps G- 3 War Room.
At 0830 General Clark, with General Keyes , left the II Corps Headquart ers and drove to the command post of the 34th Division in the vicinity of Loiano where General Clark was met by General Bolt., and staff officers of the Division Headquarters . There the General de corated and promoted eight officers and enlisted men and spoke briefly to the assembled
gathering, telling them of the plan of the coming operation and t he important part the 34th Di vision would play. With General Keyes and General
Bolte General Clark then left the Division comnand post and drove to the
battalion headqua.rt rs of the 133rd Infantry. The battalion was assembled ,
and G.neral Clark spoke briefly to them. He then visited the first battalion of the 168th Infantry where the battalion was also assembled and the
General said a few words to them . General Bolte bade goodbye to General
Clark at the battalion headqDPrt rs of the 168th, and Genera.I ClRrk drove
with General ICyes to the 91st Division area where he was met by Gonerc 1
Livesay. The Gen -~ral spoke to several of t1e officers and men of the 361st
and 363rd Infantry Regiments in passine , congra.tulating them on their fine
work and t~11~ng them briefly of the coming operation and the important
part they would play.
The General then drove to the 536th FA Battalion comP1and post
where he vms met by the Commanding Officer . The 536th FA Batt lion is a
new 155 Ho,vitzer battalion which has ju~t arrived from the United States
and has yet seen no action . The
ttalion was assembled , anrl the Gener 1
greeted them, telling them how pleased hews to have this fine support
for the infantry which had so long been lacking in this theater . The
General told the battalion of the great opportunity th~Y would have to par ticipate inn great V'ictory which he was sure would come to them shortly. ·
The G,n.,rcl then visited with General Keyes the 916th FA Battalion where
he inspected artillery pieces and tal)re d to many of the battery officers
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and men . The General then visited the 1st Batta.lion of the 36?nd Infantry
in the vicinity of Loiano ,,rherA he spoke to the assembled bat.talion .
General Clark e.nd Generals Keyes and Livesay then c1rove to the 757th Tank
Battalion command post where the General inspected tank positions and
talked to many of the officers and men .. En.route to the 91st Division command post for lunch G .. neral Clark stopped at the 11th Ba.ttery of the 54th
Super Heavy Regiment(British) Pfhere he inspected the 8" artillery piece
and spoke briefly to the Corunanding Officer and enlisted personn 1 The
General expressed his r-ratitudc for the fine job these great suprorting
weapons had done with the Fifth Army ano of the opportunity which would
soon come whereby they would haven chance to participate in a great vic tory as the Eighth Army were hnvinr, at present to the east .
At 1200 hours the General arrived at the 91st Division command post
where he was entertained by General Livesay for lunch . At 1230 Generals
Clark and Keyes left thA 91st Division command po,;t and drove to the command post of the 8[-i.th Division, four miles west of Loiano off Route 1165
where he Has m~t by General Kendall and members of the Division staff .
The General decorated four officers and enlisted men at Division headqu.-.:i.rt ers . General Clark, vrith Genernl Ken<lR.11, then visited t .e 3rd Battalion
of the 349th .Infantry '.'Jhere hA spoke briefly to the officers t=md men. He
then visited the 377th FA Battalion - here he was r1et by Gem~ral Lewis ,
Division Artillery Comnander . The General inspected artillery rieces and
observed fire missions . He also spoke to severnl of the officers and mon,
tellin~ them of the magnificent support they have given to the infantry
which made possible the successes they have ad Th Gen.,ral met General
Gruenther's son, Lieutenant Donald Gruenther , who commands a battery in
the 337th FA Battalion. The General then b:'lde goodbye to General Kendall
and then drove to the command post of II Corps at Monghidoro . Just before leaving for Florence, the Genernl promoted Colonel Willems , Chief of
Staff of II Gorps , to the grade' of Brigadier General .
General Clark left II Corps command post at 11-i-30 by road, arriving at
his commancl post in Florence at 1600 hours . ':;here the Army Group Commander conferr .,d with Generals Gruenther and Bram1 and left at 1730 for his
villa. for the night .
General Clark today issued the following statement upon the death of
President Franliin Delano Roosevelt :
nThe death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt represents a tragic
loss to the nation , and a personal loss to mo and to every soldier serving
with 15th Army Group .
ttThough the President has passed on, he has left to us n legacy of
the finest and most soldierly qualities . As our Commander- in-Chief he
charted us a course for battle . Vle ~rill continue unswervingly to devote
ourselves to the fight for complete victory .. "
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FLORET\fCE-- AFRIL 14, 1945--Following his 0930 conference, General Clark saw
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the fol lowing correspondents: Miss He i tt , representing the Religious
News Agency; Lt . Hill, of the Stars a,nd Stripes; and Rita Hume , of Inter national ':'Tews Service .
At 1030 the General saw fib:" . Longhi , representing the Committee of
Jational Lj beration for forthern Italy. The General spent the rest of the
day in his office working on papers and conferring with various staff
officers .
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FL0RENC~--APRIL 15 , 1945--The Gen ral arrived at 1is h ,adquarters at· 0830
and held his 0930 conference . At 1100 hours the GenerPl attended memorjal
services or Fresldcnt Roosevelt held at his headquarters . The General
read the follow:rng War Department Order a.t the service :
ttThe following order of r.rhe Honorable Henry L . Stimson, Secretary of
War , announces to t he .Army the death of Franklin Dele_no Roosevelt , President of the United \>tates: It is my duty as Secretary of Har to announce
to the Army the death of Frankl in Delano Roosevelt , resident of the United
St ates , which occurred at Warm Springs , Georgi , at 1635 hours , 12 April
1945 The Army is deeply grieved at the untimely death of our Comm nder
in Chief. He prepared us to meet the savage onslaught of our enemies ,
and he led us through the bitterness of our early reversals . His unwavering courage in the face of overwhelming odds , his abiding faith in the
final triump of democratic ideals , and his clear vision of the p:=iths to
be followed 1·rere a source of constant inspiration.. He gave the Army unstintedly of hfa strengt h and wisdom, and his unremitting labors hastened
his death
Although he leaves us rlhile there is still much hard fighting
ahead , the ultimate victory has bAen fa h ioned of his heart and spirit .
Memorial services shall be held on the day of the funeral 15 April at
all posts , camps an stations , war operations permit ting , at v1hich time
this order i:d.11 be read . The former 1 ice I resic ent of the United States ,
Harry S . Truman has tal'·en the oath of of ice and assumed the duty of Pre sident in accordance vri ,h the provisions of the Constitution.
lfThe 't,Jational Flag will be displayed Pt half staff at the Headquarters of all military commands an- vessels under the control of the War
Department from 0800 hours loca.l time 13 April 1945 until sunset l?. May
1945 west longitude dates , war operations rermitting . The wearing of
mourninf; ands , t . c draping of colors and standc .rds, and the firing of
salutes will be dispensed with because of war condi ions .
ttThe body of the late Commanderin Chief will be interred at Hyde Park.,
on 15 April 1945. n
New . ork
The following senior Allied officers were pres.,nt at the ceremony
flanking General Clark . General Chidlaw , XII Air Force; Acfoliral :1orse,
Flag Officer ; :Ve stern Italy; f,rigadier Floyd, Chit~f of Staff, Eighth
Army; Mr . Orebaugh, the American Consul; General Utili, Italian General
Commanding •lorence Area .
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After the services the Gonnral returned to hi office and rit 1200
the G nvral made a. recording :f'or vr-:i Day in his conference hut. After
lunch the General returned to is villa for the afternoon and vening ..
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FLORENCE--APRIL 16
1945--The General hold his 0930 confer :-nce and at
1000 hours General Cannon came to see General Clark A.t 1030 Lt .. Gen
J. C H. Lee Corunanding General 0( 1 MZOViJZ, called on General Clark.
General Clark briefed General Lee in his war room and entertained him
at lunch. Immediately after lunch General Lee took off for a tour of
the forward area, visiting_the Fifth Army command post onroute .
1
At 1230 hours General And _,rs , who is enroute to t,;ngla..YJ.d , arrived
to sec General Clark . .After lunch Gfmt✓ral Anders left for Rome .
General Clark saw Lt . Gen . Carlo Simone , Commanding General of the
r ilitnry Territory of Florence .
At 1630 the General left for his villa for the afternoon and evenJ.ng .
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FLORENCE--AJRIL 17 1945- The G ,neral h~ld his conference ~nd at· 1115
hours drove to the lorcnce airport to meet General ~Tuin, v1ho arrived at
1145. · General Clark drove back to his headqm~rters ~ri th General Juin
and before lune}, bri ,fed 'irn in his· war room ..
At 1300 General Clark with G n,ra.l Juin and General Le Couteux and
fi1a,jor Boillot, ADC to General Juin, flew by 1-5 to the Fifth Army cub
strip at Traversa . General Clark was met by GenJrr'l Carl ton, Chief of
Staff, Fl+"th Army. The part:-, then drove to the Fifth Army command rost
vrhere G~neral Carleton briefed G nerals C n.rk and Juin on the current
situation. G~n ,rals 018.rk, Juin and L Couteu..""{ th ,n drove by jeep to
Headquart rs II Corps in •Tionghidoro , wh ,re they were met by G. . n . . ral
Yeyes and r1embers of his staff
G,ncral Keyes riefed G~neral Juin nnd
G,neral Clark in his v.rar room, irunediately aft r which they drove to an
observation post northwest of LoiFmo, where Gen .rP.l:=: Clark and Ju.in
could observ, t ,rrain over which the newly started off ensi v vras taking
place.
J
On the r .turn to I Corps E adquarters, Gen . . rn.ls Clark R.nd Juin m.:t
Gfll\neral McHerney v;ho w s also touring the front. General Cl8J."k introduced General Juin to Genernl Hc arn,y, and, after f' short visit,,
General Clf-lrkts party r~turned to the II Corps command post where Gen.ral
Keyes entertained them forte and a drink.
11
At 1700 hours General Clark a+td Gen ral Juin l,ft th~ I Corp'-"' command post for Trav rsa, where they took off in L-5 1 s for Florence, arriving at lCOO. General Juin dined with General Clark at the command rost
this evening nd after dinner playLd bridg until ~leven o 1 clock.
Operations Instruction 46 was issued today and deals with the occupation of ~.rorthern Italy in the
"".'r .nder or a ;, ,neral collapse of
the enemy r ~si?ta.nce .
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FLORENCE--AfRIL 18, 1945--At 0900 the GeYJ.eral Arrived at his headqua rters and at 0930 h~ld his morning conference ., At 1015 hours Rex Ingram,
of' Time r,ragazine; tr- •or· e of United !-'ress, l"tr- Palmer of Associat d
re ss, and rir . ; 1owrer of the Chicr-tgo ! ews, were · riefed by th~ Gen .,ra.1
in his war room .
At 1100 hours th, Gene ral made a recording for a broadcast for
Victor,r Day in his conference hut . Th~~ Ge neral lunched at his headquarters ..
At 1?00 hours a reception was h ... ld by Gt,neral Clark or General
Juin in his conference hut wh r __, officers of the Fr nch Ei.ssion attached
to Fifth Army and 15th P.:rmy Group were rrese nt, also Chiefs of Sections
of 15th Army Group , .nd Genera l rrruscott and seve ral m ..mbers of his staff.
Gfm~ral Juin decorated Genernl Truscott ii·rith t he Croix de Guerre
rder
of Commander, and also conf.,rred the Croix de Guerre on Colonels Ca.mardellP. ,,
and }1ickey.
After the reception, General Juin vent to the Hotel xcelsior, returning at 1930 for dinner
At 1900 hours His Royal Hi~hness, Prince
Unberto, with General Infante arrived
General Clark hBd the Prince and
General Infante as his guest s for the ni~ht . Gen •ral Cls.rk entertain _,d
Prince Umberto, General Infante, G,neral Juin, Ge neral Hcl a.rn~y, General
Chidlaw and Gener~l T.e Couteux for dinn r at his mess
After djnn~r
Ge neral ClR..rk played bridge with his guests .
1
General Clark today received the following cable from Gen . Twining,
Commanding General of the 15th Air Force:
nr
deeply appreciate the splendid cooperation and aid given by all
echelons of your co1runR.nd during the planning and execution of our carpet
bombing attacks in advance of your assaulting divisions " The clear and
distinct marking of the front lines and target area by ranels , tee mri.rkers,
smoke pots and. antiaircraft fire , was of inestimable value to our bombing
forces . The excellent planning, detailed t i mine and location of the
visual aids by units of your command together with the superior manner in
which all details were executed grea.tly simplified a difficult task for
this air force . To all ranks I extend my sincere thanks on a job v-rell
done tr
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FLORE 1TCE--APRIL 19 1945--General Juin l~ft this morning at 0930 for
Paris . At 1000 hours General Clark he ld his morning conference
Gen ral
McNarney was present at the conference . At 1045 General McNarney left
for Caserta, and Gen,ral Clark spent tho remainder of the morning in his
office .
Th~ GenerHl went to his villa for lunch with General Brann a.nd after lunch played golf at the Ugolino Golf Club in Florence .
�,)
�FLORENC --APRIL 20, 1945- -Th General arrived at his headquerters at
0930 and saw Rex Ingram of Time Magazine again today. He also rromoted
Lt . Col . Forter and Lt . Col . Brisach to the rank of full colonel in a surprise forms.tion at his headquarters
The General lunched t his mess in
the command post and after lunch went to his villa for the afternoon .
At 1700 hours th General r..,turned to his headquarters to neet Hr .
MacMillan, British r·~ in.ister to Italy·, and Mr . Stewart Brown in charge
of public relations at Allied Commission, who accompanied Ar . MacMillan .
This afternoon the Gen ral learned that the 10th Mountain Division
crossed ov ,r Highway 119 west of Bologna .
The General briefed Mr . Jbseph Harrison of the Christia.n SciencMonitor and 1\/lr . Howard Norton of th., Baltimore Sun in his war room in
the afternoon .
Rt 1900 hours the G,neral returned to his villa where he gave a dinn r
celebrating the 28t h armi versary of his graduation from West Point
Among those present were : General Gruenthf'!'!r, General Saltzman , Colonel
Porter , General Sullivan, G neral Lewis , General Bradshaw, General Brann,
G neral Howard and Lt . Col. Nygaard .
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FL RETC --APRIL 21, 1945--The General arrived at his headquarters this
morning in time for his 0930 conference and th~n spent the remainder of
th, day in his of""fice conf . . rring on operational matters vith members of
his staff . Today eL,ments of the Polish Corps and troops of the Fifth,,,/
Army captured Bologna .
/I
The Gemeral spent the evening at his villa .
Gen r al Afoxander today issued the follov.ring s t atem nt with regard
to the fall of Bologna:
rThe capture of Bologna is a victory that belongs to every Allied
fighting man - soldier , sailor and airman - in the Italian Theater . My
warmest congratulations to the troop,;.) v.r hich have seized this vital
military obJecti ve after a \"linter ' s campaign that hrrs presented oJ.most
insup rable obstacles in terrain, weather and fanatical enemy resistance .
Now let us keep driving forwa.r.-d until the last en my soldi~r has been
driven from Italy. "
1
General Clark spoke as follows on the fall of Bologna:
111
rh 15th Army Group has today liberated Bologna from the Germans .
The American 5th Army and the British Sth Army now stand inside the gate way to the Po plain, poised to destroy the G rmans who continu~ to enslave
and exploit northern Italy.
11
rican
Jritish, l\ew Zealanders, Indian Army, Polish, Brnzilian, South AfJewish , Italian and Am rican troops, single-minded in purpose ,
;'
�will drive forward to d stroy the enemy. He still may stt:md and f ght ,
but ologna repres nts to us the beginning of final victory in Italy.
rt Bologna has a. sumed the aspect of a symbol of the campe.ign in which
we hav~ been engag d and its fall d notes success in thr-it campaign
However ,· our most important objective rema:i.ns th , d struction or capture
of the ;nemy forces opposing us so that all Italy may be liberated and th
end of the war hastened as much asp ssible . The overwhelming Allied air
power and naval aid h lped our gallant ground troops in a manner -thnt
merits our highest praise . "
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FLORE NC~ --APRIL 22, 19/4-5--The General
riv d at his headquart rs at 0830
and held his conf;rerice at 09.30
At 1000 hours Brig. Gen Richnrd Lind- ·
say, Colon 1 Proctor and Colon,l Darby, th advanc party or the General
Arnold entourage call.,d to pay their respects to General Clark . At
1030 Gen ral Clark with General Brann Brigadier Packard, and Colonel
Grogan drove up R~ute #65 to Bologna, arriving at 1300 hours . They were
met in the public park at Bologna by Generals Truscott , Ano.ers , K;yes,
Bolte and Critt enberger ., Gen rnl Truscott briefed G..,nera.l Clark on th
current situation , after which GJn~ral Clark, vith the senior officers,
drove throup:h the city to the main square wher~ a guard of honor, consisting of Polish and American troops , was h_.ld- Thousands of che ring civi
lJ.ans gr eted G ,neral Clark as h; entered the sqUr'tl' ;
Th Polish be,nd
layed Am~rican British and -olish national < nt ;ms . After th c~r .mony
the General made a to
of th city and then drove to the command post
of the 34th Divi ion in the Jark in Bologna . T ere
efore all senior
commanders, General Clark decorat d General Bolte ·dth th. Silver Star e
A er a sand·"Tich and a cup of hot · ouillion, General Glv.rk, with
Gen ral Brann and Brigadier Packard, drove back to Florence, arriving nt ·
1?30 hours . At 1930 th G_..n..,ral left his office or his villa for dinner
and th ni ht .
0
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FLORET E- APRIL 23 1945--At 0900 the Gen ral axriv d and had his conference at 0930 . A-t 10'30 G.,neral Clnrk b iefed the following radio com
mentators : G H. Combs, I·IDS; qurTCY HOWE WQXR; Hm~,.rd Barnes , NBC;
Joseph Harsch, Christian Science JTonitor . Today the G neral rec ived word
that the 10th Mountain Division were the first to cross the Po, m king
the CI ossing -= t S n B nedetto and establishing a good bridgehead .,
/
V •
,
I
At 1545 G n.,ral HcTTarn~y nrrived,; 1 th General Gannon and conferred
with General Clark for an hour after which the G neral return.,d to is
villa for the night .
General Clar
oday sent the following radio
am to his Army Com-
manders.
n15th A:rmy Group continues the attack to d stray th en.,my .. Eighth
Army after crossing the Ri v"r Fo vlill push rapidly for a.rd to breach the
(
1/j
1
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�Adige position and captur F adua. . :F'ift Army will continue the attack
with its majn effort on Verona . A secondary ffort will b~ directed on
th axis Bergamo K 6387 - Como E. 1902 to d ny th enemy escape routes to
the north
A.fter reaching et-.xona to b prepar d to turn east to croo s
the River Adige north of Legnano and ssist the advanc of Bighth Army.
Boundary. All Points inclusive to Fifth Ar1y . Ceneselli F. 9~06 F . 932091 - thence along Cave Bentivoglio to F . 8'70133 ... River at l? 870148 BR F . 51223 - Th ,nc alonS7, ,kola Lavigne to F .8402~3 - River Adige P-t
F . 865295 . Ac mowl dge n
ca 1
Later in the day General Clark followed the above messag..., dth t .e
to Gen ral Truscott quoted beloVT.
Ref~rence rnessag mlJ11ber 0-5430 dated 23 April IV Gorps with the
n cessary troops t=i.ttach d (See rJ Cor JS r ln.n I1 HNIBAL - Plan I dated
31 Uarch) will not e detached from Fifth Army to t,xecute the occupation
of .forthwest. Italy unt i l such time as th~1! forces required for this task
are not need d by Fifth Army to accomplish its asgi ned missions
If
however operations p rmit it is desirable tha.t orces to be used by IV
Corps in its occup tion of northwest Italy be used as far as possible in
Fi th Army s secondary e fort in the directio 1 of Como . 11
1
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L [RE°\\TCE- -APRIL 24 , 1945- At OW30 the Gcrn.,ral arrived a.t his headquert.crs
0930 confer nee . At 1000 hours Genera.l Clark saw Colonel
· Bc.. hcet Turkman of thv Turkish Army (Director of li.litary Intelligence)
and had h s
with r · g~di
Hirsch
At 1145 G neral. of the Army Arnold with Brigadier General B~eb
and Colon ,1 ~arquard, arriv ,d to see G n al Clark. The G ;n ral ri fed
them in h s war room and ent.,rtaincd them for lunch . Gen ral Chio.law,
Air Commodore Leese and Brigadier F ckard were also guests of General
Clark fo lune .
Aft r lunch the G..,n ral 1..,n · to his villa and return d to his headquarters again at 1600 where he conferred with Gcmerals Grucnth r, Brann
and Rrigadi r Hirsch on th, curr nt operations .
At 1830 hours G neral Clark, with G ,neral Grucnther, drove to General Ch id law' s ville..~ rhere a. dinn r was given for G nerci l Arnold .
*
FLOREHC - - APRIL 25 , 1945--The Gen ral a.rri ved at his headquarters at
m~oo our • At 0900 the G n ral saw G neral 1Toce, G- J of .J\FHQ . At 0930
General of the Army Arnold arriv.d ,nd attended Gcnerc_l Clark's morning
conference
Gen~:r.al .roce was also rresent . At 1000 hours Ge 1err-tl Anders arriv d . G n ral Clark introduce G ,neral Anders to General A-rnold .
At 10/j,0 G.,neralsArnold , Cl2rk, Gruent. ,,r , Chidlaw and several air fore,)
staff officers left ~lor nee airport in a C- 45 for Bologna..
The party landed at the Bologna airport, the first transport plane
�to land on the Bologna field sine· the capture of that city by the Allies .
The party was met y Gen!,jral Truscott and G neral Darcey, Commanding
General of the XXII Tactical Air Force , Air Vice Aarshal Foster of the
Dese:rt Air Force , Air Commodore Leese ancl Colonel Holmg.i."'een, ArU Off'icer .
Generals Clark and i.\.rnold , yrj th General rrruscott and staff officers , then
toured the city of Bologna or fort~r- fi v minutes ·where they were grei,.,eted
by cheering civilians . General Clark ·then drove General Arnold to the
ol gna field whcr -J General Arnold and his party took off for Florence by
C- 45 , and Generals CleJ~k ·and Gruenther flew in L- 51 s to IV orps in the
vicinity of Hodena where thy were met by General Crittenberger who took
Generals Clark and Grucnther to his command post
l
After a SA.ndwich· a.nd a cup of ou1llion at the IV Corps command post ,
Generals Clark, Gru ,nther c nd Critt ✓nb ,.rg .,r drove to the 10th tioun~aJ.11-..,
Division command post in the vicinity of San Benedet-lS'o , on•..., rid e south of
the Po where they were rne;t by General Hays and th., nevrl y-~.prointed Assis•
tant Division Commqnder , Colonel Darby . G~neral Hays briefed Gen~ral
Clark on th~ current situation, a t~r vrhic1 he took G ,.neral Clark and party
to the bridge over th Po which had Just b en completed by 10th Mountain Division and rv Corps engineers . G ,nerB.l Clark in a jeep thJn drove across
the pontoon treadway bridge over the Po . General Clark stopped enroute ,
commending many of the men on their magnificent accomplishments and hovr
proud ho was of thorn . On reaching the other side of the Po the Gen ral
drove along the river and inspected a second bridge which was just about
to e completed . He congratruated th engineers on their fine achievement .
The General th,.n drove back tote 10th Mountain Division where he bade
goodbye to Gen ral Hays . He then drove back to the IV Corps cub strip.
}
!
Genere.ls Clark and Gru nther then flew to the II Corps cub strip in,
th vicinity of Poggio Ruis co where th .,y were met by General Keyos . They
drove to the II Corps command post where they .rere briefed by the Corps
ommander on the current situation. General Clark remain d at the comr11c'1_nd ~j (i
post for approximately half an hour and then took off in his 1 - 5 again
with General Gruenther for Eighth ~rmy ·in the vicinity of Porto .Maggiore
,
whe e they were met at the cu strip by Gen ral M.c Creery. At Eighth Army
ti"
Headquart rs General rrcCreery conferred vd th Grmerals Clark and Gruenther
in his ·rar room and had the Army Group Commander for tea . G . . neral McCr ery,
with Generals Clark and Gruenther , th~m flew to 13 Corps Headquarters in
the vicinity of li"1errara where they were met 11y General Harding . G~neral
Harding briefed G n..,rals Cla-.rk and Gruenther in his war room,, and after a
short visit General Clark took off by L- 5 with General Gruerrther for
Florence arriving at his headquarters at 1830 hours . The Gen ral then
went to his yilla for th night e
*
FLORJ1NC ➔
-
AJRIL 26, 1945--Th
*
*
G n~ral h ,ld his confer.enc
*
this morning at
0915 and o.t 091+0 drov., to th~ Florence field wh re a guard of honor
vras
held for General Arnold upon his departu1·e . G ,n .,ral Clro-k bafle g0odbye
to Gc,nernl Arnold who is novr enrout.e to Bari anr th~n ack to the United
States via South Arn.,rica . The G neral spent th ., r~mainder of the da.y
workinr; on operational matt·rs in his o.c-fice . During the day the Gen,rrl
.
e
�f
(
saw at Frank of the no-lfer.seas News AgencY'' and June Frank his vnfe ,
of ll':f1his Mon-Lhtt and 11 The Omaha .lo . ld"
George Grim . . of HThe I'1inneapolis Star" called d.th the Fran cs to be bri fed hy G .n ,r~ Clark
rhe
General dined with the Am.,ric,-n .consul , f'ir Or aug , and his wife at
th ir villa in Florence this ev,ning
1
G ,neral Clark today s ... nt th~ followinF; cable to General D v .rs
v ith r ,gard to th
rench f orces op.-rn.ting on the Fr~nco-Ita.lian fronti~r:
ttGrateful for a.ssi.:-;ta.nce r:;iven ,r Fr~nch forces under your commad on ranco-Ita.lian frontier
Gonsid r tim has now ar1iv d when
further advance by Fr .. nch troops can hav, no ::ippreciable effect on
withdrnwal G .,:rnan troop~ from franco-I"balfrm front·i · r
In v:uH of
po,_)sibl., politicn:J_ r ,p rcussions, rcqu ,st that Fr ,nch troops b., h~.lt.,c
on resent- lin, and he rri thdre.vm behinrl fronti .,r as soon a8 conditions
permit 11
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FL F.El\JC i --APl IL '?? , 1945- At oq45 th G n al ai~ri ved at his head luPrt rs fl.nd h~d his morn nr, conf ,r .,nee et 0930 . Today the G . . neral promot ✓d Col. Suth ,rlnnd to th grade of ·ull colon.,l~ He lso bri f~d
the following corr ,spondents in his ·mr room: George Palm.,r , Associated } ss ; Aldo : orte:, , United r . . ss; JR.mes Coop r, London Daily Telegram; :Cmery I.,ierce, ...iondon H rald; Southworth Kelly Au~tralian :;ress ;
John W. . llis , London Drily el ,gra.m; WilliP.m TJ . Robeson , Columbia Broadcastin~ ~y tem; Anton Lader , 1\Jational Broadcastinft, Corporation; FrPnk
Telford , Columbia Bror-i,dcasting System; Rob .,rt Sha.yon , Colurnbia Jroad casting System
G ,n ,ral Clark ha.d Gen . . r ls Moran, Brann and T:--.t as
guests for lunch . After lunch t 1, G .,n..,ral 1e ft f'or th., villR · for tJ1e
a t rnoon and evening .
General Clark today recei vcd the f ollowinp, cable from eneral Alex,,.nder with reg:ird to future opern.tions of 15th Army Group in Italy
I
"L Vlhile th.., primP...ry obj ct of 15th Army Group still remains to
prevent th .,nemy from ,stablishing himself on th,., Adig, - Alps Line ,
it is now desirabL to d ~ ,rmin, th., G ✓ n .,ral course of op rrit1ons subs quent to yours izur,, of the gen.r al areA. icenza - Padua - eronr-t
Fhen this has berm ach ,ved, t1-Je ma:,.imum '"'ffort of which you are capB,ble
should bed veloped towards .
(A) Gaining control ovt.,r the 1•,hole Br nner
of .tnnsbruck as the fin-'1.l objective .
oute with the capture
(B) S izing the port of Trieste n,s rapidly as possibl with a view
to the e tabl:i.sh:n . . nt subseq 1 ... ntly of control ov .,r the Trieste Tarvisio - Villach rout into Austric:
11 2 .
The occupntion o · ! orthwest anrl 1 ortheast Italy Hnd the ex u h . ing of · em/!3.lning ~nemy resistance in taly r~mrdn s condary to the abmre
/
�tasks
Th escap of any consid . . rabl., n..,my forces from t orth est Ite.ly
i l l in any case e pr .,vent .,d as soon f'.s you ar~ esta lish d on th Balzano - r~rano s,ctor of the Br.,nn r route .
u3
It is of g eat importance that prompt advc tag be ta1~en of
any opportunity that may aris, to seize Tri ste . This may well occur at
any arly dnt • An amphibious lift for a fore in th~ order of one bri•·
gade group/rct, can be r.18.d av,. ifabl, at Anconri at ive days notice
Apr.i.rt f rom true taken in ,mbarh,. ion,_ time r quired to s~eer the fore ...
into Tri ste will be int ~ ord,r of fourte n days
Possible operrtions
which you should be T' epar,d to carry ouv at sh rt notic are as under .
D tail d naval phmninr; should
don with F ALI.
(A) Acceptance of su.rr1.,nder of G rmrm gar:cj son to an Alli d seaborn force b or Tri ste c~=m )e reRch d ov rlB.nd. . Gerr:i.~
ommand r may in last resort, pr fer this to su-r n .ering to Jugoslavs .
( ) Rapid r inforcement by nea of srne.11 force which may e abl,
to occupy Tri st by lan<l in ad vane., r-md out of support of main.
forces
'rhis mig t ·1ell occur in confus d situation likely to fol low a g n .. r 1 C'r .... rman surr.,nd r in this theater ..
4. In planning op,rations for th capture of rieste you should
knoillf that it is my intention to limit the ar .a of VIC i'JZA GJULIA occupi~d
by your fores to such as is n c ssary to me~t naval equ:irements , which
includes occupation o Pola., and to ens-ure the ffectiv control ands curity of the LOC of the occu:rational forces to be sta)lish d subsequently in
tria . This task 1ill e mr-i.c1 the r ponsibility o: cm Anglo American task ore of a corps of one U S. and on,., British Division .
:F'urth ~r d tails will be furni h d you separAtely.
11
Au
n5
In th; meantime, it will greatly facilitrte th---- a.rran~em nts
i:·rhich muot be made at thi'"' headqun.rtcrs to g i ve th fullest possible
support to your operations if you will,
J
(A) Giv, a provisional allocation of fore ,s to each of the tasks
in para.graph on, and to th occupation.o-r No th"Test and Northeast
Italy.
(B) ,fomine.t~ th., corps headquarters for the Anglo-Am ric,m task
force m"ntion din paragraph four . "
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FLORENC --APRIL 28 1945--Gen ,ral ClRrk had his regular conferenc., this
morning at 0930 . The <Lneral Sf!Vl Bri ~adier Gen ... rAl Pleas Rogers, Commanding Gen ,ra.l of th, Seine Base Sectio in Fr- nee . G.~n c 1 Rog rs
is an old fri .. nd of G neral Clarks .
T L General spent the entire day in his office '!Orking on pap ,rs
n.nd confe ring •rith members of his staff . H return d to t ,e villa for
th a ternooJ1 and ev ,ning .
�I •
•
�With refer nc- to G n ral Clark's cable of April 26 quoted in the
diary not .. s o th, ame day, G n.,ral Devers sent th following cable to
the Commc,nder of French fore s in Italy ..
n In ccordance w:i th r 'lu" st of AFI·P1 and 15th Army Group, you will ·
halt your troop. on th
pr s nt lin, and orgn.niz., defensiv lin •
Pr ..pare to withdrA..'J' into Prance as th military situation p ,rmits .
J~
HThei, C'rerman forcos in Italy ht.v
be n compl· tely disorganized and
ith-
urt_ r action along the Alps s .,ctor will not appr~cir:ibly _;ffect
dra ml of t , .Jn my force from tru: _t s ctor .
"Your op~rations have been successful and th~ Commanding General
of 15th krmy Group and SAG11ED have extend Jd t 1eir gra ,i tude for your as sist .nee t
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FLOREnc· - -APRIL 29 1945-- h G... neral ad his r gular conferenc at 0930
thi'"' morning . Mr ~ Offic, Polit5 cal Adviser , AFHQ called to see the
Gen ral to discuss Austrian affairs
1tr . Thomas also saw the G... n,ral
t is morninr; and was brLfed y Jnm in his wa.r room
Maj . G n . Henry,
G- 1 of the War Depar m._.nt , and rig . G .. n . VIillard Irvine, Deputy G-3 of
the War Depnrtm Jnt, with :/lr" Offie and J1r . Lowell Thomas irrere guests of
G ,neral Clark or lune
This morning we ·1 arn d that rrJUssolini had een shot last night
p~rtisans at Lak , omo e Aft Jr lunch the G..ner 1 spent the afternoon by
in \
his offic conferring w:ith members of 1is staff .. H, returned to his vil-.
la for dinn rand th, cv__,ning .
I
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LOR'8 11TG --APRIL 30, 1945--Th G ,n ,ral arrived at his command rost a t
0900 this r10rning and had his r gular 0930 conf r nc • At 1000 hours
Maj ., Gen .. Osborn,, who had t e Informa.tion and E ucation Branch of th
;'18.r Departm ,n~ , called on G ,n .,ral Clar •
Today G,..,n ... rr 1 Clark· moved his TAC H adquert rs to Bologna ., The
Gen,ral remained in h:ts offic,, this afternoon nnd return..,d ·o th~ villa
for the night .
General Cl8rk today sent th ... following message to Gf}neral McCrecry:
"l
rigadicr Stayn..,r rill deliver to you t·10 messn.g s ·hich will
give you som., background inforrM.tion which ma.y be of ast'.:!istanc , to you
in the oecupati.on of ;)JEZIA GIULIA .
n2 . AFHQ are forwarding a ·r equ st to Tito asking th-qt control of
such of his fo rces as ar., in
"'D~ZIA GI JLD\ '7h ,n contn.ct V1 ith your
forces is made in thf-\t ar n b, pnsc,ed to control of 15th Army Group .
If Tito agr, s thJs, Ju~oslav forces will b passed to your comnand:
�{
n
r
p.
r.,,_ .-,._..._.,,
.
6,)
p.
- ~
~
-',
,;-
(.,;
~
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�9\
ttJ . Your curl ent J'flis sion dir .,cts an a(lwmce on axis TRBVISO UDI ~ - 'rRIBSTE ., See O - 54 50 of 26 April. Wh n contact iq mad with
Titos forces you ,~ill ~ot conduct any Op-"rrrtions in territory occupied
by these forces which might precipitate nrmed clashes bet reen your orc~s and tho~·H, of Tito . If Tito ' s forces :1.r . not ,.,Tilling thr-i.t you advance :into territory thLy hold you rill halt ~ om' advrm ,c anf r port
the situation to this headquarters )Y most rapid means ·or dec;i..sis>n . ~'0
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J. ~
FLORE~f --HAY 1, 1945- Toc1ay is G n rnl Clark's birthday
During th
day Gen ral ClF.trk saw in his offic~ Co11.gressman l ~v .,rett M. Dirksen of
Il inois who was A.ccompani~d by 'fJ.r John Shmir Young of the For,.,,ign :Sconomic Administration ..
At 1700 hours a bj rthday party 1tras gi v .,n for GcnerRl Clark in his
conf..., ence hut wher. thirty- five of his clos fri~nds and staff officers drank to hi health and vr" shed him a happy irthday
A irt ~ay
cake was pres-,nt .,d to him . y his mess personnel.
This t:,v,ning Gen,ral Glark gave a small )irthday pa:rty at is villa with Gen.,ral .rru .,nther, G .,n..,ral Brann Colonel Porter and Ca .tain
Berenson rr s_.,nt
A tr ,m_,:ldous cake was present d to G ner2l Clar < by
th ., mess sergeant · t the villa
General Clark today dictated the following notes for inclusion in
his diary.
nwhat could 1?e more a :r:rropria.te than on my 40th birthday for the
Alli d 15th Army Grou to reach t , clima of its t v nty-month cnm.· gn in Italy.
n ne of th" ri-10 t coT11plet~ [-1.nd d .ci ,:,~ v., victories in m: lit~ry history he s h~en record d b;r these two armies in a . .,riod of a proximately
thr e w eks .
irApp· oximately lli.5,000 prison.,rs hav, been fa_l{en, anrl the Ligurion
Army, con·nstin~ of two G... rman an . t'fo Itrilian di isions is hop,.,l ssly
pinn ..,d in the rnurin area Tith all exits to the north bloc,cd .
}L
comm::m er of 1.,his army has b~tm cartur · d and is in my custody - A:irshal
Graz~iani . His hi,~ f of s·' aff, G .,n~rnl J ems 1, surr nr~ered and ,:,igrL. d
. lL'1condi tiona 1 surrender terms pr ,,.sented to him by Gener~.l Crj ttenher er ..
. Up to this time th ., troops have ot acted uron th, surr~ndor t .,rms
sign"'d y th , hi .f of StRff .. The oth r bm G~rman arm::.es, th 10th
and H,th , he ve b .. n sm she d to bi ts
The only r Plaining port of I tRly
in '-':'1 .,my hanris is rt small mountainous ar ,a f--om the r ,nner Pass to
the north~rn tip of L-"lke Gnrda .
0
f
n- ealiz-ing thnt renc,.., n.,gotfotions B.r., 1.m,'t1r ,·my at various plr:i.ces
and th..,t soon ther , '-1 ill be an ov rvrhelming announce _.nt throu) out th,
world that unconditional surrender of all German armi s 1.qs been eff cted, I made the followin > statem ,nt yest ,,.rday:
�11 1T
1
· oors of th 15th Army Group have so smri sh .,d the G~rman Rrmj_ s
in Jtal:, thnt thev hF.iVe b en virtually ,1: m~_rn,ted as a militAry force .
This c struction has ...11 c .,n accomplish d in th· offensiv, vr ich is
no 2~ dA.ys old for the 8th Army, an 15 _dcys old for the 111ajor art
of th , 5t 1- .Arny.,
PI1 •rcnt -five G.,rm'ln divisions some of the b st in the G ,rwm
army hav been torn to pieces and c~.n no long).Jr effect:lvely resist our
armi s . Thousands of v hicl s , tr<!!m ndous qmmti ti .,s of c.rms anr equirment, and ov~r l?O 000 prison ,rs have e .,n captured anc1 mnny mor~ are
eing corralled
11
The military po·r.r Jr of G :cmruiy in Italy has nractj cally ceased ,
evc.n t ough scatter d- fighting IJPY continu as r .. mnants of the: Germrin
armies are mopp d up cir
11
itr FSUf,d this statement rdvisedly, for I ,•ant ,d my troops anfi the
world i.n ,,en-,ral to lrnow that no Hrmj sticc broug. t about the 90 1 lcte
victory in taly. · T 1., ,nc: of Germ,.. n rm· er in Italy fas rought Bbout
on the fi ,ld of battl,., by our handing him as decisive c: rcfeet as hes
ev ,r be . . n rieted out to nn en . . rny grou of armies .
urt is inter•~st1ng to note at this time when ~reat success has be . . n
achieved on the field of battle wh-=,n Italy has be ..,n conquered by a
march las ing w ,nty months rom south to nor h thn.t I nff'l rn"l confrontec
wit delicate situations on oth my flanks .
ey are rs follmrn :
non th west the J tA.lians nr worried , anri on, of my rit-i_sh Li".'j son
Q_ficers rr:_th a partisan cLtachmcnt in he west t 1 grap q that cxcite nent ls rif, ov,r the ,ntrance into Italy of French troops . I have a
report that t he Fr,nch int end to occu py th..., Val D' Aosta. and hold a
pla is cite . Our partisano are vrell armed and !Vill rr,sist . This b ing
of a polit·ical nr::1.ture , I refrain,.,d from scndine; a radio direct to G . . n ,rnl
Dev Jrs but instead t 1 .phonnd this information to Field i·Ic:.rshal ALxander !1.th the requ__,st that , take it up throug Ik J to se.., that no cuch
move on th~ part of the French takes place .,
I
"This French si tua-tion is interesting ,)1:;Cause I requester' Al xander
to hav the French Corps opposing the G .. rman divisions in the Maritime
Alps attack in con.junction w~ th my spring offensiv
.This caus~ :i :rol:i:.,ical repercussions by t 1e di lomats ,,,ho were r"luctant to have . th.., French
com into Italy for f -tu· of Italian- Fr,..,nch d-istm~)8,nces .
1-:iemrnded th~t
th, v com~ in a~d follow up th0 G ,rman divisions nho would b"'l fore, l to
:mll cut of the 11.rritime Al ps as my armies crossed th, Po . T h ~
finall;r r ,fused by Eis__.nhow ,r on the rrround thot he could not sup ort
such aIT10Ve loeis ically. I p ,rsonally discuss d this with th~ British
Ambas ador
Tr . ri:rcr iillan , in 1 ;r command post 2nd vri th Alexand~r a:nrl asked
r1c11•1illrm to radio tho Prim~ l' j nj_ster , ·which h did .. Th, I-rime Minis ter concurred in my v:i ews thnt th , Fr~nc 1 shoul .follow up a G rml n vi thdrm 1 , come into Italy, and th-, French Corp~ , i t th,, rroper mom ,nt ,
pass to my command
I di.:>cussed this vfith G~nercl Juin 1Jvm h .J v~sit~a
m . HJ was heartily in accord and tolr:1 me that G ner ,.l D Gull was
most anxious that t e ~ ·French troops e::i.in come unc r my comme.nd . This
· ould result in t c Germ,m. Division~ in th , ]lfaritim, Alrs b i:nr; un.? le
L
�to !V'i'Lhrlraw on their own timJ sch ,dul ;. \ I a.rn quoting h::,low the l.Jtter I
jus rec iv ,d from Juin i:rhich corrobor tes the 3tP.tem ,nt I make nbove:
tt 'IIaving returned to Paris, I want to tell you vrhnt a moving memory
I have of th~ rl~.ys spcn with you in Flor nee and to thPnk you of th
ho""p5.tHlity yon show d m, . I va:1 profoundly touched,
J
11
It was p?rticula.rly pleasr nt to find Jtnly in a moment enliv ,ncd
,o of yo111.. armies .
Th atmosphere was thP.t of
th-.- rnagnific ,nt nnd glorious days o·'"' la.st f'!ay an:, Jun,, w~th the same
clairvoyant and ,n ,rg ,tic command~r ,..,.ho knov, s how to rr .,pare :md to win
his batt 1 ,s .
by the brilliant succ ss
u· · am quite certain· that you ·r5 ll ma.rY t , la t oints anc1 I r --,joic.., beforehand . 'fobody de "rves it mor, than you who has tak n such
a great part in t1e def..,at of our common .,n~rny.
ttt You ~mow my n.esire,
·;hich is that of my governm nt, to s~c th,
Fr ,nch troops pnrticipr :t~ in your victory. I would e ht"PrY ·if this
wish was g:ranted nnd nt tho sar10 time I "'muld r )gr , t not to b e bli? to
he d.,sirviat5d mys,lf to s~rve und"'r you again .
u ~rhnnks ag in, my dear G .,n ral , ·,fill you pl ase tra.nsmi t my r gards to the frienrl s of th, mo.gnificent tef'm thP.t you ht1v.;, constituted
around you 11.nd accept r y s ,ntim nts of tru, attachm .,nt
Aft ,r J receiv ,d word that Gen r..- 1 ~is ...,nhow-:..r could not support c.
Frenc mover, ,nt -to the ec st lof:sistically, I th ,n reluctantly sent the
1,..
following telegrnm:
·
VV'o/'J
11
~
v,..
Hr Grat ,ful for nssist,P..nc.,, given by French forces und ,r your comrnnnd
on Franco-Ite.lJ a.n fronti ,r . Consider t tm~ h[l.S nrnr arrived when further
advance y French tr oops cnn have no prreciabl, Gffcct on wj thdrcwal
Ge:r·man troops from Franco-Italir-1.n fronti .. r . In vLw of possiole political rep- rcu sions requ st that Fr .,nch troops b ., halted on rresent line
and be wi thorEJ.-~rn ehind frontier as soon ns concVitions r ,rmi t . 1
nr,zy- worri ,s on my '"'"ast flnnk ar.,. ns f'oJ.lo•rs. The frovinc., of
Ven zfa. Giulfr is a hot spot b ✓ t,•rr,en the Italians and Jugoshws . Al xandcr conf .,rrcd with Tito rec:.-ntly on this subj ct . No d cisive r0.sults
cam,, of this discussion . Al, . xand _.r und ,rstood that Tito "Ould not oppose th, movem,nt of my troops into thi rrov5nc,, including th occupation of riMt P.nc Polri a11d oth ,r naVA 1 faciliti ·, s in t c I tr inn } ~ninsula . H~ assum ,d that 1I'ito '!Ould ~.lAcP- his troo s under my comrnrnd .
I hnve 8~t up, unL er Piehth Arffly, a Bri tj sh Corps corrimnnd ,(°1 by G .:r1.✓rPl
Harding ,;ri th a N.,w Z ,aJ.an<] di visfon of Fr .,y urg 1 s and th 91st [Jjvj sion
under Livesay to uccup;v the port facilities of encz:.a Giulia. J have
d.ir~cted th:1· under no circumstances if our troops are opros d by the
ue;oslavs w com invo a.rm~,d conflict vi th th8m . I hav sent th~ following t , 7_ • , am to t0fl t, , ffect:
(
' 1.
Brigadier tayner will deliver to you trro m ssag s which will
give you fWme ackgroun<l information which may b of as$istance to you
11
---l
�in th~ occupation of VE JEZIA GIULIA
2. AF -Qare forwarding a. request to Tito asking t nt control of
such of his forces as are in \n~:r:izIA GIULIA when contAct with your
forces is made in that ar .;,a b, passed to control of 15th Army Group .
If Tito aP;.'"I'ees th.es~, tTuo;oslav forces -v: ill be p..-:1 ss Jd to your comm'" nd
11
" 3.. Your cnrr nt r.1ission dj rccts rm a.dvanc,, on axis 'L'REVISO TTDPlE - "PRI1 !:smE . Se O - 51+50 of 26 April . Nh'""n contact is made rdth
Tjto t s fore . . s you ill not con.c1uct any op rr-ttions in t .,rritor:t occupied
by thes forces which might pr ,cipitat armed clr.shes bet,1 ,en your fore s and t ose of Tito
If "rito' s forces r.r, not y,·i lHng th, t you ndvance into t rritory they hold you ill hrlt your t1dvn'l'lc,, anrl. r 1,port
the situation to this h ,adqUc-,,rters by most rap· d m ,n.ns for decision . 1 "
'lith r . . f ..,r ,nee to the situation at the Franco -Itnlian frontier
Gvneral Devers ca )lod th 1rench Cor1r1J.ander too~y as follows•
11 t is necessc r;r a<"' a matter of urgency thPt complet, compliance
be r;iven to th , provisions of ahove quot~n rn ,s age . That is,, :rou c P.s,
of'fcmsi~.,, action at once in your s .,ctor 8nd r~tire to the li'ranco-ItPlien
bord .,r n.s ra.pi ly as the militA.ry situ....~tion permits ., n (Ca 1, referred
"L,o above _is q 10tf3d in di.!U' Y notes of 28 April 1945).
G neral Clark today sent the following cable to G neral Ivrccreery:
t1The follm•ring message y Fj J.d Marshc 1 Alexander to Mn.rsha.l Tito
is furnished you for y ur information
Refer nc is F 68316 oi' 1 ,h y..
1
fH l .
As my forces are no r1 nearing Venezia Giulia I Tish to inform
They ar similar to tho ewe discussed at
I int nd to:
you of m immediate plans .
~1 ~ ... nde
A. Secure port of Triest~ an~ th
ing to Trieste
~
L of C th.rough Italy lead-
B" S cur., L of C from Triest~ to Austria via Gorizia - Ta.rvisio .
A you .. "no-r:t1 , these ar., n cessary for my furth r
Austria against our common .,nemy
dvance into
" ' 2 . I also r,quire for my naval orces the use of the harbour
ola. and anchorag~s on the Istrian coast · et Tl., n Pola and Tri ,ste and
the L of_r, between these two ports .
(
1
~ ' 3.
Concurr ntly with operations 1ndicPt d c bove my fore s will
continue operations again t the G~rman r'.rmed forces wh..,r,ver found
until th .,J.r ul ima.te destruction is '- chiev d . Except to secure th
obj ctives listed in Para On abov my troops will continu~ th ir op~rations until th ,y hav, linked with forces und r your corriF.tand . I have
i sued instructions to my comnann rs that in - eas wh~r both our
fore s nre op rating maximum care will b ta1" .,n to identify themselves
�in thJ occupation of VENF::ZIA GIULJ.A
n 2 . AFH() re .orwarding a. request to Tito asking thnt control of
such of his forces as are in v1;:•1::JZIA GIULIA when contFLct d th your
fore .. s is made in that ar . a h., passed to control of 15th Army Group .
If Tito a ,i-·ees these tTuo:oslav forc~s Vi ill be pr, ss · d to ym.J!' coP1W'nd.
1
Your cnrrent mission d:lrccts nn advance on axis TREVISO Se O - 545 of ?6 April. NhJn contact is rriade with
Tjto s forces you . ill not conr1uct any op rations in t rritor:r occupied
by these forces which might pr~cipitat armed cl(\.shes bet r Jen your fore s and those of Tito
If Tito's forces r-.r , not ,,,:i lling th, t you advance into t rri tor;v th ,y holn you will h, 1 t your advance anrl. r port
the sit'U8tion to this h Atdquarters b;r most rapid men.ns for decision . ' n
nt3.
rmpJE - 'rRP~SrE .
~Tith r f Jr ,nee to the situation at the Franco-It::1lian frontier ,
G nernl Devers ca )led th, 1 rench Com ri.ander torlriy s follows:
t is n .,cessar;r as a matter of urgency thPt compl"t., compliance
bo giv n to th , provisions of a ov.., quot~n m ,s ge . That is, :rou c P.s~
off nsiv:.. action at once in your s .,ctor ~md retire to the li'ranco-ItP liPn
horcfar as rapidly as the militRry situation permits. n (CabL referred
to abov is quot~d in diary notes of 2g April 1945).
11
G neral Clark today sent the following cable to G neral J,f fcCreery:
n he following message by FL,ld Marshal Alexand r to Marshal Tito
is furnished you for y ur info mation . R ferenc is FX 68316 of 1 vlay.,
n 1
As my forces are nov1 nearing Venezia iulia I rish to inform
you of my :immediate plans . They are similar to tho e we di cussed at
,1., .. n.ne . I int nd to:
A Secure port of Trieste
ing to Trieste
v---· B.
nrl th
L of C th.rough Italy lead-
Secure L of C froP'l Tri,ste to Austria via Gorizia - Tar-
visio .
As you l,.noTTI these arc necessary for my further advance into
Austria against our contrnon .. nemy
ft 2.
J also r ,quire for my naval forces the use of th harbour
Pola and anchoragM on th Istrian coast et-.,, n Pola and Tri ,ste and
the L of_C betwc ·n these two ports .
rt r 3. Concurr ntly with op rations indicAt d above my forces will
continu operations against the German 8rmed forc.s wher~vvr found
until th1'ir ultimate destruction is '-chievcd . Except to secure the
objectives list-din Para On abov my troops will continuJ th ir operations ·until th ,y hav., linked with forces under your car.in.and . I h ve
issu,d instructions to my comnanders that in areas wher both our
fore s nre op rating maximum care ·rvill
taJ,. .,n to identify th ,mselves
�(
and avoid at all costs ~ngagement due to rnj_stak ... n identity when they
are about t,o link up. I urge t r-it you ic;suo similar instructions to
our troops .
t1 t 4
I preRum~ any of your forces which may be 'in the area. aff~cted
· by my operations will come under my command, ~.s you su :>gested durj ng our
rec nt discussion in elgrade and that you will now i ... su , orders to
that e feet .
u t 5.
IJy Alli d Pilitary Government rill b .,come op rational in
conformity 1• ith the progress of my military op /rations
It ·1ill funcMon through such local authorities as ar found to be in eff~ctive control in the a!eas occupi d by my troops
n 6. I would be .c.;ra· eful for any information on the progress
of your op .,rations in V n . . zia Giulia and your intentions vu
G neral D v,rs today sent th follo·ing m~ssag
Fr nch forces on the Franco-Italian frontier:
to the CoMmnnder of
eference lX 13647 28 April 1945, this headquart rs, it L n,cessa y as a matt r of urgencv that compl t ., compliance be gi v, n to th
rrovisions of above quot d m ssag., . T1at is thnt you cer-ise offensiv
a ct·on at once in yam.~ sector and r,tire to the Franco-Italian border
as rapidly as th1' m· litA..t'Y situa: ion p ,. mi ts "
___..
11
*
*___.
*
CiLORE:NCE--I.,l4.Yr 2)1945 -The G neral e..rriv ,d at his office at 0830 and had
is regular morning confer ,nee at 0930 . This J11orning G~n ral ClP..rk was
informed by AFHQ th t the G rma.n Command r-in-Chief, South,, st, G:en ral
on i..,tingho.ff, had agreed to t ... rm of unconditional surrender in
Italy.
Day in Italy vras officially announc ,d this r-1.ft •rnoon at
1830 h'om·s 9v r t e radio
The Gen ral spont the entir ., day in his offic, and din,d a.this mess a.t th coP1mand post this evening.
.J
General Clark today di tated the follovnng notes for inclusion in
his diary.
ttAll day we hrve wait .,d for ·rord f! om th · G.,rman emissari s who
signed the "rms of surrend r a few d y ago. .ti iru:i lly this aft rnoon
we int . . rcept ,d an<l picked up in the cl ar instructions sign .,d 1Jy G ,neral Wolf, the SS Commander, to various .,J.em . nts of his coP1rr1and notify. in~ th ,m th- t as o 140 hours ~ay ?nd an armist:i.ce rmuld be in being
P.nd 0.t ivM ch tj m all ' troop
ould lay dovm their arms .
nr ha.v Ju t talk.,d ,ith Fi 1_ld Tn.rshal Alexanoer, an<l he told me
thet at lRJ0 hours his new .. r .,Las"'s s .,nt h ,re prev~ ously hould be released; thRt he has receiv~d a message t1at Kesselring would like~is
onor the surr nder . He also decided that leaflets rmnouncing th, surrend ,r ,,roul<l be dropped . My ·worry is that wh"n my m-,n henr of this
e..11 caution wi ll be throV\Tn aside anrl_ casual tics may occur fr·om G__.rmans
ho hav not received the ~ord .
/
�npr .,viously I have put out instructions to both arm'.l_ s attem t-
ing to restra·n any undue h 1 -rai~ing
----------
11It is a fittin'.> cl::.max to this hard ItHlian campa.ign thPt aft r
a three-week smash offensive we h3ve so sm~sh_,d th, GermHn forces in
Italy tJ~at they ar thJ first army grou: to surr ~nd r u o nditi_onally
It is also intcrestin~ that as th~ G..,:rmans turn in thJir suits I have
great worrLs .:'rom Yu~osl1wia . Tito indicates thf1t __ e l ill not 7elcom,
our troops east of the Isonza niver . .A.s a Tnc'ltter of fact, they ar
already east of that riv,r, and I have directed ~ighth Army to move on
Trieste but under no conditions bring on a .ight '1th the Yugosfavs .
In order that American troops may not he embroiled in such a nisast r ,
I ru.ve ~ ithhcld th, 91st Division from ,fcCr~ ry for th.., pr s ..,nt .
his ciftJrnoon Freyb rg pa sed a ~quest to rie to bomb certain coast1 be tteries south of 'Trieste and h ,. not kno ~,ing 1h .,ther they 1ere
mann d by Tito ' s fore ~s or GcrlTlf!n and also to make a strong aerial demonstration over Tri ste its ·lf. I h.ve refused both of these on th
ground that it may be sue an incid.,nt which will precipitate us in
hostilities in the Balkans
I so notified Al xander by phone, of my
r j,iection of Fr ,yberg'' s request.
"In thew st my request to have French .fores w1.thqrawn has met
no succes
Dev rs in compliance uith my request, order d t em back
to the frontier . I have just seen a radiogram that Devers s nt to
Bis nhower quoting A. m~ssa.ge from th }"'rench Cm s Commander tha.t h"'
would stop his off nsive in I aly but oulr not v,i thdraw his troops
until told so by his gov1'rnm..:,nt
This lends s om cre0enc to the belL th~t the French may have some t rritorial aspirations :m vlestern
Italy
rt I have arranged vd th Fifth Arny to bring the G .rman d leg tion
my headquarters as soon as h y appear und r a flag of true at the
front j ne . Wh .-n th y arri v h r , I , ill h?ve the two army command• rs
and General r,hidlaw, and through my staff issue complete instructions
to the --i',rman comrriandcr-in- chief in Italy.
nFi 1
'rB.rshal Al xandcr ms most anxious to release his announcement at 1830 this evening ~ This gave ;I.ittl time to get mrd to the
armi s . I nm- issuing an ord .,r of the day as follo~rs:
1
n t Iith a full and grateful heart I hail and congratulate you in
this hour of complete victory over the German ~nemy and join with you
in t 1anks to Alrrrighty God .
nt you:rs ha.s been
long , hard fight - the lon est in this w.r o
any Alli~d troops fighting on the Contin~nt of Burope . You men of th
Fi.th and Eighth Armies have brought that fight to a succ ssful conclusion by your r ,cent brilliant o·'fensiv op rRtions which shatt r d
th, G.,rm::in forces oppo ing ' you
Th jir <o 1rren6er was the in vite.ble
course left to them, the;v had nothing more to fight vTith in Ita.ly.
11
You have demonstrated something n
~nd
em2r abl~ in th
annals
�(
of organized rmrfare : You hc1.v~ shown thr-it a hug, fight:i ng fore~ com- /
posed of units from many countries with diverse fangua sand customs ,
inspired , as you have alMa.ys be n, r.rit a devotion to th caus of
/
freedom can become an eff ctive and hRrmonious fig 1ting team
rt t Th s tearmork 1; ich ha ca:cri d us to victor:r has inclm1 ed in
full measu , th , upporting arms which have worY ,d with us throughout
the car11pPign
T e services that hr-w suppl i d us have overcom unelievabl., obstacles a.nd have kept us constantly armed , quipp d , and
fed
Th , Ilk-'1.fnific nt support which vVv have ah ays had from the Allied
air and rwval f orc~s in t is ,h .,a .,r ht'1 s •rr-i tt .,n a n w pc g in th
history of coop rntive combat action.
11 1
0ur exult ation in this mom'"'nt is bl,nde with sorroN' as we p2.y
tribute to th__. h_,roic Alli d oldi,rs who have fallen in bnttl in
order thnt "this victory might b0 achi ve<l. The en ir world Till
or,ver honor th ir memory
tt tThe ':'tar i not ov "'r . Th G .rman military m~c ine hHs· been c ompl . t .. ly crush .. d by th~ spl ndi<i crunpaii:sns vag~d by you and your coll ,0.8,l s of th - Western a.nd Russian f'ronts .
her , r r:iai ns th a,ll import ant task of inflicVng a similnr compLt c:efcat on our r r.iaining
en my - Japan . 1!.iach on of us in th .. 15th Army Group raust continue
vdthout pau...,e to ~ive the full :neasur of ffort to till1t task wher ,v r
w~ may b~ calle upon to servo e
11
I ~.m intens ly proud of you all and of th honor w 1ich I 1P.ve
had of conr:1anding such invincibl troops
My thP..nks r;o to each of you
for your ca.pabl , aggres i ve and loyal servic rhich hr-i.s produced this
great victory
n Men of th 15th Arny Group., I mo ·r you ,"Till fac, the task ahead
wHh the same magnificent, g .. n rous .and indomita l, spirit you have
sho ·rn in t is long ampaign
Forward, to finri.l Victory. God bl ,ss
you all . 11
whic
Presiden Trrnnan tode.y s nt his congratulations to G·,n ,rt=il
:read s follovs:
lark
11
0:n th~ occasion of the final Jrilliant victory of thA Allied
ArmLs in Italy in imposi g unconditiomd surr ,nder upon the ~nemy I
wish to convey to ·t . , Ar1. rican fore .. s unr1er your command ancl to you
p ,rsonally th appreciation and =>ratituc e of th Jr .sident end of the
pe oph, of th Hnitcd Stat __. s . Ho prais fr adequate ":or t 1 heroic
achit vements ~nr magni. ic nt courag~ of ev ry indi- irual under your command c1_1 Jrin~ this long an trying campai1n . Arn .,rica is r,rou of the
ess ntial contribution mad, by your l\.r'1 ... rican Armies to t . final Allied
victory in Italy
ur thanks for your ~allant lead ., rship nnd the death
lJcs valor of your men Tl
Thi;; Army Group Comnander this ev,.,ning s nt t .e follovring radio t o
Gen ... rals ~1ccr~ery and Trus ott:
�"Enemy for c s under comman<l Commander-in-Chief Southwest have
urrend ,red unconditionP.lly. Th territory east of t e Isonzo Riv .,r
is no+; tm,1 r command Commander in-Chief 'loutlwest
Allied forcc,s of JJ
15th Army Group vill cease ?irj ncr, forth \Tit except in th~ vent of / /
a n ov r\, hostile act y th ,nerny. On receipt of this messag case
B Op:,rations In'""truction ~ , Headri_uart ,rs 15th Army Group , dat..,d 1 r:ray
is effe ctiv.,
'I' nnyson will b put into or ,ration at once .. Atten tion is invit
to th, fact thot c rtain German forITk"l_tions r-m~ -:nits
will li<ely disr gard orders to surrender an(1 -rill continu to fight
"in which ev nt n cessary a c vion will be ta rnn by AllLd troops o ac c omplish th 1r r1ission . u
Wit 1 urt 1-r r · f rer~ce to t e ugoslt:v an situPtion, GmLral
lerk sent 1e follm"'lr ing ca )le to G~n ral McCrc Jry.
ttFollowing p rson.A.l message has been r ceiv ,d from General Tit o
·y Field Varshal Al xand .. Field TTars 1al Al .. :and ..r has not yet had
the opportunUy to study th, po into r ised y Tito but this headquar t er s will e advised a s s oon a s decision ha s been taken
M,a nwhile
you will c onduct oper ations in s uch a. mann ·,r a s to avo i d armed con- ·
l i ct w~th Yugoslav forces . Lessag begins :
(
I
I
n I have rec ived and careful ly consirler .,d th ., 5 points contn:i n~d
in your telegram regard i ng the reln.tions and the areas of operations
of th Allied Ar mies a.nd the Yur,oslav Army in Is rie. and the Slov . ne
L1ttor 1 . Since our last rr1 ting and conv..,rsation th situati on hB.s
c ang ,d so much in s o far as units o_f my 4th Army coop~rPting with
Slovene units hav..., with great diffi.culty a.nd heavy losses brok.,n through
the str no:th ned def __..naive lin, running from .rium to Trieste uh re
str et f~_ghting is going on now . In addition nearly the whole of Is tria vfith th, exc_,ption of Pola. Rovjgno and s verril other °1.,o, -ns where
stre t fighting ""s going on has been libernted
our troops . In connection vJith the above I fish to give you tl,., following information
In order to liberate Yu~oslavia am round up all enemy troops in Yugoslavia as quickly as possible I he: ve mad the -following plan ,•rhich is
alr ady bing carried out .,
fl~ 1
':10 liborc_te I stria 'T'rieste a.no Monfalcon:.. ns far as the
Isonzo J .iv .. r "nc to A.c:vt nee up th Isonzo towards tL_, Austrirm front ier .
11 t ? .
In this conn ., ction th, n.r ,a of op .ration.::, of th tr oops under my command hR.s b en decided t~nt is th-- li ., I . onzo ~rom its
mouth middles ( queri1'd) RozeP."o Gor-Lzia Tolmin~ o and Tarvisio (Tar :1ia) .
tr 3
In accordanc with our pr ,v ~ ous agroeTt1ent I am prerEir d t ...... t
y ou should use the ports of Mriest, ind Pola as -1ell a.s th ., Tf'ilvray lin
Tr Lste - rrf'l_rviso for supplying your troops in Austria .
11 4
I vri11 ther ..,fore be .,rateful i f you will give orders to your
tro ops t o n;et in contact ·with my troo s on t ~ , n.bove 1:1 .,nM on ,d l ine
where fu~th~r details regnx·ding their coop~ra tion can be agreed on the
spot .
�99
th
spot
rr t 5. I agr ,e those of my units er ·partisans ·ri'th th..,m op ,rating
o thew c;t of that 1-ine will come under your command
n 6. I ag.t" .,e and thanl< you for ;rour sugg .,stion thrt th,, closest
contact is n cessary 'v_) tween our and your troops as soon ris they m,et
in order to coordj_nat~ thejr op~rP.tions agr:iinst the common enemy
"7
In fl.11 the abov m__,,ntion ,cl .- reas of op r:itions of my troops
our mili tnr;r and civil autJ- oritics will naturnlly ( qu ,ri...,d) continue
to function .t 11 •
11
1
*"
*
*
3, 1945--The G ,n ~ral ar i v.,d c.t his head 1.1:~.rters at 0900
hours this morning and had his conf..,r,nce at oq30 . At 10 0 hours this
_rriorninr, .1aj Gen . Gherriere of G.,n rrl Juin' s staff cnne to pr.y his respects to G.,n ,I'r' 1 Cl:::ir}r
This morning General Cl2r r:iade
r . . cording
:or a broadcast in his confc,r . nr!e hut for the XII Air · 1 ore~ on groundair cooperation .
FLOR.tmC -- T111AY
r
Th, Gen .,re 1 sp nt th, emtir , n.:t xnoon in his office workirig on
papers anr1 conferring; 7ith Ins staff , r ,turning to his villH for th . .
nigh·t., . ,
(
General Cla.r today repli d to
tulations ·as follows :
r ,:>ident 7ruma1' s cable of congrF.t-
nyour messa.ge deeply appreciated .
am furnj_shing a copy to every
An ✓rican soldi r under my comrnand . We st.and ready to continue the
fight against Japan"
General Clark this a.fternoon dictated the following m~terial for
his dic:ry:
nrrh Frim l\:· nister in his announcement. of oux· victory bef or~
the Rous: of Commons , had th,, following to say:
rr This surrender puts us into v _,ry close · touch w.i ,h the rosition
of th . . U., ,,S a.rrnies in th,, north . Not only ·has a vast area of terri tory, vital jn its character, fall ,n into th~ hands of tl , Surrorne
Comrianc1 ,r , Sir I arold Alexander , but the actual s1.11"_ ender irrhich has
tn'k.:,n placJ , so far is comprising numb~rs , constituteR , I beli v , a
record for the who .. ~ of this 1,frr , ::i.nrl it must be helpful to furthe-r
events for whj c1. we have l ,en lookj_ng
in This Army in Italy, Arriericnn and Brit-i sh
cor,~nri.r1ded by our
trusted gen,_,,rnl , nd having und ,r him Gen ,rri.l I~1ark Clark who is c n
efficient and dar:i ng American soldier , hn s h2d a ffk":1..rvellous record
since h y fiirst land ..,d in the P ninsula - the landin.r; at SaLrno and
the r .,mendous fip;_ tin:, at Anzio rhcn vre trfoc1 c turning mov..,ment to
L
Rome .
�
Dublin Core
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Title
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Clark, Mark W. Diaries
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark (1896-1984) was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in World War I and World War II, and was President of The Citadel from 1954 to 1965. <a href="http://www3.citadel.edu/museum/Clark_Inventory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This finding aid describes Clark's archival collection at The Citadel Archives</a>, the bulk of which covers Clark's World War II career and his time as Citadel President.<br /><br />This collection features diary entries from June 1942 to December 1950.
Publisher
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The Citadel Archives & Museum
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Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
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CP Clark
Relation
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Mark W. Clark Collection
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application/pdf
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English
Type
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Text
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https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/20
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Mark W. Clark Diary, March 7 - May 2, 1945
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark's World War II diaries were kept by an aide. These entries are from March 7 - May 2, 1945.
Source
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CP Clark
Publisher
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The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
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1945
Rights
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Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
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Mark W. Clark Collection
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Type
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Text
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https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/1667
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Text
99
THE CITADEL.
ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM
the spot ,.
nt5. I agree those of my units er· partisans with the m op"')rt:i.ting
to the wec;t of that line will come under your command.
11 f 6.
I agree and thank you for your suggestion thi:,t the closest
contact is necessary between our and your troops as soon RS they meet
in order to coordj nate their oJ'("'rRtions ag~:iinst the common ~nemy.
11 r7 .
In Rll the above mentioned rireas of operritions of my troops
our militar:r and civil authorities will naturally (queried) continue
to function .' 11 •
*
*
*
FLORENCE--Tv1AY 3, 1945--The General arrived at his headqu."1rters at 0900
hours this morning and had his conference at 0930 . At 1000 hours this
.morni'1f; Ha,j . Gen. Cherriere of Genernl Juin 1 s staff cane to F'Y his respects to G ,mms 1 ClRr}r . This morning Genernl Cl11r1, ma.de a rf'}cording
for a broadcast in his conference hut for the XII Air .Fore~ on groundair cooperation .
Th~ General spent th, entire afternoon in his office working on
papers and conferrin~ 1ith hi s staff , retrirninr, to his villa for the
night .
(
General Clark today replied to President 'J'rumant s cable of congratulations as follows :
Your message deeply appreciated . I am furnishing R. copy to every
American soldier under my comMand. We stand ready to continue the
fi~ht against Japan."
11
General Clark this afternoon dictated the following material for
his diar y :
"The Prime t,'inister , in his announcement of our victory befor~
the House of Commons, had the following to say :
111 This surrender :r:uts us into very close ·touch w.ith the rosition
of the U. 'S . armies in the north . Not only ·has a VA.st area of territory, vital in its character, fallen into the hands of the Surreme
Comriancler, Sir Farold Alexander , but the actual surrender '·" hich has
tnken place , so far ns comprising numb~rs , constitutes , I believe , a
record for the whole of' this wrr , ann it must be helpful to furthe-r
events for which we have been looking.
11 t1J'his Army in Ital y , A!"leric11.n and British, coml"Wnded by our
trusted general , and having uncll'!r him Gen~ra.1 M~:irk Clark, who is an
efficient and daring American soldier, hns had a marvellous record
since they fi1rst landed in the Peninsula - the landin,; at Sal'-'rno, and
the tr ~mendous fip;hting at Jlnzio , vhcn we tried a turning movement to
Rome .
�too
(
the en my aortlw ards
h.., s placed an enormous effort
upon thes troops, nnc1 has 1J en attended by v ry h B:vy losses , in stubborn fightin~ ., What has made it pPrticubrlv difficult c: nd cl pressing
to this a.rmy is the tr P1endous im.. oads the t have be"n m!1de on it , in
order to h,lp forward op .rations elscwher
tt 1- Driving
"Thus, in Jun and .Tuly, what very n~c rly amount d to :m arr11y was
tak Jn from t 10s e in Italy, whil"' only a SMRll corr~ spondine withdravrn.l
took place on th~~ e11~my' s side . Quite recently, a f w 1'\'Jonths c go ,
fe ..,l:i nr; t 1at :lt ·muld probably bo ~yond tbe strenrrth of this army to
make a decisive attack, we mov . . d rmo_th ,r large a d1 tion of di visions
to the T'"'stern Front, and som~ others ,·rent to Gre~ce .. Th s , this army
was an Prmy stripp d of its str .,ngth., e.nd was facing c.n enemy fore
hich, o all purnoses of ··1ar, must hP ve been cons id .,r d far stronger,
.,ca.us it had th., duty of d ,f ndinF; mountain ranges :me , aft~J· ·rard s ,
plains flooded ;vith autumn and w:i.nter rains; v1hich c rtainly, in the
number of divisions ., exc,ed~ tho e who w,r, left to attack him ..
n ' Moreov .,r , this orce left to attack , as I pointed out in my m.,,ssage of congratulations to Al,xander, wer.., of so mnny diff rent nations
that only some p r.ona.l::ty of commanding qualities could have held
th ... m c 11, and voven t em together .
n Look over the vrhoL liot of these men v.rho f'ought , ta.king our
own contribu ion fir t
!hich was the larg st - British r-md Britj sh
Indian divisions of the hip;hcst quelity .
n In addition to Briti_sh Inriian divisions w ,. had Pol
foug t ,, j_th the r-;r ,atest loyal t.r; Ne-vr Z .,alamfors, uho hl ve
the wa, from th" J1'ginning righ.t u , to tl e very sp t1rhce,d
VP.nc
th Sou"",h Africa . Armored Di vision, very f orwru: d in
s who hav~
marched a.11
of th~ adthe fray
,:-re t forces of thu United States , / second
Th re have 1J 1... n .;r~~zilian f orcP-s , .. rhich
have made very steady advanc~s; a 1Tegro i vision of United St?.tes
troops wh.c has also distinguish,d its,l; the Je1ish Brigadv which
we f orm~d a year or so ago anrl which hr-- s fought j n t}1e frontline
with com·age; ,Tap, nese of Am,.,ric~n birth •.rho .nt~r ,d rrurin; and finally,
· Fr e Itc lians who hav ., plnycd th ,ir p::irt j n clearing th ,ir country
from t e G~rman-fn.scist yoke .
11
Th re have b en th
.in numbers only to our own
n r All thes , forces , wea1renec as th :r hP d been, wer ~ not discouraged ..
Divided n.s th ,y ~ ..,re h;.r rRci.-::i.l diff,,renc s, th,y were tmit.~d and resolved upon th.,ir purpose .
And now th ir r ,11rard is cor11e , and J am v ,ry glad it h:~s come , t
a tim~ wh,n it can be singl~d out, and st(nds out as bringinp: to the
conclusion the vrork of as P-'allant an army as v ,r marched , and il'ings
to th., itch of fa.m., and military reputat·on a comm nd r .·:rho ha.s nlvm,ys .,
I may say, .:.nj o ~d the fullest confidence of t 1e House of Commons .
t1
t
Repl ing to ques.tions , Churchill said that th
the surrender on his own r sponsibilitye
Germa.n g ,nlff'ral made
�lo\
n These discussions hr. v been of a highly rrivate nature for some
t1me . At times, they hav appep,red mor~ hopeful than at oth~rs, but
for the last two c.ays I hnve 1:nown vrhct rrms comin~, but one was not certain thnt it mii{ht not be sm~tched a~ay at h last mom ,nt . Th~refore, ~r ,at s.Jcr cy .vas n,c ssary .
n 'In rn .ntionj_ng all na t·i on~_lities, I would point out that there
is a tr m. ndousl, pow . . rful Am rican Air Force ·with a strong British
Air Force; also a v ,ry large c ~tach:m ,nt of th ., British Navy, who hr>.v ., ,
tlu--ou :,hou-.,,
.en th mainstay and sustenance and shi ,1 of the rho 1 of
land operatj ons ., 11
0 General Frc . ½erg' s troops occupjed Trieste and accepted th
surrender of the German garrison there at 1630 hours , May ?nd
Do not
have t ~ count, . ut a.priar ,ntly th., G r:r.ian ea.rrison is hrge
There
was not a single memb,r of Tito' s fores to be found in th town even
tough Tito had announced to the vorln thc:>t his forces had captur,d
'Trieste . I put the conmunique out that vm had occupied the town ahd
accepted the surrender o:e the G .. rmnn garrison . I omitted any ref nee to th absence of fito 1 s forces .
1/
11 G.,neral rriruscott phon~d tht:'t in carrying out my instructions to
send strong detach.ments to the Italian-Austrian frontier in order to
block the ithdrawal of G rman troops under the terms of the surr~nder
he was afraid vht1t t
f 1~ht vmuld be resumed .,
lem ,nts of th 1st
German arachute Division v1ho hr .ve stopped fj ghting elt that th
t stay put t order arr li ,d to Allied troo s as ,,.,. ... 11 as to German..
I
directed Truscott not to advanc and under no cond:itions to cause a re. s1.1tnption of th., fight
In my r ... port by phone to Alexanrler th:is norning on th, YuF;oslRv s··tuation ., J inform .,d him of my secision, in 'Ihich
he concurred . I a.lso told Alexande1 today that the Eighth Army had
picked up Field Marshal Tito ' s son in th~ Padua area . AppRr ntly he
had Mn ightin~ wi_ th the Italian rartisans . Thinking that this
Jrnowfodge might J a trump card in Alexande1 1.s hands in n ,gotiation
with Tito I phoned him this infor .ntion r-rnc told him I "'l as sending
Ti to r s son o Gas rta
Alexander f ,lt the t this ,ould be v ry helpful .
HAll j_nstructiorts n.re rrern.red 8.nd Rrrani:;ements P1rrli, to re.cei ve
the (}.,rman delegn.tion whnn they com
I hope to have Truscott and
McCr er~r ncl Chidlaw with me if co 1ditions at th front :vill .rmi t . n
j
Quoted belovr .is the text of conv .,rsn.tion b t •,recn G ncral Clark
and Fi ,ld f,,nrshal Alexander .t 2000 ours this ev~ning:
"G.,neral Clark stAt d th2.t Ge n ,ral McCr .ry had reported that the
situation in th Trieste area :1as generally unsatisf ctory because of
an evid nt lack o un orstandirns betw~en the HiRh Comman.c1 of the Yugoslav rmd Allied forces ., The YuR"oslev forces r ,re surprised to s e c our
troops ast of the I sonzo " Yugoslav :ore s ::r no ·.r nov::i n~ in to t e
area i fairlJ lar e numbers , ~sp cially in Tri st and Gorizia . At
,tronfalcone ,. t e tom l''h r. G .,n rnl Hrrdinir' s he dqur-i.rt .rs is locat .,d ,
t
Yuf;osl vs will hold om~ sort of .,lection on r · y 4. General
I
I
��lD2
(
Freyb ,rg is h:wing difficulty in the port of Trj ,ste Jecause he does
not know exactly hat port faci l ities Rr, n~Lded . A senior officer
from APHQ is n eded o in ica.t Bxactly what fR.cilities ;:ire n eded so
that n ,gotiations can be conducted on the ground with th.., Yugoslnv commander . General McCreery will cLlRy hi. a.dvanc .. on Pola until trie situ Jton in the Trieste area has be n clarified
Th advance of Eighth Army
trnops to the north has met resistance in the nei~hborhood of Gemona .
The enemy thJre refuses to surr..,nder
G nerc.1 McCre ry has not een
able to id ntify th troops , nor is he certaJn th.ct they arc under
cornmrmd of C-in-C Southwest .
)
General Clark nl. o informed the Field rfBrshal th0.t on tnc Fifth
Army front the 1st Parachute Division and an lem.rmt of the 2-?r~th
/ ./
Division ad declin ,d to surrend Jr .,cRuse the surr ..,nd .,r order h8d not V
yet r~ached th:.-m .. It ar ears thr-.t th~ commimder of the 1st Pn..rc Corps
has not yet ran,.,mi tt d th., orders to his suborclinri t es . G.merf' 1 ClArk
inforned Fi ,ld M::,,rshal Alexand r thB.t h~ has issued ord rs to t .I"! Commandinr.t G neral, Fifth Army and th., GOC , Eighth Army to move .orc-s northward as rapic;ly HS possible to ex cute pr .,viously assignr;d missions ,
but that c.rmed conPlict with Ger1rian units was to e a:·roided e:xce t in
the event that he .,nemy commits an ov _,rt hostiL act . Genr-•re,l Clark
xplainec1 that p ndini:; the Arrival of the G,rmPn ro rescntativ s
consider ,d tht1.t he was CRrrying out the in~tructions of t 1e Field
fliarshal by avoiding unnccessar;c 8 nAd con-':lict .
- -11
I
(
flThe Field TTarshal inform d G0w:,rnl t'la.rk thr-:.t 1e a.greGd vri th rw,,..rything thr-it G~neral C1a.rk hcd said; thPt he had full confidence in
G...,n.,ral .. lrirk 1 s .stimate o.f th ., sitmition anct his nbility to take the
roper action; th2t h cnncurrec=i' in th .., view that r>rrn~d coi flict should
be avo:ic~ed at this tin~, especially 4 n view of th, f,- .c t that there wr-i.s
bound vo be some delay in the c iss ,,mination of orders . He furth~r
)
stated that ,:, ad received a mer·sage from iVk·=tr hal Tito w ic'.l indicAted
th;:i.t the mi~under trindings had probably novr been a d justed , pnd thPt he
felt confident that this inform8,tion v1ould soon gBt do m tc tl , forw~rd
troop elements . The "'i ,lr.1 MR.rshal stated th..,t h., would scnc1 rrope
p8rsonn,l to assist Ge n rn.l Hnrdinr; in th, selection of port facilities ,
an0 to advise General I _rding on politicA.l matt rs pe culiar to the
Y1 : =;oslav problem . 11
*
*
*
FLORE TCE--r1AY 4, 1945 At 1000 hours Generals ~1 ruscott, ncCrecry and
(jhidlav-1 vJith their r e sp ,ctive Chiefs of ;3· aff, G.,ne'.rRl CPrlcton , Brigadier Floyc a.nd Colone l Boettig r ?rriv ,d at Gen . . rP.l CL- rk 1 s office .
At 1030 hours assembled in Grmerttl ClP.rk' s office were · his Army Conmanckrs, the~ r Chi~fs of Staff , Gencrnls Gru ,nth ,r }3"rann, Tr>·L,e, ColonJl
fonfort G- 5 and the following correspondent 0 : r atrick E-3mi th, BBC; i- 1"
Fag ,nee , London Di: ,ily Herald; J .. Robinson, FHB; L::mdrw11 al.ling 0v ..,rseas ·r:.w•3 Serv:tce; 1':J. 1 v r ;;do:r Chicago Sun; A Fa mmonc , r cmsley 'Lwspap,~:rs; H G. 1: ing, Tit, L. 1.fl1i t ~, Chicago Daily ~rews; l . Lessin,o;,
E .... )1an p-e 1 ,l ,gr, .ph; (korge ,ryia , AF; Desmond 'T'igh, R~ut rs; E .. C.
Aquilar, Reuters; Rit~, ,.Iume, Hf'; Clet Robert s , Dlu, ;\f.etwork; r"L1s on
urdd,t, CBS, Uilli:J.m Alexr:.nd ✓r, Oklahoma Tim . . s .
�/
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Gener:=-.1 ion S n~ .,r who cornrrtrnd ,d xnr Panz .,r lforps at this time
report .,d o Gen . .rn.l Cl"'r.
s th, rcrres. ,nta.ti v ., o: t , , G0r"l11r-in Comman( erin·.. Chief, ~·outhuest for ord.__,rs from G .,n ·,ral lnrl.e.: for th s 1rr ,n-~ r of
G rma.n land forces . Inmediat~ly aftor G n re.l Von ~,-ngt:..:r 1 ,ft G,.~n Jral
Clar k t s off ice , th, G ,n ,:cal id goodbye to his Army CoT'l.nanders rm .
held a bri fing in his Har Room for the above mentioned corr .,spondents .
he G neral lune ed at his headquarters with · egul J." m mb rs of his
mess and at 1430 oner
on S .. ngcr was brought to G .,n rril Cla.:rk to
confer . The text o
wil l be quot d at the
· sion
of todayt s diary
W , 9ii.-.. 1
...
~
<;,
_....~""'G+'\..n-.1. ,
At 1700 th
G ,neral return .,d to his villa for th...
V\'.:ning .
At noon today G ,n .,ral Clro"'k dicta u d the follo rfing material for
inclusion in.his diary.
.
"At ., ctly 1030 hours this morning, :ay 4th Gener 1 of PPnzer \
Troops Von Scnr:..,r reported to m. in my office at my cornn .nd i:o~t in
\
Florene-- ns th, re Jr ,sentativ~, of Gon.,ral Von Lt i.nghoff fo_ order to
r ..,cvive ray instructior1s~rovid~c. . or 111 1.e termd of th, uncondi tional sm-rencler which ·van Victin_'.)hoff ' s r . . pr ,s ,ntntive hr:..d signed nt
.AFHq several da~rs ago .
11 I had with me on my r:i.ght Lieutenant Gen ,ral ?cCr ,ery, Command ing r~ .,n~ral of th , ";r:1 tish 1~i ,hth Army; on his righ v : :2 j or G nff..,Tr· l
C lidlaw , Co1mnand1.ng n-cne~o.l of th XII Air Force; c nd on my l ,ft
Lieut ,-r1ant G ,n Jral r;•ru ..,co-tt Cor:rn~nding Gtmi .ral of the Fifth American
Army m m .,rs of the press , of-f'icial rhotogre.ph ,rs and s .,v.__ral stnff
officvrs .
.
'Gcnert1l 'on Sen~ ,r cane in , salute r.nd gnve me t
r ✓ rort in
die t d abov
repli-.,d that 1 assumed that he had full a11t.1ori ty to
imrlem..,nt tht., uncon itional surrende1· · terr1s . He r, lied h,, di<1 have .
then handed him the instr 1.etions rind told him the t he muld th ,n go
Tith th . . members of m..r stnff , includin cir r pres~ntativ s, to a conference which G, ~r[ll Gru nth~r would 1old in order to study th ... s, instructions nd iscuss them in rl ., nil. I told him thrt if th re w ~re
any irr~concilnble orders th
could not be S4'ttled in confer nee that
he p .,rsonally .rnnlc~ ~ring them to my attention .
1
11 B
(
v. _
lov, is son dn.ta on General Von S n:.;,er
H is t~.11 a d tliin
and ap )Mr ,d to ·:1 ~ gr .Jatly mov _,cl on this occasion . His attitucL appears n.t first glance 1.,0 b on of complete cooper8.tion
G n . . rol Jon
Sen~,"' wns born near Ko·n.stanz, aden in 1~91 . He s .. rved in World War
J as a rcserv officer ., _n th ·✓ interval b tween wnrs , h, sa.w s1,rvice
rith cavalry units A.nd complet ,d a G- ,n ral Staff course . In 1940 he
was he:"1d of th Germnn del .Jgation at he ,._,rench Armistice Commission ,
and in 1941 and 1 42 Yas s .,nior Germrm liaison off i .c er ·vi th tll Its. lian
Armistic f:omrnittee . In pril 1943 h, commanrl ,d the 17th F2.nze1-- Di vision a.nd rre.s cited in Octob r of the same year for th~ er .,ditable
mann r in rvhich the ,,vacuation of Corsica uas cnrriea out . r~arly in
1944 hf~ was f'ppointed as comP1an ~cr o-f: :av Fanz~r Corps , r . . plncing I me ,
who left in ovember , 191+3 . Appar ,ntly a cosmopolitan t
.,, h, studied
-
��Eno;lish at Oxforrl from 1912 to 1914, and is m~rried to an Englishsp~akin<s vrife
Scio to b, rmch intere t d in horses and horse ~hors,
in ,{ cping with his bac)rground as a. cav.o lry officer .
0
He indicated the gr at di '"'ficulty his com111ander was having in
transmittinr") ord,rs, du, to poor communications in th, mountains ,
:1.nd th, -Pnct that t cy Wt'}re b .5 nr; continually har as.--cd . partisa.ns .
H , told G 11,,ral Grucnth ,r that only th
ay be ore ;rest rda~r th pnrtisans attack ,d G<1n ro.l Von Vi tinghofft s h a qur-trtcrs at '3olsano ''here
forty of hi people YTCrL killed . He hn.d great difficulty comin~ dmm
t . e Br ,nner rond and would h:we be.,n kill d hy parLJisans had it not
been for the int rv ntion of '"'~veral A!i1erican offie .,rs v1ho shi , ld d
him
11
"I hnve r .-rorted these full d t,. ils to Fi ld Parshril ALxand r
by phon
1 told Mm that I had issu.,d· instructions to these parti- .
sans to c~ll off their offensiv , :mt I con w~ll i agin th dif±''iculty of rs tting word to all of th ·,ir b2nd s at isolat d plnces in the
Alps . 'l'he G mans are now pP..ying for th..,ir rolicy of terror nnd destruction in Ital.r
rt is w~ll unrlerstanr1;:1bl, ho ~r th..,,se p, ..rtisqns
who h:w1' b 1 fir ,d to J1thusiasm by my instructions , thorou ,.b ly
arm_..d and told to wait for their or,portunity for the kill
He gav
th ,m th, sj ~nal to go in for tho kill a short tim, ago , e,nd it is
ett
hR.rd to squ~lch all that ardor by radio rn ,ssages . The best way to
hancll., it is to g_.. t A crican troops up in t ,.,re , and we ar , trying to
do thr:i.t .
t
I
ffHeavy motor and hose-drawn mov m.. nt north in e,he Br.,nn r disturbs me gr atl .. • T.he air reports 1,000 horse-drav- n .ve-,hicl ,s anc 500
mixerl with muc cjvilfan tr( +-'fie moving north in th., Dr .nner
throur!,h Bolsano
~v ,n had I d ,cid .,d to bonb tb .. s. vehicles yesterday, Yreath r ''roulrl not hnve permitted
Wee thor sti] 1 prev .,nts it
toclrv .,
orr-r~v .. r, _ do not de si e to attack nor to bring on aey mor c
hostilities . I cant irnag:i.n., where these troops ar~ gojng unl,ss a
last ditch sk.nd by so111.., fc nR.tical troops of the l;::it J a Corps at
the Brenn ✓r .
HI 'lPV told G ,n rHl mruscott to bend _,very vffort to get my
liaison group h ,ad ,d for Von i L ti n~hoff 1 s headqtwrt rs , togeth ,r
with the air and navFi.l partLs , as .ast as possjble; that he vdll
use el .,ments of the 10th D~~v:ision to get th~M. throueh . I 111ust ,stablish my adio communication dir t ~ith · ietinghoff .
The 85th Division, on the east , as· Pdvanc ,d almost to th Aus ·1
rian horner vi thout opposition . It is only in thn cent r 17h r, el - .
m",nts of ..,h , farn'.ltic l<:;t ara Corps h_flv , preif nt _,d our novem nt . Th y
appar .. ntly hrnre n .v ,r received th, instructions . This is . Jing worked
out wf t GenerB 1 Von Sengur h r , •
11
The 75 Corris in the west is surrend~rinr; .
'1cCr .,ery1 s situ... tion in Tri .st, r .,mains r, .,licrt .. . Alexander is sendi.ng a f;rn message
co Tito . I have authorized nccr~-~ry to move th, 91•3t Division up west
of th Isonza aNl old him th.qt a show of strength may help . r am
11
�j
(
convinced that Pield Marshal Alexand.,rts visit to Tito resulted in m ny
misunderstandings
We must rr ,t a firm uriderst ndj_ng at the top to
8.Vo d dif ficulty .
I have directed ·· oth McCreery and 7ruscott ·thc .t und r
no conditi ons will t'1e, bring on a fight ~ithcr with tho G.rmans or u jth
the Yugosla:vs
l1cCreery s column advancing on Villach is making good
progress against no opposition
11
Last night I sent Field Ih:1rshal Alexander the following telegram:
UTQonf:irming my conversation with you this evening, th 1st Parachut
Division has refused' to surrendAr, stating that no surrend ,r orders hav,
been received from higher ·headquart rs. Part of ?7~ Division undJr 1st
.}ara Gor . s has also receiv,d nq surre nder orders . It is probnble that Com
mantling G_,neral 1st Para orps ·:ha·G not rassed surrender orders to su ordinate units . Th~re is also opposition on Gen ral :cCreery s front in the
area. of G'P,PO TA but no irlentif1.cation of troops there has een· made ,. As
I explained to you T have issued ord ... rs to oth Army Corrrnanders to send
forces northward to xecute assiP-;ncd missions as rapidly as poRs ibl , but
that armed conflict is to be avold .,d . ~ hav1' just been ad.vis .,d .that th.,
Germr-m representa.t:i.ve s :r om C in-C South1·. rest will arrive here on th ., morn..:.
ir,i.g of 4 May and I ,x )Cct that w. .., ·hall e r>bli.., to rectify the situ.B.ttorr
at that timc . 1 H
After having seen General Von Seng rat 1400 hows this afternoon,
GJneral Clark dictated th following:
I have just had a long conversation with G...,nere.l on Senger. I am
impressed wit his abil~ty and g~nu:i.ne desire to help solve this proble m., \
The principal point he has mn.de is t ho one th2.t his troops hate the
Italians and disli '" e very rmch tho thouP,ht that they are to be dr .. gged out
of the monnta:i ns back into the Po alley v:rh Jre th~y uill b~ subj ct d to
the Italian j nsults
He feels thr t ma.ny of th, sold :L ,rs 2.re deserting
1 n on ,ff ort to get to their homes
Thri.t would 1Je c natural inclination
for a ma.n as I see it, a.nd there is nothing to stop them excert the
armies coming dovrn from the· north because my troops hnv not be ,n c ble
to negotiate th mountain roRds north to get around behind them-at the
pres nt time . Vfe are trying to do that
11
ur hav, just talked with rrruscott to speed him on to Balzano and to
if he couldn -t effect the assembly o.. the units in the mounta:tns and
gradually brinr; th .,m down into the foothills .
:-C
na n ... ral Von S nger assur d m , thet G n r nl Von VL tj nghoff is sinc0r .,, cooperativ and doing C\r ,ryt ing h, can to facilitc te thls surrender .
urnciden ally I have r ceiv ,d rndj ofi,rams of congratulations :Crom all
over th world . Th~y will b included in the diary later n
Gen ral Clnr ,. talk d vJ"i th Gen ral PcCreery on t L phone this
and dictated the following v:ith r..,f ronc to his conv:-rsation:
"I
vening
ave just t ..,lephoned at 1820 to General rncCr ,ery adyising him of
)
�\Db
th ~xc ange of radios b ,tween Ti to and Alexander -1hich were getting us
no place
I am s nding this rad· o on to rqc reery. I told I.1cGreery that )
h must 1e strong in Trieste and in Gorizia nnd provide for his line of
communication rom Trieste to GoriziA. and arvisio into Austria . He
·
told me that h, rras quite stron and was noving the 56th Division into
Gor1zie. n
General Clar:: today cab
d G ., neral Truscott as fallows:
"Confirming 01:ir conversation, I cannot cnphasize too strongly the
importance of stopping gu rilla pPrtisan action again t the G,rman force~ . Urgent as quickest me thod thau v1.!f_thout engaging in arm~d conflict
your troops advance into tho,::> areas ';1h . .,re parti an-> a.r'"' P cti ve against
th~ G rmans pru.--·vicufarly to B0LZAH0
It iq most impor L-ant thnt your
troops occupy that town at arliest tirrk, to insur., that G ,n ral 1 on Viet j nghoff can effectiv .,ly control and dir ct is forces in complying with
surrend r t rms tr
T e Army Group Comrriander this ._, vcning sent the follo1 Ying cable ··o
General 1l1ruscott summing up the French sitl.18.tion:
"l. In order o · assist 15th Army Grou spring o fensive 6 Army
Group v re asked to simulate an attack on Franco-Italian fronti .,r by
using _ec ption methods int..,nsive pe rollin~ in central sector and operations on coa~1.,al s ctor ya force of not more than one RCT . It was consicered that operational ben ..,fit ov~rcam all political o jections
2.
i
rly in April above r....,otrjctions w..,r, rcmov c1 and ranch started
active opex·a ions along entir front with the following line as maximum
limit of advance . Junction Italian Fr-nch and s~iss frontiers - Pr~ St
Didier - G an Paradiso rnountain - C ,res - Bussoleno - F Jnastrelle Crissolo - r.uneo - Imp ,ria .
11
n3. On 27 April this hq informed 6 Arrriy Group that irn"' had ar rived wh..,n further advance b;v French troops could have no appr,ciabL ef fec , • 1 ext day ~ Army Group order d th Fr ,nch to halt and to 1 repare to
withdraw o frontier ..
1
4. By .30 April it was clear above order was not ½ving ob y~d end
further instructions were giv n to French . French Comnc.nder stated of,..
fensive action ceased. 2b Apr:il ut would not withdraw ,:i thout [ if.C r nLnt ·
of his governm~nt .
11
n5
Situ,. tion in Val D1 Aosta at present con"used . T is ar a most
difficult from political an~le as it contains large separationj st party
and arrival Fr nch troops m:ight cause serious conflict with partjsans who
are w 11 armed
t16 . AFHQ have now informed SHAEF thnt continued presence of Fr .. nc
troops in Italy is non unn cessnry anc most und sira le . AF'H'1 furth r
stat~ that reports indic[1t,e French making lu1reasonable d ,mr-,.n09 on Italians
requisitionrn '-' food and using f1orocca.ns to ,nforc .. th r~by hoping to pro-
�vok . . incident . SAC ED is determined to tah, matter up with Co:rib:in _d
Chi f s of Sta '-"f for action b;r U. S and British Gov ..,rnm ,nts unless SHAEF
can o t 1.n F'r . . nch compliance to ord r to withdraw.
7. Above gives brief outl:' n, rec ,nt develo m nts Franco-Italian
orfier
It is most important t ,_nt no .courag..,m nt is g-·ven to Fr nch
and · hn.t ev ry effort be made to get th ... m to rrithdraw h~yond frontier 11
11
*
*
*
FLOR ~NOE flf.A.Y 5 1945- Gr. . n :cal C ~rk, accompanied y 3:rigadier Hirsch,
G- 2, 1 ,ft li lor, ,nee by tnr at a_Jproximately 1030 hours ., They ch2.nged into
L- 5 s fro1;1 the C-47 at Udin and fl ~Jw to Ifonfalcon • Herc they w re met
by Gc.neral FcCreery, Eighth .,u., my Gomnandcr, and. Lt . Gen . Iarclin~ , Command ing 13 Corps
They drove to Gener~l Harding' s Headquarters and discussed
the· situ,_q_tion whif"!h had a.risen in Trieste between the Few Z ,a.land troo s
and r"'nrshal Tito t s partisans , vrho had both occupi~d the rort at approximat~ly the sam tirn;
':' e G ,nera.ls n d a ~antw5 c 1- Iuncheon in G .neral
Ar<ingt" s caravan , n.nd General Clar!{ also SoJI br::i ~fly Air Vic Harshal
Foster and Brigadier· Gener al Williamson, Assistant Division Commander of
t e 91st Division o. · The 91st Infantry Di vision had newly come under the
comr nd of th Eighth Army and nas at that time rr-ov:i ng up into this sector
Generals Clark rmd He r ~ery then drove to G ncral Fr yb rg ' s Head quart ,rs which was situRt . . d in the Villa Uiramare halfvm.y betw.,en f,lonfn.1cone anct rr.ri ,st • 1. is ras the ville built _or nd occupied by the late
Empr,, s of irr ,xico and was truly a 1 autiful spot .
1
G..,n . ral Clark was then taken by Generc 1 Freyb1:;r g into th.,., city of
7rieste itself
Her, thin ~s vmr quite quiet , but th ,r P.T' r.i,~ r .,d to be
a co:nsidcrabl und rcurr nt of unc,rtainty and unrest ., Ev __,ry cone iva. le
t. pe of uniform vms to be s ,en on t
str .ets
Th__.re ~-r.,re mc-iny parti.sans
on foot , and on bicycl~s , wavi n flags of all colors .. "ea.rly a.11 the popu lation was on the str , ts, and every oth ;r man had a wea.pon of some sort .
G _,neral Clark vis-ited t e Headquarters of th, 9th New Zon.land Brigade
which was occupying the town and · r1et Brigadier G ntry, th Brigade Commander
He pRid a short visit to th, docks .. Th dock area was ,:x:trem~ly
hetWJ.ly defended by VIir , anc pillboxes and hr-i.d een COY, siderp bly d strayed
both b;r our bombing and German denoliM.o s . Aprirt from this, ho 1,.,ver ,
t :HJ t9vm appeared to be in good shape and quite , ttracti.ve .
J
·Gen, --al Clark then IE.turn ,d to G ,n,.,ral Freyberg' s H., .dqu,...rt ;rs whe-re
ho was photograp ,d with all the comn .ndin~ officers of th , ~nd 'Jew Z .,aland rd vision
(¼{!;n__,rPl Clark then r tucn ,d to Tfionfc.lcone ~nd fl -r:r back to Flor~nc ., ,
arrivinP, at his conmand post at approx:i mntely 1700 hours . At 1: 00 hours
Gen .,ral Clark hung t .. , Lep;ion of M,ri t , D ,gre e of CoP1mrmrter, I: .da.l around
the nee] of Lieutent1nt G,n~rRl J L . K. He.w ~esworth . G~n,ral Hankesworth,.
1ho nor comnrmds the 10th __>rj ti h Corps, comr'lnnded th NSth British Infantr;r Div· sion, thvn in Fifth Arny, from Salerno to t L Garigliano .
'I'he Army Gr up Cor.unander d ictat d the following not s for inclusion
in his diary :
I
�l03
ur flew in th., C-47 with BrigA.dier Hirsch mJ r-2,, n ar to Udinc
and ·hen ·transferred to my cub and crossed tht- Isonza River , la·"ding
n a.r 13 Corps ~ c,adqun.rters . Was rn .,t by Dick r1cCre ry and John m=ir ing .
~ent to th_; la.tter f s h adquar ters for orientation and a sanrlwi ch anrl th .,n
on to Fre;vb rP, t s headquarters w· _
the four of us drov.., intq 'fri ste .
The situation ther., is ,. s follo rrs: ( a) It is t .,nse . Both Brit j sh ~md
Yu~oslav troops occupy_ tl e city of Trieste
This morning the Itc..lians,
,1"'_
w·ho number ?00 , 000 in chc city ns againf3t 60,.000 Yugoslavs , stc: ged a
~
d monstration and were promptly dispersed by YugoslA.v soldi.,rs firing into ~
the air . 'rhe Yu oslavs occupy pnrt o tb~ cjty a.n 1 c r,ood deal of th_, port
area .
ur soldi . . rs g .,t alonr-; well tog ther
The trouble com~s from the
i[:;'h~r officors ; nam .. ly th, Yun;oslnv gen ,ral ~ who are roliticos . (b)
I t ink there, will be no trouble in ~"'ri~ste , although •it is the usual story
of II itting on the Bt=ilkan rowder kegtt . (c) 1 ursuant to my directions ,
we are show:h fore • A battalion of the 91st Divi""ion (US) is moving
(
into r:iri'Jste , and a r ,giment into Gorizia . British troops mt1 e u:r an
Allied combi:-10.tion .. The whole 56th Di visirm is rnov·Lng ea.st on t 1e
_
Isonza
(d) Tito is infiltrating companies ana . attalions across the
Isonza ·to tho west wh~re clash~s with the Ita.linns may take plti.c 8nd uher
, is rev1uisitioninf; rro:-ierty, su j'lL.s and conscript: ng manpoi/; ,r and in
some pln.cei=:l holding elections .. 'rhis is • ell to the w :Jt of the zrestern
"~neziB Giulia boundary
( ) I am convinced thPt ·we cannot occupy with
_om" fo:r ces all of 'fon ,zia. Giulia \"1 7 thout bringing on hosti l ities , vrhich
is the last thin ~ we should do
(f) Tito is moving troops irito the dis 1_ 11t0d Area ' as fast
as h~ can . (g)
h...,re hnve been no disturbances .1et 1 cm
our troops
.,re
!.
J
nrr , only v n:r to solv this d i f iculty is on th~ highest level
I have so phoned , upon my return ., Fi(,ld MarshFll Alexander . IIe must m .,ct
vit. Ti'L,o , t ell the latter he can occupy practically all of Ven ,zia Giulia,
.1hic wHl g·· ve him a stron~ claim on this are& ~.t t e peace tabl ,,
but that we must operat., the port of rrrLste and rrotect our line of communication through Gorj_zia , . Prvisio into Austrin and try to_ get 'i1ito to
· help us protect this lim of corwmnication·. Tito must be told that he
can not unc1 ,r any c.!rcumsta.nc , s , permit his troo s to infiltrate into
1 taly west o· th I sonza River . I Jelicve this can e work .,d out . Alcx!'.n der is going to trv it .
1
nrr Tito will not accept tM.s , t}v,r ar , just t•ro rer:rinine lterm tives . 1 irst , to taJq~ over the port of Tri ste by force if nee ssary and
protect our long line of communications into Austria ·1hich rill r quire
three or four divisions . This probably will bril g on hostil iti .s . If the
Combined Chiefs of St a:rf are not willin-:, t o take th1.s chance , r>nd c rtainly
they , hould not take the chance , t . e only r ,maining al tern.r.tive is , s cond ly,
o p:et t e -h~ll out of ,nez ia Giulia , withdraw b~hind the IsonzR, pr ,vent
Tito ' s forces f'rom movln~ to th~ ·,est and supply om" troops into Austria
from some oth r port , perhaps Venice .
11
VcCreery, Ht:=trding and Frey erg all Ftgr~e to this . ii
Foll owing is a st1r1m!U' Y of G~ner~l Cle k ' s telephone conv rsation wi t h
Field 7arshal Alexander upon his r,turn from todayt s tour of the Trieste
area :
�lD9
ttG ,ncral ClRrk allmd to Fi ,ld Mar hal Alex nder Rt 0850 hours on
the subject of th . . sitUB.tion in th Trieste are(_ • He told the FLld
M~rshal thflt the s-it ation t 1er is un ctisf· ctor.r; the t th, Yup;osl{_vs
ar moving larg , numh.,rs of troops into tlle nren, c nd are , ctually now
advancine w st of th Isonza River . H, recoTnD nded to th., Fi -1~ r~rshal
that we taJ<-~ a fJrm st1-1nd in the matter ., The Fi~ld a-1rshal ag:r.,ed thc:t such
a stand was desirabi
but the conv . . rsntion end.,d with nod fini t e line
of action propos,d ~
0
"General Clark c~.lled t ., F: eld H0rshn.l agai n at 910 c· nd sta · d
that he VU3S ~oing to ta ~e o.ff by pfane for UDII at 10 0 1 cloc}.: to obtajn first-hand nowledge of the situ, tion confronting Gen,ral Hrrding .,
He ask _,, d the Field '1arshal wh th r or not he was au ,horizr,d to take such
acti n as he consider d necessary in the event h, found that the ·novement
of he Yugoslavs west of t e Isonz(). River w3s hrimp~ring our L_ of C. Th
Field /Jarshal advised G..neral Clark that we should do everythinf possible
top .. rsuade the .YuF!oslavs not to advance west of th., Isonza, but thrt if
the, insist it will b., necessary to ~llow th,m to continue . He was very
specific in his instructions to G..,neral Clar}. that und .,r no conditions
should the Allies fire th first shot .
;J
/
1
--
ttG .,neral Cl? rk talked to :the F'ield J:arshal again at 1800 hours to
report on his visit to rrr, est ., He stP_teo that he found the conditions
int e area Y ✓r, not a.s bad as he had expected th~m to e ., Th men in
tho forward units are fri . . ndly with each other , ancl t 1 re is evidenc
t at th trouble stems from the higher command . Gen ,ral Clar j nformed
4
ie d Jarshal Al xander of the location of the Alli .d troop formations
in th area
He also stated that he considered that Generf-11s McCreery,
Harding c: nd Freyberg had a thorough grasp o· the situation "'nd w re andl - ;
ing it in a sup rior mannr,r
He urge upon thv Field P rshal thPt an early
agre ,ment be r _,ach d ,7·_th F~rshal Tito c..nc1 recommended -thr.t GenerPl
MorgBn vis1t the nrieste area before his scheduled meeting w1th Tito on
Monday
Generpl Clark stc~.ted that, b[I ed upon th impressions which h
receiv .,d today h, consid . r thE1t a satis a.ctory ~elution can rrobr ly
/
b r ach ..d with Tit o -rhcr by the Alli~s vlill be able to us the rort of
Tries Je o the d sired amount , and vfill h<. ve full use of the L of C
into Austria... Gen· rr-tl Cl::ir sugg .st d that it might be Hdvisabl~ to
hav~ MRrshal Tito assist in th protection o_ the L of C
1
11
F:i. ,ld fhrshnl Al xand .,r VTc:..S very lad to get this report , • nd in)
form d n-..,n ral Clark that h had rec ived a m ,ssnge from Tito todaJ which
was quite fa.vorable in · tone
A rroposed military agreement with Tito is
c-"ng drafte at AFHQ nov1 and will
disp0tch d to the Combined Chiefs
of S"t,aff for arm:-oval, so that it may be pr ,sent d to Tito nt the con
fer nee on !'onday 11
Upon is r turn to his coPlmand post today, Gen ro.l Cla.rk saw Signor
Ivanoe Bonomi, Prime Itinist ,r of Italy, and following is a summary of t 1e
Army Group Comma.nder 1 s conference with the Irime Minister of I· aly.
"Mr . Bonomi stated t mt the purrosv of 1is call on G nerP.l Clark
was to offer his congratula.tions for th.• most successful ce.mpaign which
.
��l \D
has just be n cornp~eted and vrhich has resultE::,d in the libor2tion of his
countr . •
v
11 Hr-. Bonomi nlso express d hJ s unea.sin ss ov ,r the V ,n__.zfo. Giulia
si tuR.tion. Be sta ed that sine the d:i sposi tion of th is .~"ovince was a .
matter of controversy, e ho . . d t1at the Allis would e able to occupy
it pencfi ng a settl~ment at the y:-eace conf .rcnce ..
11 Generfll Clro-k gave a brief resume of the rrcscnt sjtuation in
Venezia Giulia an, s--Pted th?.t he was taking every possi le ster to sec
that conflict with the Yugoslavs is r.voiaed . The estnblishment of e. suit•ablc line of communications, into Austria is his rrirru ry miss:ion , 2nc he
belLves that n arrangement will be rnri.de with Tito vr1H3r by that can be
accomplish ,d . G ,neral Clark stated that h considers it most imrortant
th8.t th V n zia Giuli problem. be hnn01 d in such a manner tl t there
e no armed con lict -:- t v-reen th Allie~ and the Yu "oslavs . V...,n zia
Giulia is not vorth another \'1ar . 11
*
*
*
*
FL RENCE-- MAY 6, 1945--The General pent th entire day at his ville . and
lunched at 1100 hours vr th Pr . and Mrs . rtr.con Taylor at their villa in
Florcncf-9 returning to his villa for dinnJr anr1 th~ night .
·General Clark this aftnrnoon sent th~ follo,ntlng rLssa.ge to Gen ral
rTcCreery:
urr
fol mnn) message dispntch,
May 5th by Fi ld F rshal Al xander is
1
' 1cssa~e begins.
1
to Co:rnbin ,cl C iefs of 3taff on
urnished or yotU.. informetion
11 vIt is quHe cert~in that I cannot carry out ·110 rolicy laid down in \,
FA 1T 536 w5thout use of force . I rropose therefo1.. ~ to send my Chief of
}
Sta.ff to B lgra.de to negotiate a r-:urely miljtar~r agreement on th~ following lines •
11 t
L
Fi ld \,r. rshal Alexander r~,quires
ro.iluay and ro.: as from t ~ ,1.. , to Villach via
of t e lin 1 m2.rked on he r1c r u-il ;e un .,r
wb.., her 15th Army Group or Yu:,oslov or PT
orders at an agreed time .
'.1
the port of Tries ·e and the
Gorizfo. . The territory west
~is control. All forces
isan, ';lill conL unc1 11r his
2 'Fielc firirshnl Al xnnc ..,r 1 s Allied Pilitary GovernrLYG rill c minister this "rea. li"ull us.,, r!'° 11
J-:1S :
of rmy Yugosl v civil a ~ministrati.o alr..,ac~r sot up 2nd wor}rjn'J sr>tisf'rictorily
n
_0 facilita ~e the wor .in~ of onv and two
gular "'orces should gradually ._) v ithdrc wn from t . . .,
Ht
J.
1
P.
ov .J' Yuv,osl2..v re-
a.:r~ a unc er Fi ,ld
~arshal Alexande:c t s con~rol and pri.rtisans will ·1c1.nd in th 5r arms and disband .
I+ . This a '::r' -:emcmt is pur __.ly r.1ili"tinry e.nd in no way a fects longterm policy regA.rd." nr, these tei·I·itorie s . r n
11 t
�Gen ral Clark received the followinR; cable today from Fild Ft1rshal
Alexander with r,_.gard o he s:i u~tion in .,. cnezia Giulia:
rruntil a military agr., ment is negotiated between Marshal Ti"to and
Myself, your line of action in enc zia Giulia. should be as follows .
11 A
You should hold he advanced areas we hover ach~d in-great
strength displayin~ as many modern w apons , such as tanks , as pos~ibl . . .
Srr,all detachm nts sllould b avoided .
3 . Troops should e r .,ad.,r a· all times to deftmd the mselves ½ut
on no account WJ.11 th.,y tak action unl~ss attack . . d .
0
I
11 C.
It should L impres ed on local comma ders thr .t a.ny arrange ments th,, make vri vh the Yugoslav autl1ori ties are only temporary and for
the purpose of arrnngi_ng a modus vi r ndi pendin the conclusion of taU:s
Jetwc n rr j to r.:..nd nyse 1.f .
11
D. . West of th--- :--sonza a stiff r att-'tud should be adopted owa.rrls
Yugoslav trooJ.1B who. in.1.iltrn: ., They shonld _, asked to vrithdraw from
the ar Al 8nci no friciliv:; cs such a.s rations , petrol A.nG. accommodation
gi v _,n t -;em to encourage ,h ~m t.o stay .. H
G~neral Clark passed th a ov ., instructions on to Gen . . ral I 1cCre ery
imme ja ly upon thJir rccei:rt ~
*
..,-'-
*
TAY 7, 1945--1 t 1000 hours G .:n .ral Clar1,~ , 1/IJ'ith Brigfldi r P~ch'l"'d ,
Colon__,l Ricpo Colone Grognn, 1 ft ):f C-47 from Florence for I'1ilan, ( r
riving r t 1115 hours . There G __,11 ral G_£rk was met -Y Generc,ls Cri ttemrger and Cran , Artillery Offic ✓r , IV Coq:-s . Togeth -r t 1 .y drov., into
the c··t. of ~il n ·;rh re a gtl8rd of onor was hclc. for Genernl Clar 1 ,;: composed of American, British, 3outh J'-1.frican , .,razili2.n .nd ItrliM1 troors .
G neral Cl8rk ins:rec d 1 , gucird, .sp~~ kin ) to sev .,ral of t .e of'ficers r.n
nen t-1. h~, passed
many Piln.n ... s, ci vilinns · 1 .,re pre ent at th _. guard of
honor and nr:,laud d G ,n _,ral Clark heartily as he pe.ssed .
General Cl r ( vrtth Gen ,rr 1 Cr~tt nb rg ,r , t 1~n .,rove to tr::.': ,.,ad
qua: v~rs of JV Co:cps =n r~ilan wh r, h , fol _o;vj 11.g di v~.sional commflnd .,rs
v er, \ aitin, to f:r .. et im • Gen ,rEJl :Co1tc, 34th Dj v::. s1 on; CLn ral Pool , ,
t . South African Ar or ,d Div-· ,. . ion, G ,n r 1 Th~ron, A :m-: 11.: s rat iv,
fficer South Africc".n Forces; G,_,n .,rPl Almond 92nd Division; G ,nernl
Tasc,r_.nh~s, .ra.zilian 1-i . :p~di· J.onRry -Fo:i.·ce; Gen,ral Danj_els, r . . presen-Vng
G ,neral ritchard of th, 1st J\rmor e d Li vision; <} ,n .re 1 Utili, Commanding
the · gnano G:roup . G~n rnl Clark addressed __,n,ch co1.1MPnc1cr individuall.y,
giving a bri ,f r__,smne of th_., P ccomplishment of th .... ir command
T e
G ,n.,ral. then addr ssed G ,n~ral Crittenberg __,r , comm nding h.:..m on the me gnificcnt _job h., bad don~ as Corps Cornnandor ., G --neral Gritten) ,rg ,r th~n P_d dressed G ,n ,rf!.l Clark teJJ.i g him the grerit honor it hrs 0 ,en for IV Corps
,o ave s .,r :ed nnc, er his mar;nific_.nt corv1anG ..
G ne:.rn.l Cri tten 1 ,rg r so.id
thnt at ::10 , im
, t h, mn.de any r qu - sts to Gm ,rRl Clark that r,r ,1", not at
one-., Rranted , nncl it" WRS -through 1is _,..in., load ,rship thPt this .a;reat victorJ was mn_de rossible .
�(
Gen.,ral Clark with Cren,ral Cr~tt nb__.rg ,r an his divisionril commHnd rs , then drov, to the Continental Hotel h,re they vrer., qr eted b~r G n ral Cordona, Chief of the G n ral Comrnanrl of the Volnnt~ ,r orps of Liberty, and I."r . Lonc~hi , Fr~sident of th Cornnitte of National Liberation
for 'Jorth Italy, a· _6 oth r 1:i.gh ranking partisan Lad~rs . G~neral Ratfa 1 Cordona ntortain ,cl G~n ..,rfll Clark for lunch rri th Allied Gen -.rp ls
and patriot leaders . Gen,ral Cordona at lunch prorosed a toast to G~ne ral Clark and his All:i.ed troops hrit four;ht over th~ most difficult t r ra.in in Europe and expressed the pl ,asure of the pc'3.rtisans to hr-i.ve fought
beside such excellent troops
G1..,n ral Cl~u·k return ,d General Cordona' s
toast , sayinr; hov .crenuin~ly proud h ., WP. s of th fine · , ork the p:-irtfaans
in TJorth Italy ha.d don and how pl ,ased he wns of the ciscipline nd or ganization of these troops
He also expressed his ~atitud and approc iation of the f · nc job 1:1hich the five Italian di vis ions lffhich serv~d
under his coJ11mand had p_,rform,d . in closinF.;, Gen ral Clark proposed a
toast to the Allied soldiers 1vJ:.o had fa.llen .
r
After lunch Generr l Clark, ,·dth G £Ural Critt ,nberg ,r and "'cn . . . ral
Cordona , drove to G ., neral Cordona t s H .,ad '1ur.rt~r'J ·.,rhcre th , Army Group Comr,1ander , in G neral Cordon:'l ' s offic,, , was introduced to th 1 ading rartisan
officials . Genral Clc.rk sroke briefl; to the.partisan o:fficinls ., t,11j ng them hov;r proud the;r sb011 ld
.., of the important pc'~rt th :r hav~ r la:y~ ,d
a l on,side of t .h e Alli s in the µtru .,gl ., to fr
JtPly of G rma.n, Prmi-.;s .
'T'he r,laynr of f;ilan , Mayor Griepe arrived and b.,for'-, th, assembled . , oup
presented G1 ,neral Clt:1.rk w; th th~ Flc: g of flil~n nnd also a sn'lll '':'-ronzc
stA.tu" of St . Ambro~i.o the ratron saint of f·~ilan , carrying the torch of
l iberty . Tlns sculpture was done by Castiglion, th.., femous Viilanese sculptor . General Clur}~ stated tht::it he accepted thes .. gjfts on behalf ·o. e very
AllLd soldier , dead or aliv , ~rhos., brav .,ry in combat had brought
liberty to the p ople of r Iilrm P d th rest of It?.ly.
1
Gem.,ra.1 Clark accompnnied by G ,neral Cr.~ttenbcrgcr and Lt . Col .
Angleton , MIG ffic .,r of Milan, th ,n made a. sightseeine; tour of t½e c:lt~ ,
visitin:r th~ famou~: cathedral Pnc musoum of San Ambrogio where t c General
saw th., famous Lconr-.rdo de Vinci cone rt ion of the last supp ,r .
Th, Army Group Commander then drove tc th~ airfield and d parted
for his command post in Florence
General Clark today received th~ follov,::i ng cable from General Alexc nder :
"At 0241 hours , 7 Ha ,
r pre~ ntativ of tbe Gerrnc1.n High Comwmd
\
sign,d the unconditional surr ✓ nder of n.11 G,rmfln Land , Sea and Air Fores
in Europ, to th Allied ~xpeditionary Force and s:Lmultr,n ously to the
Sovi t High Com:r1a.nd .
·
n2 . All forc..;s nn .er Germ,m control P.r--, to ceR.se active op1'rations
at 0001 B hours , 9 Lay (9 7ay) ."
*
*
*
FLORi:::::NCE--HAY e, 1945--The General nrrived 2.t his headquarters P.t 0930 .,
At 1300 r1r . &.nd rirrs . Myron Taylor came to lunch with G ,nerc: 1 Clrirk at his
l
�ll3
headquarters .
The Generl spent ·he aft rnoon and evening
G .n •,ral Clark s nt the follo'Ting cabl
ternoon
this villa .
to General McCreery this at·-
ttThe obj~ct of your op.rations rema~ns ..-s given in this Hq 0-5529 of
5 T.Tay thAt is (a) to secur., th ar ,a Tarvisio - Klagcnfurt (b
adv(_ nc
ra:ridly tomrds firstly Graz to contnct Russians and secondly Lo.,ben Ra dstadt to cont ct 12 Army Group
11 2 .,
In this connection it is mo~t desirc.ble as much ns possible of
the Bri ti~3h zon in Au tria should e occupied befo " .,_' ther the Yugoslc1vs
or Russians get th ,,r
n 3. In vieVi however of the p; n . ra 1 unconditional surr nfler of the
en my, your action on encounterin , en,my orposition must be moc;lified in
order to PVoid as far ris possibfo incurrin~ any C8sualt::ics to our own
troops throug ~recipit~te action .
"L~.
On encountering cnem~r your troops shoulrl. rarley "Tith th~m wit 1 a
vi ,w to securini:s their imnedjat.., surr ,n er . If this is not fort cop1j ng
and if the enemy resie!ts 2.ction Pgainst th . . m should b confined to c. rtil1 ry and a rial bombA.rdment
Attacks b;'i,'" :i nfantr., vTill be avoided 11
Gcn~rP,l Clark sent General Trus cott the fo1 ovling radio r Jgar<ling
tlie s t tuation on th :Blranco-I t alian ·frontier :
n1
SH.AEF ar ., requ esting rench to instruct G.,n Doy n to coordinat his vri thdravtal into France with he e.rri val of your or ce s on the
Italian order . SEAEF have stress~d 1.mportance of ennbling Fifth Lrmy to
estabE_sh frontier· control on Ttnlian sid as nlready planned and Ag:r .• d
v French SHARF consider R,rriYc: 1 Fifth Army troops with instructions
to tac, ov .,r from Fr nch and establish frontier control best way of enuring French withdrawal. S ould Fr ,nch r .,ply be unsatisf P.ctory the matt .r i l l be rcferr~d to Combined Chiefs of Staff
r12
In ~mticipc t ion of li'r .. nch ·Tithdrawal you ·•j J.l est Rblish AH} in
forthwest Ital up to T◄1ranco -Ita1,ian fronti r s quickly HS possibfo .
u3. You will avoid any armed clash with French at all costs . Should
any comlict·c.p e .r likel, you will ord r yom; troops to ._,tand fast and
refer to this headqu[-lrter s for c1 .. cision. n
*
*
*
1945--The G ,n~ral arrived at his offic flt 0900 rnd spent
a busy mornin., in his office rrnrking on pap ,rs . At l?.30 hours r.ir. Offie
Political Adviser AFH w, Ftnd Er ,Rrhnrt , /\.mcric&n :Political Advisor on
Austrian / ff airs , came to see Gvnerr-d Clar}· anrl r nr-i ined for lunch as Ins
r,·1.1-..,sts . In the afternoon the G(>n ,ral remain ,d in his office and returned
to his v:illa at 1830 for th
v ning
FLORENC --HAY 9
1
I
�(
Gen ral Clark today sent th~ following instructions to his Army Command~r s regarding the course to be pux su d ollov1ing the urrender .
n1 . In order to provid c ntr~.lized control the resJ~onsibility for
accepting and ~recessing surrender d Axis p.,rsonn .1,· transport dumps ,
<locum nts, etc .,, of PfC Southwest will b., assum ,d b~r t 1 . CoITir1nnding
G1'n , ral, Fift h JU-my, by 0001 hours 13 r~.y.
11 2
Fifth Army will assm1., control of and respons1-bility for all
surrendered Axis per onnel .dthin their pres nt Army zon and the.t pr>rt
of the Eighth Army zon north of Highvray 13 and w st of th Riv r T ,gli~ m ,nto . Eighth rmy vill relinquish control of and responsibility for all
such matters in th Rbov B.rea ., This r .,sponsibility is exclusive of the
estimat d 40 , 000 Axis troops w 10 became pri. on rs of 'mr before t he S1Jl' render ,vas ordered R.nd were not evacuated prior to the s1.xrrend r and hr've
since e.n classified as surrendered p rsonnel
T ese remRin th~ responsibility of ~igh"l,h Army.
u3 . Headque.rvers Gernnn l'•.rrny Group 1 C1 with its subordin,,. te head quarters ·rill r port direct \,o Fifth Army on all Axis matters ., Fifth
Army will r lieve 15th Army rrroup Liaison d ~tachm nt t Bolzano by 13
: lay. German Liruson lTission now a.t Headquarters 15 Army Crroup is available for Fifth Army .. ?ersonn 1 not renu:ir Jd b. Fifth Army rill be rP-. ·,urn ,d to Bolsano by 13 i 1ay.
tt 4
The intention of this direct iv~ is to charge 1, i.. th Army vnth
the initiPl control disarning c,nd. recessing . Subsequently all Axis p ,rs onn ... l equipm .. nt and supplies will be nrocessed y Fifth Army back to the
American and Brj tish f1.nal concentration areas under instructions to
iRsu .,d lat r
n5 . Eighth Ar ny will continue control 2nd proc.,ssin(s o. prison,rs
of war sm~r~nd ,Jr d p .,rsonnel anrl captur ,d .quipmenv and stores whic fr,_ll
·within its zone less surr .. ndered Ax1s } ..,:rsonncl in thnt portion north of
Hi~hvray 13 and r1est of River ma.glinmento . rr
General Cfark this aft rnoon cabl.d General McCreery as follo1s:
lfTh following is the taxt of a message from G .. ner~1 Horgr-in
I'iarshal A ex .nd~r dat .. d m~ May. f1essagc begin
00
FLld
n t Meetin? with r\-.r hal Tito lasted on
nnd ha lf hours . After he had
studied terns he immediat .. ly w.nde it clear that h could not accept th ,m ~
His main a r gument r•ms that as he had conqu~red the terrHory and as he
h-d ev,ry intent~on of claiming this and further territory to ·h west
under the peace treaty c co1sidercd that his country should b .. 2llorred
,o occupy this territor;v as a re TH.rd for all th .. ir ,fforts in th__, Al: ied
c?..use and expenditur in blood rnd resources . Ifo th n ent on to say
that RS he ·vr,s willinp to giv us full and unr-,strfotcd use of the port
of Trieste nnd the rends anc' railTirays we required he consid rod th~.t
t .is would amply meet our milj ta
needs . At this stage it look .. cl. as
if __urth ., r discussion -,ms useless . I asked him o•· tW _,r to ,xy:lain more
C
�ll5
fully what he meant by uru--estricted use he th .,n b gan to yi:ld a certain
amount nd finall, :.-Volved after much questioning nnd d:iscussion a suggested plan for a joint militar.r command ='. n t L Prca . He e:;\!1lainPd that
there would
joint military corm'1anders of equal rr:ink 1ho 1 ould command
th troo . . s of their mm nationality ,
administrc:ition o th., territory
must however be cn.rri ;d out by the gov .J''nrnent of 'Thie 1 h hrd ~.lr ady
es· Lbli shed underground three years ago P.no i'J -- ich has now ta1-<:en control.
In r1atters p 1 ta:i.ning to military interests t 1 e joint cor'71T'lf'nrl 1; oulci have
overridini=s powers over the cjvil authorities ., Th~ Allies would be in full
control of the port a 11c ra~lways nnd could run them PS they wished using
locRl la our c nd . mploy, .es as required., A11 ·. od troorA in the t.rec. v ould
have extrrt t rr:i.torj nl rights unil r th ;ir o •m corm1andcrs
Italir:m m tropoli ta.n lire would b~ th0 c1rrcnc~r., A further m ,t:ing h· s be n arrrmged
for 1100 wurs tomorrow 1'vhen Tito vill confJ.rm above roints and \Till be
as rnd for furth~r e:x:rhmations o.nd · or d tnils rogarding th, navnl aspect
of the port control.. I m.._9.d , j t quite clear nnd end d th, neetin!; by so
stat~ng his prorosals we3re quite beyond my po vcr to discuss r-m" I vroul·.
ave to ref ~r to you an you almost certr:1.inly to tb , li.rLricc n and Br· tish
Govc,rnm-,nts . ily fim~.l impr ,ssion is thnt Tito is in such c :position that
ev ,,n if h, wished to h is unt1 )1, v1it 10ut :r"r ;judici ng his ow11 posidon
to f;nrnt us the t ,rms n su mitted . Althou,h t e results vrer, most unsa:tis·:""a.ctory from oux· point of vi.xr thn rneeting ,nded on a fri ,ndly note
with ctrinks all round . 11
Wi 1 reference to the .- bove quot cable , Fi ld Marshal A
reply to Gen~ral Horgan is quot d elow:
11
1.
Your UD
1
xander ' s
2 received .
11
2
For ,rour guidance in future discussions Ti th Marshc'cl Tlt6 I
will not recede from terms of agreem ,n w}iich you lmve pres nted except
for ro~sible sli ht adjustments in :ropos..,d bourn ury and in allo 7ing
Marshal Tito to r~tain some regular Yuq;oslnv troops 1 est of the boundary.
In the 1 tt r case, hovrever, any of his troops ,•rhich do rem'""' in in the
area west of th, line must be p~a0ed under my cornmn.nd
tt 3
Subj ,ct to th, above I ~-,ill not e.ccept anythi.ng less than the
propos ;4 i)oundary Fhich runs east of ~rieste anc incluo.es 1.~ n,;cessr,ry
\
port rnd depot facilitLs and th, rail nd roPd coml'lunications rmming.
L om Trieste into Austria
If rhrshrl ito insists in kecring some cf
his troops w~st of that Jound1-1ry, I w~ 11 ag-.c ,c uO it only under conditions
referrecJ, to in para two abo re . However, as . , ou v,ill appreciate he f .wer
Yugoslav roops which· remain west of the o mdary the better .
0
11
1+
As indicated in
e proposed agreement, I trill us , any Yugoslev
civil acl.ministra:t,ion ·which is alrear:y stabl:! shjl and is wor cine sa uisf actorily in the. area , ut I insist t r,t it functions under mjr Alli cl
l.Ulitar •.r Gow~rnn ent .
·othing less than tha.t is acceptable to me
11
s
5
I rrill not agrne to joint military command ns
su:;g.✓ sted
by IV1in.r -
1 Tito .
t16.
fa fere1i.ce ou.r -di scus
0
....
1· OUR
.~
b forn . .r:o·t,,...
.
d,epe.r t ure , you should
'-'
,
,!.,.L
�(
(
mak, i t cl ar to Ma-rshal Tito thnt if h fails to c~ccJ t the proposed agree ment , I s ·1 all be very disc ppoint d . Th~ ma ,ter 'i]) tli ,n be out of my
ands n __ m st ref ---1"' it · o authoriti~s in Washington and Lom1on with v.-hom
he mus deal in the fu ure
.. ou should point out t rJ~ I _ av , Pl iBys b en
a good r~_cnd of hj_s as hJ ill ay:precji:-te by th _. mi t Jrir·l ,_ nd milit ry
aid vhic I have gi vcn him
However } th::.s has only b~ n c1 chieved :;y th
clos , pt!)rsonal contact. !Vhich we , ve had in th past ., If he cannot deal
w1 th me directly along the line of th-.- proposed mili tar, a;"'., m ,nt , · hich
you l1avo present d , I canno · go fartht.:r, < nd it "Till be n cessar::r for 1im
in th, future to deal with th, Anerican and British Gov,rnments .
y
n7 .
this cab
.. leas
inform British and A~nerican amba sadors of contents of
(.., . ti
Gen ,ral Clark- dictat ,d the not s quoted belov1 for inclusion in his
diary :
11 For
s me time i.t has _con i~<licnted th,St I might be the Amc.rican ))
Commander of ro ops in Austria and c c csignated as the !'.riLrican High
.,.
Commj ssioncr
nc;farnn:r, pursuant to my l'c.quest , rac1 io d G neral HarshP 11 th2.t -· Fould li :ch an c ssignmerit , provid ,a I was not lj ned up
for a combB.t jo · in the Pacific . Later , 1'.1cHarnJ7 re dioed he ifar D _pP.,rtment , without notifying me , that h, Yroulcl like to be set up nominally as
the Jii~h Comnti.ssion ·r w~i th Truscott as his Deputy; Fifth Al"'PW furnishing
th staff . It then seem er, desirabl J to 1 t Fiftb Army h, nd le the red . . ploynen t in Italy for 1et ave the Bdministrative staff to do so , .nd I do
not . Truricott did not want to go to Austri , pre um?.bly as a De1=uty, so
HcNarney asked me 1r1hat I t _ought of i-t
I tel ephoned c]'- rnAy - nd tol/ im
that I r,as '.Jillin~ to do anytbinB )Ut that i I v, . . re sent into ·AustriP I
could not agree that h, be arpointed the _igh Comnission rand me his
Deputy wh ,re h would bo High Commissioner for n out one week ( nd then
turn ov~r to me . WhoeV<:':r is High CommissioneJ· in Austrir._ will hav., one out st ndinG di ficul t7r - that will be th·, Russians .. W oever go ..,s in should
f"O in as Hi,::,h Commission ,r initially m1.rl not be a second .light ma.n nnd
th :..n get dc"l{ed up:gtairs . I asked ~c-rarn y ,,Jh'"'t possi le e"'~cus th.,r
could be for designatinr; h::_m High C01'l:1ission r ,. hen , intvnded to tR.ke
no active Ic rt in it ancl could not FsO into Austrfa.. H, could give no
reasons ., Pi-·esumably, 1 e desired it for the honor wl-i ich ,~rould e nttachedto it
J 1old him that if he were to 1ave it for a week and then I go
in it '.vould hurt m, prestige with the Russians nnd oth r mit:~ ons v1ho
"rill c my close associates . He agroed, but I do not nm~r 17hnt the outcom v.r:_11 e ..
j
1ir . ~ai... hart who is to be my oliticel p_dvisor from the StR.te Department nnc1 vho ult m3,tely will Je th, AmbAssador, call!'JJd on n:c with Hr .
Offi , t e J S . Political r1visor to the Thenter Comrr1r-i-11d ,r here in Itflly .
The, believe thP-.t I am to be d signat . . d initially the High Cornr1issj_oner
I ask ,d them to find out from the State Dc,prrtmn:nt th ir point of vi ,w .
hey feel j t would be a e;raYe error for t 11e Tnited Stat ,s to set tvm four star ,ener£?1S up - 011-- as a stuff ,d shirt , R.nd th"' other , ~ tbe ·worker and t ) ,n pull ,he top man out a. few r1nys letc.r .. I hn:L to be rut in
t is poshion, but I f .,,el i t is of sui'fiefont importnnc, to press t ~
point until a decision is 1 ~<le ., I f el I should insi t my vie 1s be sent
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�to the WFJ.r Dep~rtmi.mt . T ·1e tc-1.tn r~. resr:mtativcs concur and intend to raise
tl19. qu stion through State Dcp2.i--trn ,nt channols ., I was gr atl imrr ss d
with "r . Earhart and am sur · ·re rill hit it off . "
Follovling is the text of General Clark' s , :_, Da.y broc cast which was
air cl over the local station and to the States yesterday .
ttThe vmr in Italy na.s be n a lon~ and bitt .rly · ought battle . It ms
meA.nt the comp ete n ·1d close coop ,ration of all the Allied forces . The
all- out and combined .f orts of lSth Al my Group' s Fifth and ?.:ight.h J. rmies
on th~ ground of t ., I~dit rr9n ,an Allied T"lctical Air Force and 15th
Air Fore in the skies , and the Allied nPvies on t1e sea nade it ·impossi l· for th -r-Jazi Armjes to remain intact . Time and tim., again v1hen
lock d in attl,, the G rmans tried an ord rly r tr c: t only to fine the..t
all a enu s of e s cap had be .,n bloc1'-ed by tactical ( nd str tegic bombing
The aid given by th~ 'T'roop Carrier Cor.:uJ0nd i.n the delivery of suppli s to
our troors and to the Far·'5sans of the 15th Army Group th, evricu;,,tion of
the wounded , made tr.- nsport plrmes t, uly I ar plan s ' • The off n"'i ves
of our FLth and gighth Armies wer n ver c:. single opcrrttion but the □ ight
of air and ground coMbin~d
f e aim of l)th Army Gr)up res to make th~
German stand and fight . Gen ,ral Chidlaw 1 s tn_ctical ,.. ir forces , and the
strategic air fore s of General T dning , under the v r-a.11 corr1I1. nd of
G n ,ral Cannon t s 1" di tcrra.n an Alli d Air Fore s mnde this po si )1 by
loc dng his escape routes s well cS cutting his supply lines . Through
close coord_" nD.tion and tearnwor <: of th r;round troops of 15th Army Group
_nd t o c :i.r armies of the Ii ..dit .rr 1 ,an theater , ti. :.) eat victory hns een
won 11
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10 1945--T 1
G ,n~ral r .. rnained in his villa oc7ay Pna ha.d
impoJ:-tant pa.p~rs clelivero · to him via courier c:t intervals dur:ing the day.
J "AY
FLORENCE - HA.Y 11
945- General Cl8rk
ccomptmied y G ,n0rcJl Gruenther ,
took 01 f at 1055 from Florence to att~zi,d a cor mony in V .nic·e .. There
vrent along also
nofficially, Gcn.ral Brann, G neral Jaynes , Colonel
Miller , Colonel D1 0rsa and severrl oth .r staff o-f'ficers ., This part
· ook no _ rt in th.,, off iciP 1 ceremonies throughout the day but -r•r .nt merely
for t e rid •
G~neral Clark arrived a.t the Lido airpor·t shortly )cfor t velve noon
anc 'Vas m~t \ G.,nerP.l I,1cCr er th~ Eighth Army Cor:imander . H, trav ,lled
into lenice in th., Arny Co:run.ander 1 launch, 2rriving at t ·)e Piti r:?:Za San
Harco at 1214. H .re he wn, gr19et, .,d by a ~ll2rd of honor composerl of troo ,s
from th, ~rp;yll nncl Suth ..,rland Hi~hlanc1ers and from the 12th Royal Frontier Force Rifles , also th p'ipe !'_nd of t e Argylls . Tho G .r.i.er( 1 S::~lute
was pl y cl on the pipes and Gen r..-~l Cl .rk ins _.ect K. -,he t,i,ro honor guPrds .
Immediately after :m.rc.:s G n rel Clark pr .,sonted the L .,gion o· Merit in
the D·.gre., of Com1:12nder to six British G ner~l officers . rr here WAS •
short t:..Xchange of speech ,s bet ween G neral Clark c.nd General McCreery,
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and the following GenJrals ca.me up , one c.fter the other, to be decorated :
Gen~ral Freyberg, 2nd ;Jew Zealand Di vision; General ·Bohusz - Szyz. o, 2nd
olish Corps; General Duch , ,rd Carpathian Division; General Sulik, 5th
Kresowa Division; General Russell, 8th Indian Division; General '·lhitfield , 51Sth British Infantry Division ..
G.,nerr-tl Clnrk met the ·!ayor of enice ri.nd the local Itc lian rr1.ili tary
commander . He e,h ,,n vmlk . . d to the Grand Hotel whr re he ~ nd G ,ner,.,l Grucnther were guests of the ,N:'my Command r for luncheon .. Most of th.,, high
r .nking officers taking part in or e.ttencang t 1e ceremony were also ~ests .
Durjng the 1=1.ft rnoon G~n ,,ral Clar}·· was taken on a short tour of ·1hmice by
Brigadier Ric1ards , Commanding i%th Army Area (British) . He visited th
Doge t s Palace and .Saint Mark t s Gr-i thedral , and he· mc.rle fl quick tour of the
shopping qua.rter in ,nice . He then spent Rbout one hour trnvell-ing by
launch nround the cnna.ls , and especially the Grano Cr,.nal. HE. stopped
off for a ft1w mjnut .,s at 86 Area Hq.
General Clark r turn.d to the Lido a.irf"'ield and took off at about
1'730 hours, ar-riving in Florence at 1830 .
At 1930 hours Under Secretary of War _ atterson, wjth Mr .. Amon Garter , Fu lishP-r of the Fort Worth Star- Telegram, and General T"-;.nscy of the
Opera.tions Division of the Wn.r Depar1..,ment arrived ., G ,rn'H'r=i.l Clri.rk met
Under Secretary Patterson at the Florence airfield and c1rove him to his
headquarters where h, entertain,d his :iistinguishcd guests for dinner .
After dinne.!r Gcmernl Cl~trk conferred with the Under Secrefa.ry in his of fice for two hours . Messrs . rPtterson , Gflrter nnd Gt~nnrnl Tans Jy then
J."eturn .,d to the Hotel Kx:ct1lsior for th, night .
General Clark today received the following letter from G~neral Trus cott rc~garding the French situation in 1forthvrest Italy:
n1 . I am transmittinp; her .,vd th a r eport b;v my G-5 , Brigadier General
· Hume , on a personal inspection durin~ the r,ast t ~ro or three days in th area
in Northwest Italy at rres nt occupied by Fl"'ench troops
I think it is
obvious from this report that political m:.,gchinations are involved, looking toward the annexation of some of the corununes or .rovinces adjacent
to the Franco-It:=ilian border . In my opin5on this rnatter should be rre "'."
sented on the hi~hcst level with a view to attaining the withr'rawa.l of the
Fr~nch forces in accordance with the SHAEF directives , if thnt is to be
accomplished ., General Fume is 8VBilable for amplification of this report _
in p rson , if that is desired ~
"2 . ln my message, Ref . Fo . 1679, I reported the r .,sult of a visit
from my lia:r-son of'ficcr, Golon.-1 Cpnway, to the Fr .. nch headquarters.
u 3,, General 7'Jorbert, Chief of Staff to Gen ,ral Doyen, visit ,d Fifth
Army Headquarters 1:J dn sda7,r 9 nay for a conference with G .neral Carle ton . In thi conf '"'rencJ he Rtrted that French troops had receivec1 orders
to withdraw and were awaJting confirmetion b;" th~ir government 4> He proposed tha.t , since the Fifth Army rnj_ ss · on involved the occupation of northwest I ,aly., one of two solutions Je ~mployed:
�~
W,, advance to t
French forces .
1e
lin
no•.•1 occupied by 1 ,.ading elements of
, r ,. complete +_,h ·occupRti on i;rithout regard to the fact
thr-it French troops nre alrea.d,r in the flrea .
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He favor d 'l,he linL occupj cd by leading el ments of th, French forces RS
the 1 · ne of demflrcation
Gen.,,ral Norb ,rt also :0roposed to Gvn ,:i."al arL,ton t :nt T· moot G ,.noral Do:11_,n in 7urin, vri h honor
ards nnrl consj_derr.b le
fan are
Th_, rea on ad.vane d hy G rierPl ~Torhert 'fa the fact thr,t the
French hnd 1ecm eomp(1ll~d to co11G to Turin to sign th , Cflpi~ulation of
1940 to the Gr,rmans r11d Itr_lians and thr..t such a m, tin') muld r .,mov the
sting from th~ old wound . Gen~rPl Norb,rt en-.eavor ,d to .,mphasizc that
this propos ,d mcet1 nr: in ':i'urin ·muld e a mMting of olch ..,rs or t e purpose ind:tcrted and would h~ve no .connection with politics . Obviously
from our roint of vieY1 sucri a me .,ting muld be a grent mist _kt-, . I hRve
lrected tha.t Generr-1-1 Do~,,-en 1e inforr1 d thnt I '~•j_ll be v ry hap y to ri ,et
him · on the Franco - Italian order or at his om h adqur1r ers , or that I
1,ill e very lad to rec ,ive Mm at my head uarters . · It seems obvious
to m., that any meeting und r any otht,r con itions vrnulc] be a s rious mistak on o Jr rnrt since it is quite evident th French er, endcavorinr{ to
tac . a.dvantap;e of the rr ...,sence of Am ,rican forces to su Jport d vious
political an~ terri torinl Pnbi tions .,
4., I am continuing ·"he occuration of l orthv1 · ItP..ly Gen ,rel Hume
informs me that· he has already infiltrat__,d a numb r of AJIG officia.1s into
the district aml t ~t more ar,. on the vra"' 11
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Gen ral Clru."' c toda.
r
rerlied to Gen ral Trus co' t by th
f ollovring ca 1 :
Y u ·will follow th lin__, o.!'l action i ndic.•:ited in rnragraph J_ of _ ove
nee letter, taking all practicable stv s o encourag French witha
to tl1 F. anco-Italian orr er
ut j n any ca.s , "'rou should esta lish
frontier contro on the I talie.n side of th ., ' order Rs you h;- v, aJree.dy
b""~n instruc ,d in m 111.-ssage O 5546. If {ollov in~ this cours., of r-i.ction
brin~s you to t e point 1·1here hostiliti ,s ::tre thr ,,atened youx troops ,.ill
stand f a st and immediate report ril b, mad, to thi he,dqu~r __.rs
11
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I concur in your r .,fusal to m., t tbt"" French ,:e:neral et Turin. \Jh ,n
and if you ~rranr:re o mJet , 1 ith G~n 1·\ 1 DoJ n I dcsir
ou to P(1 Vis me in
advance so th t ~- may ave a r .,pr •1 .ntativc '"'r m -Lh is h"'edquar·, rs pr ...,sent
'"'or · ,he Meeting
,
1 T L qu.,. st ion of th ., · i thdro.wP 1 of Frenci1 troo·1 s .oI, om Itnly h:_:i s
,on
tak .,n up on th., hi~hest Lvc:1_s
I 2 r s_.,nding another m,.,ssng~ top· ld
'b rsha.1 P.l ,xand,"' ~nd will cJo ev ,.rythi g ro0sible to assist : ou n r ,achin~ an early solution to a di ficul t ir'O bl .,m ., tt
·1
Ge eral Clar c r~ported to ~ ield i4.?rshal Al xander by
situri. ion in Tforthwes Ital as follrnrrs:
Cc
1
to e..y on
"l
~h 1s +'~.r J hRVe: no -✓Videnc, thPt G ,.n ral :io~ ~n is ·1 ·:..th ·ravrini;
. rench troops from ~ or h7__.st It--ly . H, :i.dvis r1 Fi·
Army stf-l+>f o ficer
on Pny 7 1 re .11: 1, d ... _., c iv d or ers .c>rom ,,Jth Arm, Group ·Jo rit dr8w to
�Franco-Italian fron · i ,r hut wri ._, n;rnd ti·1g conf irm~tio 1 fron French Governm\.,n-L ..., f.'or complying
Le pro os, nn ih.t rim solutio 1 thrt . . it er we
a .Ve nee to line no .r occupied );T 1 ar in ~ ..,1 ,ments o Fr ,nch forces or that
~Jo advance to Franco-Ifali,:.n f'rontier passinp: t 1rough }'rcnch troops and
allowing U 1 em o r .,majn ~:n place . IL r1.,comm~nded ,.,e halt on present line
of Fr nch troops . Doyen i- s Chief of Sta·· f on !'/lay 9 proposed Alli ,cl c .:-rvmony
i.n Turin .r:Lth Fr ncl1 participatio·;1. Ee stated Fr{')nch had be_,n oblig d to
com., to Turin in 19/t0 to sign capiculr-1.tion and ceremony wuld r ,mov.
that sting. . will not p ,rmit th0 c.,rcmony to t[->Jr~ place .
11 2
I av --- directed Truscot., to ndvanc as rapidly ·1s rossi )L to th.
Franco·•"ft2.lian bord Jr trikinf~ all practicabl stel,o to ,ncourage th Fr ,nch
to withdraw hut in any case to ,stP.hlish frontLr control
· us . If
hostiliti ,s nr thr -~.teiLd b .. ~1--iis act:i 0:1 b~ hes Y en instructed to he ve
lns troops s cancl fast . nd to n::1- an i.1JJ ,diat., r~ _ort to his headqu~rter s.
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n 3 er ·-ve are a,- ,er1pting Jo move U .. S troops · nto border ar c • as
dir..,ctcd in AFHQ ?.1C 7'222[ and FX 724"1 ·.nr~ to sta'tli~h A.I Gas rnpidly as
poss·1 le .
lhil . +,he •r Jnc troops on t:1e 0 round 11:r-. :xvr ,rLl. cor liPl to
om· troops, the ..,rogress w are ma .inf~ is not sntisfq.ctorJ bec;:ius., of priss~ive in,,t'.,rfe:cence __ rom Fr.,nch
h . y hav·, orge,niz
rorc" hloc}rs on Jrey
rout ·· and T'1R. fo it v .,r;.r di ,..ficuit for adv
of om· tr o s . r,ruscott
considers th!lt unfo tunc1.
incid . nts rill
if ou- ( dv...,nce is
rush~d, arid I concur
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1t i-
_
n Cr'!'n:~
area Fr .. nch ,,Lm ,nts
Dl"
stimu'_Ptin1
op1L-r pro French
c emonstrations
l!'rencb flags ar., rromin ,ntly cd splayed am1 local Cammitt .,e ha. s order ~ct Itali'l n lags ta ~ n do1:v11.. Forms r-irc b ,ing d ·1str:tbut ;d
1/)
for signature urging ann.,xatio.1 of nrea by France . Fr ,nch he v,__, or ''er, 1.
It..-lie.n to accept trenc. currency
In some instances one franc is given
for one lir, to in.flu ntial civi1ians . Si UPtion in.AOSTA area is genern.11
tLe same .
hny Itqlrn.n pn.rtisa
he ve e.;(pr .,sse · their rem 1 iness ·co fight
Fr nch if necessar, •
s
"5 I a 11 not 1mdul alarmed ov ,r this situntion )Ut it is rot .nt-'o..lly \
dangerous . I am confid, t t . 1.n,t th, Fr ,ncb ,vil_1 not . . ngagc in ar ..ci conflict with T • S .. troops. r:a.ny of th, loc2.l C01"1""1 ,nc1 ,rs s ,rv .,d un' ,r rn, • n
t 1.., Fift 1 Army and r f ,,r w:l.+,h ·"'rid , to thn nssochtion vhcn our lJ Hison
office,rs vi,·i.t French units. Howev,r I clo riot lvw-, complet, co trol ov ..r
tie ItFtlian r2.rtisans e.n, ::.ncidcnts 1-et,,e n th n anc1 Fr ,,nch troops mR·r
occur at r.ny time v1i h unfort,m: t., r .. sults . If th .re is . ny additional
pressure i 1/h_· ch ca11 e brouc1 ht on th . French Gov rmr1 ,nt vO s ,,cur , a.n imm ,diate w1 thdrawA.l . urgent , r ,comm nd that such action h . tak~n .
n 'S .
r ,nc forvrrrd .,lemJnts no, occupy th ,· ✓ n .ral linu PP.E ST DIDIF,R ,
_)tr"' 10I1'~HO SAL3ERmRPi.
AIGUILL c3 (FRAJCZ)
0RGO d DALi ffi XIO,
·m,
~s,
~, ~\ff1JfiJC'rLIA , with l .,ments approximately 10 1-:ilom ,ters east of th
'T ~~-7 I ·IGLIJ\ ROAD . 11
cmmo,
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FLORBNCE-- 1AY 12, 1945--G n Jral Clro. .1r rnet Under JcretPTJ att rson, r~r .
Cart r, G, 1 ral 'T'Hnsey, G ,n .r2.l Chidla · r>nd Colon ~1 Groe;, n at th., Florence
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�a1rfi ,ld wh re they took off in Seer ,tary Pc tter•--on' s C-47 for Fj lan et
oqo
Arrivin , t 1015 th ,:r wer~ met b,r G ,_n .ral Cr:.ttcnb ,rgcr
The pc rty
th , n
ove to th,, cent ,r of ~ 1• L n vh .,r a guard of hon.a·· , ras h ..,ld for the
tTnder S .er .,tro\f of , ar ,, 11 h guRrd consi, t .. d .of rin .,ric~ n ~)outh /.\.fricr.n,
raz:i.lian Italirm and ·iritish troops .. Aft ,r th., honors had b ,_,n given,
t 1 S ,cret~.ry r ,vfow ,d t., gun.rd Tr-i th G ,n ·:,.l ClPrk ., G .n ,n:i l Crittenbcrgl_.r th ,n took Lie rr·nder ecr ,tnr
G ,nerR 1 Clf-lr: an,1 pc rt;v on t1 fort -five
minut sight-st~ in:, tour of Nilrm
r,
At lM.5 th .,y arriv1,d
IV Cor} s Heedqu,.._rt..,rs in Milan v.,rher.., G .,nera l
ritt-nber :,er introduced t.., nd.,r S ,cr.,tHry to th following t ivisional
comnn.nders: Gen___,ralAlmon , Gcner~l Bale, Gen.,r~l D.nL,ls G.,ncr:=il
Ut:Ui, G .,ncral oo 1, at1t G-..,n..,ral JiaSCRrenhR s . rr 1., Under Secretnry spoke
to ·he a . . sem' l..,rl g, .n ,rc 1 o .. ficers congrP.tulatin~ h m on their .,r~Rt accom lishment~ hvre in Italy and how proud the p opL int
United StAtes
't er~
of th, gr at job the, 1ave don .,
G n.,ral Critt nb~rg r th ✓ n Jnt rtained Under S ,cretnry of Hnr Fe.tt ,rson and G ✓ ..,rE'..l ClRrk at c lunch at th, Conti· ntal Hotel in d-"lan .. J'J~yor
Grat ti of r'1ilA.n nnd s veral high ran:V.-ing partis n o c>ficiB ls v-r _,re rr ,s nt
at th lunch. Irnmedfa.1.,ely ft .,r lunch G Jn.,ral lar1r and J:'GrtY drove to
t
r ilan B.ir ort rher ., th ,y took off in C-47" s for V~ llafrnncP_ •Th .,r th ,y ·
were met Pt t , f ~ , ld by G nerP.l Mruscott . Uith G ,nerPl Truscott th~y
th .,n drove to the command po t o the Fifth Army , t Veron"' wher.., th Unr1er
S er ,tPry r .3 met b a guard of honor ., G nerals K y , Liv say Coulter ,
la.ys, ? .ndall, Carl ton, _omrd, ullivr-m and staff o •"'f -~ c .. rs of Fifth Army
Headquart .rs all as'7 mbLd in .,n .,ral Trw1cott t s conf ,r .,nc hut here they
-wer , address .,d bri ,fly b;r the nder s~cr 1tary of War congrntulatinF; t m on
the great n ccomplishra ,nt r1ade her , in Ital:r.
Imm.,diat,l,
ollo, in~ a shot cer,:mony, GJnerel Clnrk wit th Fnrl.er
S er ,tary ~,rr . Crirt r , G ,n__,ral T:msey, Colon .1 Gro _ an ., G .,nernl Chidlavr
took off _rom Villafranca for ~mice wh ..,re the7 land d at th~ Lido airport .
rr ,re the.
.,re met b,r _ igadLr Richards , Comma.nding th, -6th Are , who
took the party b;-tr la11n ~h on a tour of 1 enice . The r-2..rty too1c off from
V ..,nice at 1830 hours , arriving in Flo ence at 19'30 hours
General Clnrk
entertained th Und ,r S ,cretar~r, rr . Cart r and GcncrRl Tansey- for dinn r
this Jvening
Gen ral Clark toda:r s .,nt the f'ollovTing message to G~neral Mccreery:
lfFi ,ld rnnrshr-i.l Ale.,~anrl"r tocla,
sent th., follo ring mes. ag .., to TITO
riress· ,g ., begins ·
HI have been order .,<l JY th" Br-i.tish · nd Unit d Stat ,s gov ,r 1111 ,nts to
occur. and ~c1minister th
ustrian rov· nces o_ S ·yr:i a and Cr rin-0hin . Py
· rooJ s have occupi ,d VillA-ch ·and Klag ..,nfurt and hr v., nact ., junction ii th the
.cus..,ian at oitsberg west of Graz . ITy Allied ITilitary Gov .rmnent has
"-Jcen proclaim .d and esta. •li..,hed in tl,, c1rca ·rb ich I h~ ve occupi~d . I
urn:i .,rstand that on ~qk ,d the alli d 3ov rnm ,,nt. for c zone in Au.., tria to
bo allott ,,d to you or occupq.tion on ·1.,. : srm., asis s th0 oth~1 Pllfos .
I nm as kin th., Allied Gov ,rnri1ents to tr.1{~ u this question urr ently.
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�Meanwhile I ask you to for bid yo J.1"' t.roops o mov ov .,r the Austrian fronti r and to vd thdrau n.n who hav.,, rlr .,ady crossed rrhe pr~s nee of Yugoslav forces in St, ia and Ct1· 5nthia can· only confu;:) th., situntion and
make my task mor ✓ difficult
You may ely on m to administer th~ ar a
impart-inlly and without pre.iudic to any clA.ims you may 'II ish to make lRt .,r
to portions o AustriR.~ , I still get r, arts thPt Yugoslav orc_,s ~ r west
of the Isonza an.cl ar P1aki g r~quisitions nMr Udin .. I trust thr-t you
vdll ord~r the requ-tsitio-:1.in _, to cease im1n__ :1iately Dnd Yill rd thora r these
forcJs
ILssage ,,nds . "
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-NIAY 13 191{,5--At 0~30 th~ G neral drove to the Florence r ·irpqrt
to . ay good ye to th_, T der Seer tary of'" Hnr who is leaving thi morning
by nlano .or Paris
FLORE~TC
At 1000 hours the Gen.,rnl, accompanied by G nerc 1 Sa.ltzm:_m, left by
C-47 for P.osignono rhere he -ras met b., hi jeep nd r·riven to his ville.
in Castiglione ..,llo rhere h ~ sr ,nt the night ..
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14 , 1945- General Clnrk left Rosig ano y air at approxima
In his party were BrigAdier P~chi.rd, G___,nerr:.l , altzmr-in, Lt .
Col Short s nior Sout African officer on Gencr<-.1 Clnrk' sta.r-f, and
Uss 'Theron dau., t r of Eaj . Gen
h;ron, Arlmihi trative Officer of the
Jnion Def ,nee 7o~es
he pl?n L~nde<l at T,flilnn at about 1000 hour
FLOF.ETJC ~-- ,¼Y
11
t .,ly 08.30 .
Gen .,ral Clarkt s party was m~t by G~n ral Cri tten Jrg r " They drove
through Hilan to the South African Division comm~nd r-o .... -1:, . Here Generr-1
Clark ta.lkc,,,d to Titr Stur:rock, South A''rican Hinister of Rnilwajr-=, nnd
Transportation , and Acting Hinist,.r of Defense , and also Lt Gen . Sir
1-i rr . . Vf:n R;meveld, Chief of Staff, Uni n Defense ~ore s.,
;sides other
mcmb~rs of th ir pP.rt.r. General ;lark, aecompani d y G ;n rc.l I oole ,
Divisional Comnandcr, and th~ oth~r distinVJish ,c1 visitors th n drov.., to
th, Autodromo, Milan s famvd race trac_.. . Here th ,r., ivas n. full-sized
gc rd of honor , Pnd repres ntativ, detc chnLnts from all the units in the
division. ,mre draun up on rprade . Som, our b~ 1 L --ron units of t 1e r ivision 1vcre 2 lso on parade . Aft .r r~n~r, 1 CL: rY Pnc Mr Sturrock hP.d in
Sp ct ,a tr., guard of honor t.-1~,r -~ i'\T8S r>n imrrossiv~ decorction C ,r~mony
in vhic some thir ·..-r or'd rri.,mb:.rs o-r> th, division receiv ,d m .ricr-m v;ards
for gall[rntr.,r rtnd m~.,r:itorio 1s s ~rvic • Frincipc· 1 a I ong thes ... was th .• a ·irr>rcl
.o f the 1~ ion 'Of 1 ri t , Degree of Gomaande . . , -Lo Gen. "'f . E . H. roole ,
Commander of th., hth South Afric;=m Armor ,rl Di vision .
-Aft..,r the decoration c .. r ✓mony, the entire division drove past the
, nlu ing · as
This was a most impressive sight A.nd took some two
hours in all . 0th ,r high rankin.e o·rficers P.t th, cer .. mony w__,r . G ncrE>.l
mruscott, G ,nerril Th"'ron rind G .,n..,r" l Bolte . Follo~inp; thr-? c~r ,mony,
G .. n ·r.., 1 Pool . ..,nt~rtained th .. ~u sts to '"n op .,n-air llmch ,on in the lovely
grounds of thl'!! Ro. ml Palace .
Aft . .r hmch (} ,n1,ra.l Clark d ov., back to the air i .. ld anr~ fl .w to
Rosi~Rno , arrivine a ou-t 1700.
�Duxinq · e coPl"'se of th, da,r G .n rnl Cl~rk a.loo r "t Colonel m.tteo ,
P· rtisan lertd.r ir IilF.n 1ho had r centl,"" bJ.,n ~ "ignrted C :iJ f of Staff
to G~nerc: 1 Jrirdona
1
G ,n .r,., 1 Clr .r
I
c...
toda~'" cr-1.bl .,d G n ,ral r"cGreer"; as fo11ows ~
"1
1 ressur
on Tito is no'~ einc; transferred from th military to
the gov r ·11:1 ,ntnl 1~ v , ., ' . . ndin.c ac io-1 y ow.~ gov .rnn nt s r-ipply no
rnili tar; rr ,s .,ur
· tn but con fin
our r ef'.linP's vri th him r-md l i,...
orces co11c rff11
., ·· - ...
; "'. r RTrnnJi m nts incid ,nt ·e,o
elev loping < d ,--::-------------.---;;;-:;----·
i ,ste to
A.ustr · a
The R
of ·y-u~osl v
.1.. ore s in kt s·crL
is covere
.
L
c~.
r
I
l,
11 2
You 'ihould t< le steps r.nc1 ma.k, arr "1gem~nts , o tl rt hofft,.: l i L.s
involving . .,.our .. orces and thos of YugosJBv1 can only occur tbroup;h r "'Ult
of c: t·jac on ym.ir forces b: th~ YuE;oc::<l2vs
"3
In so far r n pr, ctic ble you qhould confine nl1x· troors in contact :ith :Cu ;oslav,3 to nritish
d
S
01 c s
You Pr , ( uthoriz ,d to
us 'Tew Z aL 1d cr·oops in contact wit Yw.,.osl[1vs .Y
*
*
*
FLOR ~rTCE- T'tA.Y
*
"'81 left his vill::i at Ca::n,ig ion} is h .,adqunr
in lorenc , erriving t l.100.
lar ~, ir~m ;diat ..,,ly upon 1is return cal . ,d
meeting o
an Brann , r--ate c 1r1 Colon 1 Smi t:r with r ,f ,r .,nee
,ost · o th vi.cin: ty of Bolsano .,
ce'ilo and
hours
G nerP.ls nru.,n
co m11 ving th.,
.At 1?30 J'fr
Br:· vi h } olitical Advis r on Austr--t r n Affairs , cam_. .
o c
nd remain~d for lunch
At 1 ~00 hours th., Gen rel
a·ct ,nd d a w dd. n~ ,
tl,, _nglo. can Hot 1 of r1iss Ross i'o .,11 1 .'\.m ,ric n
R ,d Cross to Lt Col Robert Ra
, Ar ·illel";'l .. ction) Fi t} l\.rmy
~·he
Gen . . rnl ;---ve th., 1)rid~ nw2c anrl
d d t 1 r ,c.., tioa n.nf dinner "
*
*
NfAY 16
1911-5,la1·k arriv d at is h ,::idqmn·t ,rs at 900
·1d at 09~10 l 1iss 1, .,· , y,j tish :)hr-> ~ s .,r:i. n a ,tres--: 'ho as
be ,n entsrtaining Souti1 Afriean troops h .,r, in H,qly,, cam Lo ay h r rsp ,ctA to G n :ral Cl?rk
At 0930 G~nerql S .,vin, Fr nch R(i-;rres ntGtive to
the Alli d Control o-·,mispim c, 11
to s e n- 1 ;r'"' 1 Cl k .
t is r1or-nilw;
c
Au 1000 hours G ,n r 1
1-'ift 1
inp; th
C
P
K n
G~n
Dis
wi
m
"O
..,omP1r-ind 10 \, at
1111:: hours
t Y (} 1nr~ls
1 , Hays, Liv . . say o.nc
1
n .. decor
g
, ,rvic
nquiuh .,d
r~
rmd ,rs 1
too of· "Y C-l1i-7 for the
ny v Ls to 11 .... h ... ld, n. riv
rivr-il nt the cor1r,1rnd Jost G,n,rr-il
~
y ,s , Critt ,nh,.,rp;er , Coult r,
nor ·ras i1 d
ich
lRrr, i
Oa L., ~ 1
LJ
is
1 Clark
c'ecoratc G
.
cott.
., G n · .:.
r1..1scott t_ n
is
r;. .,n ral Crittenb rger ru cot
gun.rd "
�J
divisional conr·k..nders - Gen ... rals Coult ,r , Hr-i.ys L:i.v~s~w , Kend 11 Pnd Bolte .
A:."'ter th c ,r ,mon G ,n .,ral Truscott ntert~iru3. th, vn rRl o fie rs at a
uffet lunch :i.n his conf~r ,nee ~1Ut
0
Immediatel. a t .,r "lunch th Gen .rP.l fl ,TT bP.ck -to his comw1nd rost in·
Flor .,nee, nrr i vi ng Ht 1600 hours
T e J ,n,...r!:' 1 sp .,nt th :ccmri ind ,r of th .•
afternoon in his of·,...ice , r turning to his villa at 1830
At 19 O General Clark with G nernl Grwmth .,r , attenrl ed a cocktail
partv given b,_ Briga.dier ac. '"nrd nnc th _, members of th,, "A 0 1 'Icss .
G.meral Clark s citatlon for his Or-tk Leaf Cluster
Service f.iI de.l reads as follows "
o the Dist··_n 1ish d
[/\,JlK W CLARK 05309 , G n ral H~nd .uart rs Fifte nth Arr:r Group ,
for xc~ptionall~y m ,r ~ ,or:i ous service in a dut:r of t1re t r sponsi iP ty
in Nort-1 Africa and I P.ly ram 5 ,Januar;v 19/+3 to ~J · a.y 191+5
As Comm~ndi _n g G ,n ,rnl , ?ift 1 Arr1.y, from 5 Jnnuar, 1943 to lS Decemb..,r 19Li4, !"nr~ as
Cor'!r.1 ndin, f1 ,n..,ral , Fift .,enth Arm~ Group rom l'S Dccemb :-r 19/+4 to 2 ~"Y
19/+S , G~n.,ral Cln.rk d~monstr .t ,d ,xtrf-lo dinary v ,rsatil..;ty a:'1.1. unif'orml
sup rior [:',bili ty ann 1 ,ad rship as org!mizer , administr[l.tor , nd combat
lea ,,r
In Janunry 1943 h, organiz d th, Fifth Army in riorocco and imm dfa.t ly 1m("'e too. 71:th consp cuouu succ ss he mission of Pdministering
the territories of Jforocco n,11(:1 w~st ,rn Algeriri , trr.ining mrny units for
combat in Tmlisia and r;u sequent campAi~ns ,. and 1>rovidin-'s ef n iv m a surcs age.inst rt possibl.., t ,,rmnn invRsion o S anish Tiorocco . H,, com.mand d
the Fifth rmy in t , invas10~1 of Ital~r at Sal rno on q Sept nber 1943 ,
nnd successfully achi ,,v ... c1 th .., limdings in spit, of strong and "et rmined
German resistance , ·.rhich :> 'av ,ly thre ten~d th ,ir accomplishment
Unc' r
his insptrh1g LL cLr~hip his forc..,s quickl, seiz d th initintiv
' rov~
t ,rough t1, mounta· ns ~7ij ch fa.; 1:) we.:-n Sal ,rno an ··h ., vitally imr,ortant
port of ~fo,ples anc captm---~d that c~: t;r within hr ✓ w eks of lan i g .,
1
7 en his ~urth ·.r 20..vanc _, nor -nm.rd was obst- uc:t .... ~ ~,. a cor~ ination of
sev r, wint r cono ··tj_ons ancl heavily fortifi .,d moUt"1.tain d _ ,ns ,s , he
planned and e:ccutcd n, . lan { amphi ious attack at Anzj o and pcrsonall,
ciir ,cter t e de ~nse of thai., eac h ,ad aga: nst de err:1in d nemy attacks
in large force to dislodge it .. In th" o-ffensiv-.., of MRy 1943 , h, eYhi i ed
ext aordj nary tactical g nius in th planning and d., fo.·i L-d d5.!' ,ction of
coordinat:~d attac-s from th, Garigliano and Anzio fronts uhich r ,sulted
in a major def . . At of the opposin~ German ·"'orces v ho \~ ere driv ,l1 from Rome
and fore d to r .,treat nor-th of 1e Arno River . IL l~d the Fift Army
north o~ th., Arn in an off .,nsi v which hro ., the.: G ,rmans 1 strong ,st
Italian def~nso positions , th., Gothic Line in the Appennine Range .
rpon
assuming command of th0 Fifteenth Arm~r Group, c coordinat ,c so thoroue:hly
t e Allied cnmpon . . nts , consisting of AY! ,ricr-m, '3ritish , Canadian, South
Africans ~T~n Z ,a.landers , Indir-m Arm:r mroop, , Fr1'nch en , Pol~s , rnzilians .,
Palestinians a.nd Itr, lfans, that in he spring o.ffensi v..,, "ll• ich b gan on
April 9 1941> the Fifth rind ~i "htb A.rmies under his corrmand achL,ved in
thr t, 'leeks th . cles.1-ruction of' th . . G ,rman : orces in It-:i 1.. and forced
t 1e ir unconditional surrender General Clark t s foresight , tacticr 1 an( r-i.c ministrative abili t: leade~rship c .ncl p~rsonal courrv,, hr vc throur;hout this
ntire perj od be .,n so con.::,pi cuous thn. t th... hav p:r·ovider a cont ·i i1uous
inspiration to all his su1 ordinc.Ls an rssociaLs .
oth as Co me.nder of
11
1
�i ") --
l
II
J
the 1 ifth Army and of th, Fifte .nth Army Graul hL , cl-:i ,v Jd r markf-1,bl _. success · n producinc; hnrnonious toa war { ,_.m n ~ th c iv ..,rs AllLd troops
un er is command uho were at all tim-.-s imp,11,d to follow his l,adership
and to work tog th,,r coop ,ra ti v -.-l;r vowe.xd t, com11on goc: 1 upon rhic}, ·1.,
k ,pt theil attention 1 nsw~rvin ,1:.. • fixed
H-i,... ?.Ccomplishments hf)Ve reflecL,d g-rea t er c it upon his country ancl hnve eon o 1ne stimable value
to t 1 ___ United. TJations in th-, complet defeat of G .,rmany
F~ntered th
United States I ~ili tar,'" Academy from J,~w York If
·
G Jneral Clark today ca l~d G ,n ,r 1 r,ruscott as . ollovJs:
/~
(
11
This headquarters has · '!en inform d by SACI!..i:D tlmt it mr-~
_..come
necessary ih the imrnediat f'uture o carr.r out op ,rations to ~j ct nar
shal Ti o r s forces from Southern Austrrn and all or portions of Horthvast Ttal:,r.. These opnrat~· ons will b conduct d by both r ., .' . and British
orces under op .,rationa c01'?Pl~.:t1<l of ,ighth rmy., :!:.t will be ncce,ssary for
◄ ive Army to furnish a r.,inforccd corps of t~:ro
poss·ibly three, U .. S
divisions including th, 91st Division
It is f:ir ✓ ct~d th, t the 10th U .. S
i~ountain Di vision be al ,rted for mov nent to th, Udin, , re,a on or after
17 Hay. If r ,quir ✓ d , -:,he '3rd TJ . S Division is not exp cted to be cL.lled
forward prior to 1 Sun ., • s:' .• U S. II Corrs ·hicJ.1 :· ill omrnan<l -the U. S .
troops in. +,hi o ration ,,fill s nd a plannin~ staff to iiain Eir,hth Ari.y
Headqnn.r ers without delay
Fi th rrriy ;ill er sponsibl for th, supply of the J. s . troops engPg d in tris op'-'ratio1 . 11
G neral ruscot sent General Clar c the f ollouing letter co day 1ith
regard to h.,_s confer nc., with G ,n ral Do, en ;OJrunander of French Troops
in i'To thw , t Italy.
n 1.
Gen ,ral Do~ ,n CoT1Y1Md ,r of th , French Arrny of the Alps , visited
my command post at noon , 15 fiia., 194S 4' I r,c ived him with a guard of
· honor . Ho was accompani d b:r his D~ --ut:r Chief of .Stnff, a Lia.ison Officer with Cr n0.rnl Doy...,n from 6t Arrtr Group , and an Aid.., de Crimp ..
n2 . Tn our conference , I -,gn.n . y pointin., out the t th ., Fr nchItalian ord .,r he.d br:, n d f" n ,d b~ the Cor-ibined C.1:ie fs of Staff as the
oundBry between t_1e I e,dite ranean and ~urop .,an Theat rs of Or,~ration;
that is to sa:r, · . lin of the former French-ItP...... :L,.,n j, 3i.ris~-Itril:iRn, [l.nd
Austrian-Ifo.lian fronti~rs , a 11d had J xn so 0ccept .,d ½;f P.11 Allies concern( d .
T 1 , mission of th, Supr ,m~ Alli~d Gommand..,r of the M.,diterrnn ,an mh..,~ter ,.
2.fter defeating th, cn,emy in . is
.,a1., ,r of OJ ,r~tions, is to occupy the
·'-.erritor,, ov~r-run :l is ...,rmi s, r'"'-estn.blish la r and ord ,r, 1"lith a vi ,w
to return such areas to stR Jlished gove nm ..,nts ?.t th., appropria.t , time .
So fa as ·,ror hwest Italy is cone .,rn d , · is mission h, s been P ssigned
to Fifth ArIT1,
und r 15th Arrn.y Grou
'11her .,.for, , n:v· ~.ssign~d mj ssion r .. quires me ~o occupy all of forth 11est Itnly and establish mil:tnry gov rnment in all th ., area b ,tw ,en t
prese 11t 1oundary J w en th~ Fift ~ and
Ei.~hth rmi s nnd those int _.rm.tional boundaries prev.; ously r ferr ,d to .
I remr1rked that G~n ...ra.l Do~ n ou _d understand the t , since th,_, area
qu stioncd w s part of the zone of action a llocat d to th, Vi ,diterranl")P.n
Thea· --..r of Op ra.tions T could erm· t no intorf . . renc .... dth the fr e r-iovc m ,nt of my troops uithin t , area .
n 3.
!3. •
Gen~ral Doyen r pli .d that , for his part , htj hnd complied
l
�I
with all mil ,tary orders he hn.d t, us far received . H, had been as ed t o
at ta.cl,. on thv 9th of Apri from is xistin(l' front Hn,, \· ic }, , hAd
don • H.., hnd defeat cl t,r e fore'"' oppo'""-l.ng him c~d had pu1:sued th ,m into
Italy. Subsequ ,ntly, h h( d b n orderec1 to st op , B.n<l h hPd coripl:i.ed
wit .. that order . Fin~.lly, h, hrd ) , .,n ora ..,r .,a by the ?th Army Group to
vith raw his forces 1 om Italy to the French- Italirin fron t ier .. IL hfld
not complLd with th t ord r inasmuch P..s h b lived it imno~sibl, ,
under th circ1.: m tances , for an ii'rench G--n . . rRl to con ly Ti th such an
order without reference to his Gov ,rnm,,,nt . Gfl')ner~l Doyen , th ,,r.efor e , ,;as
awai tin~ confirmP.t1.on by his Gov rnm ..nt b ,fore is suing any ord~rs for th,..,
withdrawal of his troops from Italy.
/
\
_
Gtm~rc1l Doyen w nt on to say h, felt he should explFiin th~·
reasons b ..,hind t he .i: r~nch occupat: on of It_ 1
His troor:J Y.,re comros d
of nativ ,s of 0avoie , D;:iuphin ... , , nd th, Pnri time Alp-s
.,se p .,opL h.Pd
b cm subj .,cte-d to the hur1iliation of the It lfan rirr:iisticc t ,rms of 1940
and to the subsequent occu1a.tion by Italian troops . Th'"" unpleasant m,mori
evok .d in French m:nds by · h, Itn.li:r>n o cu_ Rtion stj 11 surviv s
Consequently, :.n th., minds of th ,)ord ,r peopl , , it is but simpL justice
for French t r o ops to occupy ItP.1 · en territory in tb ., sam.. c.. nner th "t
Italj n.ns had occupied Fr ..,nch territory und .r s:Lmil.'1.r circumstanc s . Gr,neral
Doyen also stat .,d t lPt all Frenchm n consider d that Frc nee ,,as ':ntitl d to
r .., :ara :,ions from Italy- for damage done . H, hast .n d to point out trc t
al though t e Italian occupation h;_::i_d res lilted in som , unpleasant inci6ents
bet-rrecn Itoli, n soldi rs ~md th,, F'r,,nch populat~on, the conduct of his
m n troops ~n tal, had b ~n entirel,r correct -in all r sp cts an<.:; it vras
m tt .,r of consid .rabL ·rride to him thf't this h, d be n ~o
0
•
tt4 .
I stat..,d thr-it J couln. not di cuss or settl., any ri_u,,stion of
as it ,.,ras obv·i ous y 2-. m tt~r to Je trcP.,t ,d ".t tl1-- p ace
tabl~ , in conferenc, with all the AllL:il nations . How,,ver, my militPry
miss~on r majned cl ar and I emphasized that this mission obliged me to
occup, the entire ar ,a to th , 1 ormer Frenc - I tP.lian frontier; th~t :in vi .. w
of G ,nerrl Doy n t s stateP1ent r -la.tiv., to withdrc. in~ this would n ,c s sitate my pl cing deta0hm,nts Ghroufsh an 1 even Jn rear of Fr,nch troops
disposed in Italy, thnt my mis ion r~quir, m to set up Alli ,d mili tP.ry
gov rnm.,nt throur;hout this ar~a of resrons,bilit.y_ including those ar as
in taly no._r.r occupied y F'r nch militar. p .. rsonneL I request"'d G..,ncral
Doy .,n to coop .. rAt., with m so thPt I mi~ht f'ully C<. rr, out my assign ,d
mission s o that no unt oward incidents rn~i gh affec in the lea.st 1 ,grM th ,
tradit."..oMl French- Arn~ric.:1n frien hip of long st~nding .
r rarat::" ons
1
,
5 G~n .ral Dob ,n r~pli ..,d that hf!! could assure m, there 7ould be no
int .,rfercnce whntever lrr
Fr .,nch troons to the eyccut · on of t his mission .
'
H,~ saict it uas o½viously irn.possi )1 . . for him to acv ·1it ·1out furthr-:r guidance fron his Gov .,rnmvnt ut · hRt h, exp ,cted to see G n~rr.l .Tuin
shortl., and would discugs th., ntire matter with him . He h::-id ev ry hope
that G.,n ,r2.l Juin would b., abL to obtain a solution to the probl .m on a
government al leve L. In th , meantir , he request ,d thnt I t:-:ike cognizance
of the actual cHsposition of his troops on ItrdiPn soil n.nr p .n'm:it th ,ir
freedom of clrcnlati on and administration .
11
;
n 6.
of
J:t rench
I r ,plied that my troops '.rnuld not int rf ..,re with the movem .,nt
troops nor rmy Alli ,d troop;; • thin tl , nree so long s such
I
�rnoil1 ment~ did not im.,erfere with the full accomplishment of my mission
and that it nould be necessar for G., ern.l Doyen to insure t:be.t French
t roops · interfere in no wa:r ~lfith th:,, fr .c rnoVE,men of my p ,ople .. Gene r .al Doyen :replied t c..t he hr1 d alreR.d, issued orders to ·1., is .ffect and
wmJld personally insure th;:;rt th y w re carried out . I ..,mphri.siz d ae::,in
that it was my responsibilit, to estB.blish milit;tr·r gov ,rnm .nt in th
area and - [It my M-:G personnel must be , .llowed free access o c 11
places ,..rh re th ;, were r quired to go .
11 7
1◄ inally Gen_.rnl Doyen ask .,d m to co:i1sider th., que!3tion of
passage rights for c rtain French p,nm nts in tl t, l font Genis area to
graz., their cattL in w. iat is now Itr-il · an t rritory
r.rhc history of
this particular r gion is described bri ,fly as follows : On tlD ann --cation of Savoie by th Fr ,nch in 1P-6o the . pres ,nt Fr nch - ItR.lic .n fronti r
W8.s established
However , the Sllvoirird Hho inhP.hit . . o the Ta.n slebourg
(Riv~r Arc) A.11 y wer, in the habit of ~razing th ,ir cattl on t 1.c plate2u
sou.th of Hount C ,nis aD.d this tr ..,y .md continu ,d' to do , b ine e;t."'anted
full passage righlts across t 1~, 1-)ord ,r . This pr~ctice continu0d until
1937 1hen · those peRsants holdin~3 property in t 1 r gion l1ad tho· r lands
, expropriated y the ItBliPn deer . . s of 1937-1939
Il1fl smuch P.S none of
tl 1 is ..,xpropriated pror~rt:r hti.s ever be n p::iid for by the Ital:irm Gov . . . rnmen , ·he Frenc{l Gov ,rrun nt has never r cogn~1 z ~d the legality of the -two
deer . ,s and has dcclar c. them null and vo:_ · r14e pcasPll"Gs involved
hav v ry little n..,ans of livelihood ano. ar b::i:ncaJly deT'endent on their
fe.rms and cattle for their 1,x:tstenc • (} ,n ,r'"'l Do:ren then rropos ..d two
solutions to th"' problem . 11 irst , that the frontLr out osts (Am"rican)
be rrainta~.n
as at pr ,mmt )Ut thP.t som, form of laissez - pass .. r ½e re cogniz .,d P..nd issued to t e ffl.T 1 rs , form,r o,•rners of pasturi:, land in
Ital.. for the pm·pos., of o.llov ing t .. m to introduce ca.ttL on their
forme1 holdinps to graze th .,reon; or, s~cond to i thclrc w our . rontLr
gu.R.rr1 s to the south ast .,rn ,nd of th., -rlateau in qu~stion ?nd allovr the
farmers free circulation w1 th thc1r flock in thnt . - roa .
1
rr s. I r .,plL. d thAt I could not nndor a d cj sion on a point of
jurisdiction involving Pn intnrnation 1 ,J01m.dnr,_r tbnt it •·.-,s plain thPt
the F ..diterrrmean Theater of Op"ratim s limits , as n1reafiy rl fin ,
could not be alt r _.a 7 oca1ly nor could J nsvr ... r th ")roposal . nde y
G~n0rR . Doyen
. ov,~ver , I agreed to t ri. ~1smi t Gener c 1 Doy.., n' s rropo a l
and ace mp .. ny:ing man t roug t 1c Cor1manding ,n ,rRl., 15th Army Group to
th~ Supr mJ Alli ,d Cor-1rnander of the r1 ,di• err~n~n.n ':'}i~( ter wtth a request
fo_,. o. c-cis:i on on his ,conomic cri•"'is in that rec •
"9 .. Since the attitude of th, Fr .. nch rrulitary hns be .. n to disclaim
conn .,ctj on i-vith the political Rcti vi ti ,S fo'lrinf plac in hat ar .. A, I
did · not rais ,. th:i. .q question with GenerP.l Doy,_.n
I Pm of th,, oriinion th. ,t
w can bes· control thnt by cstahl i shmng olU" mm A.PG p~rsonncl throughout
the area ., rr
General Clr1rk today cabled G ,ner .1 f/cNarn y
B.
'"'ol lows:
Bascd UJon unconfirmed information thPt J.at,1r al communicntions in
the Innsbruck ·area LIO t e Jalzburg ::1rea e;,ist Pnc resent plPn to com~ lete
communications
tueen "(l _rona and lnnsbruc ~- by Juno 1 , it is now cstimr,te·d
th t 15t Arri Group can ssume op~r~tiorKll control :mt not administrati v, control
TJ .. S., and French forces in Austrir:_ on or , 1out June 1 .
11
;f
I
�:,
+"'irm dat can be giv n .
Additional j 11 ormntion is ... sired efor.,
mission is requ t .,d to r vi- 'VT this .stima:t. on 21 Th., . 11
C,
·>E-
~.t
*
Per-
*
FLOR.E JC"'1'--T1A.Y 17, 1911.5--Gcm..-ral Cur··,. arri v c1 at his headquarters at 0900
hours this norning . At 1100 hours th Gen .,rP.l took off for Ros." gnano by
L- 5 wit his aide and c~rov .. cir . . ct to his villa at Gastiglioncello . In
the R. · ,rnoon Gener 1 Grucnther anrl Colonel Porter ar.dved for a s ·rim and
for dinner
Today G ,1LrR.l CJErk recJiv .,d 8 rn ssagc from the 'fr.ir D_,prirtment ord ring him to r~turn to the ·rni ted Stat s to c:1.rri vc in Chicago on
Hay 29th rh,.,r., a celebration would
., lLld in his honor
Grmi..,ral Clr:rk caol d Gener
J1cC. e .,ry as follows today.
HAmplL, in;;; instructions con-·ained in my SGS 3qq and SGS 399. 1- .nd;..
of rres--.-nt _overnm .,ntal n got;j: tions w~th Yu:,oslnvs, you rill
avoid entc.ring into an._ si~1..,d B.fs!'e r1e1t with Yua-oslav corm,. nrl rs . You
vnll continu., vr:i.th the occupation of areas in V~nezia. Giulia whic you
now hol , And ,,hie 1 ar ., necessary for the dev _..lopm_.,.nt ond op~rri.tion of
your 1 of C from Tr-i. ste o Aus ria
The port of Trieste will 1J used
to ma.int, in yom· forces ·o hv ext ,nt vr" ich locr1 situ, tion ,(\:rnits .
ing outcor:,
11 In Austria you "ill continu.., to occupy ~tour assigned zone subj c
to sue _ local ag::i... . G'"'m---nts ul ic~ you n1-:: ,, wi
t . , 0 ov :· t;) 11
(
*
*
...,f:t
*
FLOR'::} CE-- ~:A~[ le-, 1945--A 0' ·15 th.., Gon .. rnl
his vil. a nrrivL1g 2t
--he Rosi1no.rw 3Jrrort at 0 30 wh,,r 11 vas mJt J, his C- /{,7 . G ,nera
Tc.
wj uh Colon ,1 nt T\.,il, G-4 Fifth ArE1,_r, ·rcr., ·.aiV n
for G n ,r;-i ClRr c
a ., t 1e f5 _,ld rnc ·o ,et _ r they too.<: off' for C, s,..,rta for a SAC Poli ticc 1
a. i ta:r•y conf ere nee ~n , Gvnvr, 1 P rriv ,d r.t Gas ,rtR at 1015 . Go 1 •
lPT' :e conf .T:red uith G .,n..,rr 1 ·1c1fa:rney u·n tll 1030 an0 th ,n att ..-nd _,c
1JL conf r .,r1c
until 1230 . A-..,t .. r thP. conf· rc..ncf, G,.,ner: 1 n1ark tPl.< _d
wi . Gr-me r .1 rrcm,r-1. .,y un· il l?.4.5 n.m t 1 .,n lune 1.,d ~ s G..,n .,rnl rTcNarn0y 1 s
guest
Jir .. rn"ry .r;flor Scripps-Ihm.rd; I Hjor G n .rnl ~'1' .,lson, "'h ,jo
G n ,r0.l I .,nc.:.. , 13ri[_;ac.ier G,. n ,r~.l PacGrudcr ~mr ., al ':30 gu., sts of Gen .. ral
T1c 1'Ia.rn _,y for lunch
4
J.,
l\.fJ:,er lunch G neral '"'lar< m.,·J r11r . nffie a.11d Lt . Col. Charles ThBy.,r ,
ex b ..,ad of O":S in Yur;oslavia anc, to :Ji:, h~ad of ffiS i.n Austria . They
drove with him to ·} te airport wh r , they bade him gooclbye . G .ncral
Clark fL\v ack to osit;nano arid drov to his illa at Castiglione llo ,
arriving 8t his villa at 1630. G_mcrrtls .orann , McI7ahon n.nd Colonel
Grogc:m cane for the aft rnoon ru1d v •ning .,
*
*
FL RB .. J , - IJAY 19 1911-5--At 0900 ours General
:7tosig.:1ano to Florence . The GunEffPl srent the
ferring with P1err1 ~rs of hi ~,tr._::.:·r and wrking
At 1?30 Gen rn.l Doy m, o~ 1ri-andint?; French troo1
*
Clark fl .,w in Ins L 5 fro1
norninf:; in his office conon accumulPt d p:i,rers
s in Jorth,1 .,c:•t It, 1 ", and
�1.· s Ghi~f of Staff , Gen :. cal l,or crt
cnm ·o p.qy th...,ir resp cts to G ne~. al
Clark and o discuss th . . militai--y situa.tion
A ;) iard of honor \ s h ,ld
for Gt;n ,:r[11 Do,y-en aft .r which G .n .,:cal Clark ,o :lferr d 7i -h him in 1is
a · fie
for h, .lf an horn.~ ,1ef ore lunch . r he 1} ~ner&.l t,h~n ent ,rtaine
GenLrB 1 Doy .,n anc"1 his Chii.,f of :)t;iff for lu:1c • G n ,r,, 1 Loyem 1 ft ir m,__,dia t . . ly after lunch , and G~no:r-. ___ (; lar1r too1: off by L-:3 for Cr stiglionc lo
At 170
ours Gen Jral Caul t ~ arrivud at Ccistiglionc~llo to spvnd.
the nig it ith G ,n~rel Cla:r-k
Lt Col 1;ygaarc1, .·ajor Qc-iw..-.ld , th G n n,l s L 5 pilot and Lt Essri.r~r vLr, c: lso r;uests at -1~1 villa for th, night .
Th, Gen.,ral saw· t½,.., film urrwo Dovrn and · n To Go 11 and T·etired earlJ ..
G JLr~.l la.rk cnbl~d FL,,ld l1nrshal Alexa: c,er ns
confer nee 'lith G .n "o.l Doy n ..
ollaws
ollo"ing his
11 R .fercnc.., Frvnch situation in i'Jorthwest It, .ly.
I compLtcly cone lI'
in : our vj_eus as :cp. ·ess
. esterd'"'.: 1.,hn t t." , Allied gov ,rnr1ents should
mak~ strong r ,pres .nta ,io1ls to th Freme Governm ,nt · 1th -. vie,.,.-, to r.i.vlng
Fr,..,nch troops 'I:i.thdrawn · rom t 1~~ at t----- earliest rosc•ibl dnt
"Cr era.l Doy n , Conmanding Frnncl). Arni of Alrs , visit d
He eXJll~in ,,d th< t "i"'rcnch ~roo:r.1s VI --~' s ..,riousl.r c ~ ,aVi·o.:.nt d
to stop ad vane , in ::. al Just , s vb ~Y uer , , . Jout -r:,o .,~4 loi
s · atec ·t,J. at rrestiie, and honor of 7 r r1.ch ArrQJ r -1.uir ,s thr-it
re u:ir .d to vri ,hc1:caw from I ,aly at tl ~s ti nc . I~ said thr,t
(
me 1e:r, todr.y.
'.·Jh ,n r ,qu1r .d
victory. He
Fr ..,nch not e
h., f .lt
quit, certain t at no qu.,stion of ann ,xation of It,,linn t ,r::eitory was
involv d . At on stPo;e h sugg,st,d th2t instead of hPvfog Fr-.,nch troops
ui thdra,-r h f Jl1., thPt American troops sl1oulo .crJ.v., rrn.y -.,o .,rmi1., ~'rench to
occurv 1ro-ger area
I to d hin I ras c ,rtain t _is ould nev :.r be a~ e1cd
to .
"It is p rf ctly s.ppa.r nt to m~ th t F'r ncl troops ill rem2 in g ,,ne rr lly in th~ir pr s ,,nt rosi d.ons :i.n I n.l~r f'or som · i 11., ·rhiL th~ situa tion is being discus'3 ,d on , ·overnmentnl levels . J k.. flrn,rhile vrith tv:o cor:1J'1' n- ·
d~rs in th.., ;:,ame ar .n and troors thoroughl:r mixed the s t up is unsatisfactor:r . In spite of drastic ord ,rs issued bf all corunr .nc crs cone .. rn .d to
prevent incidents , ,...ome arc li2bl.., to ta1'"e pJFc"" , f'[irt~ cul,:,rly in vi w of
r,,. im':'lrnnr1abl., :'rn.nco-Italian r •lr-i.t:i onship
HTJntil th
,roblern is ~ ttl ,,cl by th, governn,,,nts I r . . corin..,nd thrt you
consjd~ t~J,.in~ st., 1;:J to hcve F'r..,nc1 trooJ,s nm'"" J_n tal.., plr.ced und1'r op·,rationPl control of 15th Army Group . I in turn 1Tould attach th 1n to Fifth
Army.
his oulcl t .nd to bring order to th.., rrc~ent unsatisfactory s·tu.ation
houlrl French troops pnss to my comm nd , it is ny plrm to a~sign
t nem a definit., sect or of r sponsibilit .. - v hich .rill avoir th-✓ rresent
vrbolesal.. mix~ng of r . S . and Fr .,nch roops
AfG activiti
throughout
\
the whol.., c.r a 1·1ould continue to ·,.. m.,tion unc~er comn:"'nd of Fifth Ar y
as the:r rre no1;r . Gen re.l Do? ,n c nsid rs my suo;gestion ,. lo1ic.n 1 on4' ,
though ho was v .ry car ful to avoid committing his s nior commrmder
I
in turn made it clear to hi'l1 that the proposal hrid not yet been ref rred·
to you
I d:i_d not dis cuss the AHG angl ., vrith him . n
. I
I
�l3
. FLORENC --MPY 20 1945--The Gent,rP.l s .,nt th, ..,ntire day at his vj_lla a.t
CRstj.glio 1cello
G n rr'l Coulter left c1t 0930 in th, morning . At lB00
lOlll', n~neral Clary fl~w h .: ck to th
Hcadriu.nrters i his 1-5 a.nd dined
out with Gen rnl Gruenth,,r in th, ev ,ning.
0
0p.,,rations Instruction
//.9
ms issu..,d
oda.r P-_nd reads as follows:
11 1
It r1e.:y becom necesoar;v in th irun dj nte ·"uture to cr>i--ry out
opera.ti ons to ,1ject the Yurroslav forces from South.,,rn Austr:t::1. and rom
all or a portion of N. i-: . Italy
Tht: @b.ject of taking such a.ct/.on .,.ould
be to mak 7o.rshal Tito rcclis thrt his a.tt,mpts to establish by force
anrl militnr ,r occu a tion is claims to c rtain t ..,:rrj torv e ond th ,
present fro~nt~- r of Yugoslavia. will not be tol rat d '
· ·
(I
The initial policy on vrh: ch the con:1uct of nrval, 1~_nd and
A.ir op, at:i.ons y·:j 11 e bns d i thnt off nsi ve actio .. , i ll b r Jsfa•ict ,d ,
as f'£1: r: s possihle to th.,. areas in qu~stion.
11 2.,
u3
From ?_? Ma.l Eighth Army wil l)e rit 9t) hours notic
out th~ tasks num ..rated in para 4 b lmr .
to cr.rry
TAS_(S
t1
i!~igh t
4
Army will
S ,iz
a.
Triest
b
ccupy and ej _.ct th., Yugoslav fore s from such areas in H., 1'; .
Ital~r as is necess~r.,. to secure Pnd nrot · ct r,,rivst, , rn 1 th L f C from
ri ,ste into Au0tria vie Gorizia Capor tto and o.rvisio
c.
Es· ablish Anglo-American A ~G in the above areas .
d.
Ej ct iugoslav fore s from the area occupied by Eighth Army
in Austria .
5 a :-~ighth Army rlr.ns ill e based on thi, assumption th:-t there
1ill b . no wi thdrn:vml from Trie (!<te
11
lf6 6 It may subsermentl:r be n ... ces~a.ry to e~~tend the o cupf'tion b
Eighth Army over the 1l"ole of V ,nezia Giulia , and in particuJJ r to he
port of r oln. .. Thi will e th•·J su .i .ct of a separ te instruction
7
The t king av r of the Tforthcrn '"'ortion of the present 5 Corps
, ctor by fol"ces from SIW~F dll be dealt ui th sepri.ra.t~ly.
11
"8 . G O. C Eighth Army will continu., to hnv ~.t hi .1isposal all
form .tions and units no,..r unckr his comn['..nd , vith th. addition of the
following combat troops :
a.
S .. Corps Hq vnth n Jcessar;;r Corps troops
ntn Div
2 U
_o
��3l
2 H. L I. and Lovr1·
) .,
,couts .,
requir .cl ~5 T • S Div 0nd MJ\.:·7 'i'O'J" .rRU1. 0 1~ ill b~ mr.>de tWPilable .
All troops may be used n.s o., r?.tion~.lly r . . quir d e::,.c .. pt thnt Itr lian
G:i:-uppi uill not e m loycd East of the TAGLIAlIC.1 ITO o in AUSTRIA .
1f
n9 .
Naval support Till be obtained on r ,quest to FC!rALI
11 10
f,1A.TAJ? is nv2 ~ lBbl~ to provide air op .,rations in conjunction
with thu a ove op,rations .,
"11 . TlL supply Pnd administration of Am ,rican troops und ,r comrIPnd °H~ighth Ar r1-;,r r Jrra.ins a r sponsi_biHty of Fifth Arm • On damand by
2 TJ . S. Corps POL and common us ,,r engin~ .,r stores ·rill be provided by
Eighth Army. 11
*
*
*
FLOREHC - fJ Y 21 1945--The Gen,r2l spent the ent:ir c!Py toriry in his
office 1'rorking on pa .rs, r-m in the ev Jning r ,t,red to his villa or 'the _
ni~ht .
*
*
*
FLOR'""'HCE --. 'J.AY 22 , 1945- GJneral Clark 1 ft Florence b
ir !"lt 0800 ,
accompanied by G ,n .rr-i.l Grucnth . . r
lrncled et Campo Formirlo field near
uo~n c1t 0915 vher he vra.s met by G. . n,,.rn.l f,qcCrue:cy
The pRrty drove to
the II Corps conronnd post wh..,re they conf rred w· th Gen .,rP.l K Jyes , the
Corps Command r , and G ,nerRl TTill ,ms , Chief of StPff . They th .,n drove
throut;h Gorizfa. and ins ected actU? 1 [' nd potential rosi t:to 1s east of the
. to-m . G . .nerfl1 C -~k m.,.t (1 ,.ncral Liv .,sP.;c-t , Commanding th 91st Division,
✓4f end Colon 1 B oedlow,. Connandinp.; the ~(\1st Infantry during this tmn: .
. j)He ,ms net on t he road by G ,.n ,,rnl John Harding, Connending 13 Corps , and
"V/ )rigadier Archibald , his Brigadi ,.r G neral Stn.ff , and with th :r.i coninued his tour a.round the 13 Corps r a
The pP.rty lunched at G ,n.,ral
:
Ha:rdino-1 s headquarters sitw-"")t d in a b nutiful villa. near Monfrilcone .
)
/
1
r
'J.
/
/
/ilY
<,
•
1
4./g
O'
p' - ~ Aft ,r lunch ,on th , J"' .rty rlrov into 'l'rie ste and made r . quick in ~ , , , spection of th~ port f~cilities . Th.., rort , A.t this time , v1<1s unlo'- ding
some 2 , 000 tons dailJ ,:)nd the tensioh in the torn apreared to h•::tve ,Psed
"~oft sorn. what , although troops of all nationalities w r, conspicuously armed .
<J'~
During his inspect ion Gen .rnl ClB.rk mot and talked wit 1 sev ral of the
naval o ficers in C18Xg, of port o:r;era ions .
~
,y1"
: /
O_
••
t
/J/1
fY" ~
~JJ?
G ncral Cl:'1..rk clrov bf! ck to Cr-mpo Fonnido rind flew to Florence , arriving tit the c_ommR.nd post at 1830 . Upon his arri vr 1 bHck P.t the comrnRnd
post. G~n ~r:::>J_ Clark emu rr d brL fly rith G n .rP.l Gru.Jnt-:...,r b .for~ r ,tirj ng
to hJ_ s -n.lla .,
*
~-
*
*
FLOR.:.i JCE--rru\Y 23 1945--G ,n ,rrl Clrirk sr .,nt ::i.11 of th
orni;1,r and the
a.rly rif:; .,rnoon in 1is office conf vrrinr; 11' :i.th VB.rious stc ff officers c nd
�J
(
�buttoning up ma.n.r d()tail rr-i_or to his d po.rture for the United States .
n the afLrnoon th .. Arm~r Group Command ,r r turn .,d to his villa for· the
night .
General Clark today sent the follovnng cable to Fi,_,,ld 1·1a:cshal ALxanff 1.
G n ,rrtl r1c r .. r~r r ,ro. ted by telephone this nfternoon thPt the
Cor111nnder 13th Yu .oslav Division told Colonel . ro .... dlovr, Cor'lmr nding the
T. s. 361st Infantry R .,gi 10nt , that h must wi.thdravr 91st Division troops
from rr ARTTOVA illr-:i.ge . Bro dlovr repli .,d thri.t he h, d ord ,rs to r ,main in.
this locality, whereupon th Yur;oslav commrmder stated thrt if th, 1'merican
troops do not nithdraw h~ will be obl:5.g•d to force thr:')rn out
General
I'i,icCreer, risk d or instructions .
- ---
J issued th, f ollo1•1in1-; instructions to· Gen ,ral 1cCrocry, which
were lat r concurr ,d in );T you .
£1• 'rake m cessary dteps to nold th TA.tl.1'-JOVA .. osi tion r ,inforci1 g
it to the exten· necessary .
b . Have a seniot' U S. com.mt:mder and a sen~ or British conmander
inform the Yugoslav cormnand ,,r th2.t our troops lv1ve een ord red not to
Yithdrmnr fl om pres nt positions ·rhil,, points of is su a.re bei_nb discuss d
by our gov rnment '"'
You will also advise th, Yugo 1 v command r thnt if
he attacks A lied troops he i:lill ,, held strictly accounta L b~ P'1rshal
1
?.
Ti to for ta.kin:, such aggressive action uhiL n~ :;:,otia.tions r:.r , in progress . n
Follov1ing is a summP...ry of the Yugoslav situa ion a.s of this evening .
G nertl Gruenth,r
HQ n ..,rt .l Mc Creer" telcpho d · / 'lt 1730 hours to give the follm:ing
r,port:
0 The local Yugoslav commander , t Gorizia - pro abl:r the 13th Division cor1mander - told Colonel Bro ,dlo r today th1:1t he must , ith raw U. S .
roops from 1PAKTOVA villag.,
Colon 1 Bro .. dlow stnt ,d thr t he hPr:1 orders
from his division commP..ndcr to rema1-n in 7AR1 OVA V.Lllage . · The YugoslPV
cornnand Jr stc1t ,a thr-,_t if the F . S . troo
ar not wi thdrmm he will :f' orce
h r1 out . G ,n ral lfoCreer. further stated t at th "'w:;oslt1.v2 rlislik~d a
broa<ic~ st which v as he2:n"d over _]5,C_ toda: . hich stn.t d thP-t TT . S •. troops
occupi ,d ""AR VA without opposi ion. G n Jr,.-,1 r'lcCr, ,r.r tntod th: t the
_ugoslrws were offended , -~3 peciall,_ , y the t ,rm t without op. osition1 ,
becaus it in rred thnt · i .,hting m.s in progr ss . Gem ,ral IdcCr .ry
stated th0t he does not think hat t , ugoslPvs 1.d 11 use force , although
ho could not ., c rtain of th2.t poi t . Re recommend d that th re ,.ould
b,, no dhovr- do·.11 ovt~r this qu stion o.nd th--,t our ·,,roops b"' \ ithdravm from
T""~P:iOVA rcnc in" ·h co c lusion o ne~o£1atio s y t t gov~,rn 1e--ts: Re
furthermore stP.t d th7.-t :i.f h,, is g·ven ord .rs to holcl TAR
ho.t
:r,robnblw v ould be necessriry to str n· ·t 1 ,n th,
•a
1
it
4
11
/
, ,·
. - . . . _., ,.._._
.~
lf
Gen ral Gru . . . nth ,r told Gener."l •icCr er that h) ,;rould get
d .,cision for him promptly, but tha · h
re2:s0;1 .bly c.,rtf'in th"'t Gen rr..l
Clar. would dir · ct him to hold the T.ARTTOVA position, :=ind und r no cir cumstn.nces ~. ithdra ·1. F , lso told him thPt h ✓ ·va.s c .,rtain thc.t if G ne rn.l Cln.rk gave that decision he oulc1 also r.nthorize G__,n rn.l _,rcCr r u to
reinforc,, it to th r~quired c gree ~
I 17\IJ'f,/, .(. t
�(
ttG nerc 1 Clrrk was not in the CP at th, time , so G,nerLl Gru nther
call~d Gen rnl Lcrnnitz ... r and told fri_m of G\JmrPl McCr er.r' s conversation.
He also t0ld him thnt he t 011£'.l;l-tt thr t he :\.,lt quite certnin thf-l.t G0n ... rnl
Olar c' s r coru~1!mdation would be to retain t 1e '"PAR TOVA position . Gen ... r.al
L,,mnitzcr replied that he 1,as quite sure t at t 1 is d cision would b, in
. ccordance wjth th, Fi ,l d rirRrshal 1 s d ,sires . He said , honever , that he
i::iould consult t o Field . Tnr~hal imm .,diatnly Pnd rould call back soon .
Gen . .rc1l Gruenth ,r told G .,n ,ral L .,mn5_tz ,r of thn Y1.gosla.v d:i.spl .,e.sur , over
the :me broadcast , ut Gem .,r 1 L rmitz r stated that th., r,:-L .se 11as quite satisfactory 11n<l m~t th, dcsir ., s of. AFHQ .
1
HG ,neral L ,nnitz r call,,rl_ at 1830 hours anil s n.t ,d thnt th FLld
Hrrshnl a~.re,_d thrit th re should b0 no w·it,h rar9.l from the T.A.P.I:OVA rosit j on, and thr1.t lt should )e re~ nforc d as yre consi rlor n ✓ C sst:1ry.
The
Fi 1 '"n.rshal consider ,d . t r.dv, s~ble to inform th~ Yugoslav co:r:unanccr
· he.t our troops have been ordcr- ✓d not to w · thdrdv from their rresent
positions nrhile negotiation_s a.r, in pro_,,ress . He ,: lso d ,sir s that the
~[ugoslav commanoer b~ 11p_rn0 that if h . nttac. ~ A li ✓d troops h__, TilJ e
hel· strictly accounta~>L y i1'Ta1·shal Tito, for ta dng such aggr s s ive .ction vhil~ n.,gotiations arc in rrogr,us .
11
G ,neral C nrk talked to G ,n ral i1cCrce:r;:r at 1~11,5 hour, anc1 issued
orders ns j_ndica ed in th , nr v.!, on.s Jar graph . He also placed th, 85th \
Di vision on c lcrt so uhnt i t would l prep:-,r ,rl t,o send a r .,gim---ntal cori1:fa. s-:Eca.m to the II orps ar~a on twenty- four . 1otirs notice nnd one addi tional regimental combe.v .,f.l.m r cpnr c to mov each t"Tenty- four hours
e,1er af r . 11
J
Fi ld
a rs. al Alexander
C8
lud G... n .ral Clark as follows today :
.Agr ec thr:.t ;\rour suggcst~Lon o h2. ve French troops in tr. l~ put 1.mder
opera iori~.l cnm. an 15
Arny Group mi '.>ht frcilitn ·e Ar'G .nd proc1uce mor
ord .,rly nil=i Pry stat of c -rfairs .
0
11
It is h ,~e~ r not ap_,rov d for res.sons given in follo"ing p,-·xr . grr1ph .
nsuc -1 action is Ltabl to convey impression to Frenc 1 [.U)d
that · nch occupation of .,.o,rthnest -.-tal, is coY1.doned y U.. s ..
It m::: ght a l so prejudice strcF1g qction no b ,in1 fo. 1cen )Y U. S.,
gove1 rnnents to s c rre imrn,..,dirtc tote 1 w·thdrawal of rrench ro
Ital • 11
,T
*
Itf-lli~ns
an T F .
rnd U.. K.
. Northwest
*
:!fLOin: c~~ --;:A.Y 24 1945--Th., G .. n . ral . arri vo at his co ,mand r ost t is
rior11-nr, at 0930 1ours cnrl s-oent nost o-f t 1e T1ornin conferring \ ----h Generals Gruentbr,r Bml T3rann . At 1;?00 .ours a ceremo~w was
,le~ in the com~
mand post at "'nich Ge,Lrr.l Cl2.1'1 decorated Hnrl promoted 90 o d o ,..f~.c . . rs
and nli s t d men of h i s h adquart rs and one WAC, S .,rge ant G rald ine
Horn of Lucedale , 11,1i ssi s sippi who has
een on duty :i.n G(m.,ral Clarkt s
office for the past t~o years
A ter lunch the Gene:c2.l departed ·a ,, 141~5 hours for the rr..lazzo
I
�Vecchio w. er, at an impressive
Florence and sign~d the Golden
· ies , t c Arm,f Group Comrnf"'nd ..,1•
r mo.incl ,r of tl o -:'t-,rnoon and
i:::;
c,_,remony 1e was made an honorPry citizen of ')
11ook of h., Cit,r . Follovring these £'....,µtivi - /
c part ..,d for his villa Yrh r., he sp nt the
evening .
*
-- r'.AY 25
hours
1945--General
lark arriv, - Pt his command post at 0830
is morning and af·or cl aring_ his desk of all irnporknt par-:rs
d\.:;par er at 0930 for the air1 Lld 11 h ~re he 7as gr ,et ,d by a gtk r
of honor
and a brg•~ nurnb~.r of p . . rsormcl of 1j s hcadquert .,rs . At 1000 10urs tht:.!
rmy Group Cornw=mder took o _f by C-47 on t h . . first leg of his journe.r to
the Jnit~d States wh,re he vill participate in .I.!., ceremonies in Chicago
on Hay 30th
*
*
MAY 25, 1945 - MAY
*
*
*
JO, 1945 - ENROUTE TO U. S.
*
*
WASHINGTON-•MA.Y 31, 1945 - General Cle.rk arrived at 1810 at the Air Transport Hangar , National Airport, Washington from Chicago in a C- 54. He was
accompanied by Mrs . Clark, his daughter Ann, Captain Berenson and Sgt .
Chaney. General Clark was met at the airpor t by his mothAr and Mr' . and
Mrs . Tom Griffiths , old friends from Seattle. There were about fift een
photographers and reporters at the airport and the only thing General
Clark told them was that he was glad to be home . He went directly from
the airport to the Kennedy-Warren .
With regard to the Yugoslav sit uation, General Gruenther sent the
following cable t o General rtcCreery today:
"Following message reference number F 84941 was received from Gener al Lemnitzer AFHQ signed SACMED . Message begins :
" ' 1 . For your information , following paraphrase of message re ceived
here from US State Department: "US government continues to maintain that
'\ Pola must be included in any approach made to Marshal Tito e.nd that Supreme
\ Allied Commander ill receive instructions to that effect from COS . American ambassador in Belgrade is ~eing instructed to present note and draft
agreement on Venezia Giulia question which US and British governments have
\ agreed up6n as soon as word is received from SAC that he has no objection
to this procedure" .
n t 2. For your further inform tion we have sent maps to US and British(
ambassadors in Belgrade showing area to be occup ed in vicinity of Pola if
our governments require ooaupatio that port . Area is defined Els coastal
a.rea surrounding Port Di Pola to depth of approximately 2 miles from coast
and including pr omontory P Cresto as northern limit and promontory P San
\ Giovanni as souther n limit. Exact perimeter follows coast and tracks .
1Will send you ·large scale map showing exact area. I wish to emphasize that
above area i s applicable for peaceful occupation only. If area uru.st be
\
�l35
taken and held by force it will be much larger. Suggest you have study
made earliest to determine limits of t actical area r equired to secure
Pola under such circumstances.ttt
*
*
*
WASHINGTON--JUNE 1, 1945--Genera.1 Clark established his temporary office
in the Operations Division of the War Derartment. At 0900 he went to
General Marshall 's office where he attended the Chie:fls of Staffs' regular morni.ng operations conference. He also tallted over va_rious matters
with General ffarshall, including the establishment of his Headquarters
in Austria. General Mu-shall suggested General Keyes for a new assignment, rut General Keyes requested that he be permitted to stay with
General Clark. II Corps is going to be the Corps operating with General
Clark in Austria. After dictating telegrams to General Gruenther and
taking care of other correspondence, General Clark returned to the Kennedyl
I
~L
In the afternoon he went to .the White House for a conference with
President Truman and during the conference President Truman autographed
General Clark's autograph book as follows: nTo a great American -General M-u-k W. Clark. Best vdshes from C-in-C Harry S. Truman, 6-1-45".
After the White House conference General Clark returned to the KennedyWarren.
General Clark today sent the follov-tlng cable to General McNarney:
nHave just talked with Hull. He thinks it would be a good idea if
II Corps HeadqURrters be employed in the Austrian occupation. ~isenhower
when I saw him a few days ago concurred or would provide another corps
headquarters . I would like to employ II Corps with probably another commanner as Keyes being considered for another job here. Talked with Gene- /
ral Marshall this morning and unless you have other requirements he concurs in my remaining here until approximately June 15th. If II Corps
Headquarters not available any other one O.K. with me."
General Clark cabled General Gruenther as follovts today:
trJust arrived Washington . Chicago ceremony tremendous success.
concur in Serge,:tnt Hornets return .
I
"What decision has been made if any on the Corps Headquarters and
its commander to go vdth me into Austria? Keyes being considered here
for other assignment. His acceptance rvill depend on t4e Austrian set up .
Going to West Point tomorrow."
*
*
*
*
WASHINGTON--JU lE 2, 1945--General Clark went to 1ar jorie Webster Junior
College at 1030 to attend the graduation of his daughter. He ms.de a
short talk to t he gradua.tes and presented each with her diploma. He was
accompanied to the Marjorie Webster Junior College by Mrs . Clark :-:md his
\
�mother .
At 1530 General Clark went t o the ATC hangar at National Airport
and departed at 1550 for West Point. He went up to be present at the
,graduation of his son, Bill . He was accompanied by Mrs. Clark and his
mother and Sergeant Chaney.
}
General Clark arrived at Stewart Field, New York at 1720, accompanied by Mrs . Clark, Mrs . Charles Clark, Ann Clerk and General and Mrs .
F . A. Irving. The party was met by General Wilby, Superintendent of
USMA and Captain Luther, temporary aide -de- camp to General Clark. At
1800 they arr:tved at the u. s. Thayer Hotel where they were to stay
while on the reservation. They had dinner together with Cadet Bill
Clark in the grille of the hotel.
General Gruenther today cabled General Clark as follows:
"Decision postponed General McNarney reference corps headqua.rters
until Nelson party returns from SHAEF . II Corps scheduled for demobilization in December, but McJarney believes your wishes can probably be
met . Will advise you. British and U. s. parties ~ill proceed to Vienna
Sunday to inspect facilities and recommend divisions of city into zones .
Flory, Lewis, Smith will be included in our group . Note to Tito now in
final form and will be delivered as soon as he returns from inspection
trip . Situation quiet entire front . Coffey goes to Pacific. MI'OUSA
takes Niblo . We will have Jaynes as Ordnance Officer .
(
General Clark today received the following cable regardi ng a trip
to Rio de Janeiro:
nTogether: Generals Crittenberger and Clark. Altern tes:
rately, in order indicated) Generals Truscott or McNarney.
(sepa-
nrt is ur:rlerstood here that the Foreign Office has been requested
by the Brazilian War Minister to invite the aoove named officers for BEF
celebration . They should arrive a few days before the first group . of
BEF and stay for the celebration.
I
"Also invited is a platoon of US Infantry from 5th Army which would
consist of one officer and 30 enlisted men who would be representatives
of the AGF who fought alongside the Brazilian Forces. They will participate in the p xades in BRAZIL and will ride on the USS MEIGS . The
USS JlEIGS, with the first group of BEF is expected to arrive in Brazil
about. the end o July by the Brazilians .
''Particularly requested by the Minister is the return of Major VERNON
WALTERS with General MA.SCARE NH.AS .
"Furnished later will be information concerning invitations to the
AAF officers .
\
°For information and planning alone is this message . n
�WEST POINI'--JU lE 3, 1945--General Cle..rk, accompanied by Mrs. M. W. Clark
and Ann, attended baccalaureate exercises for the first regiment of the
graduating class in the Cadet Chapel. Chaplain Jack Walthour delivered
the address. After the address, General Cl.ark went to the Alumni Headquarters in the Cadet Barracks and registered as a member of the Class of
'17. With his family General Clark had lunch with ·B rigadier Genera..l and
Mrs . George Honnen, Commanda.nt of Cadets, USMA . Among others present
were Brig. Gen. and Mrs . l~cManis .
At 1500 General nd Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Charles Clark and Ann left for
the Superintendent's reception for the family and friends of the graduating class . At 1730 General Clark presented the academic awards to dis- ,
tingt.lished cadets of the graduating class. Following the reception General Clark returned to his suite at the hotel ,here he had dinner .
General Gruenther cabled General Clark as follows today:
"Brann, Tate, Nelson returned from SHAEF today. Rooks conducted
conference troop list and will submit recommendations to Eisenhower soon.
Our requirements appear general ly to be concurred in although there is
some likelihood that some of our combat elements especially artillery
and tank units may be cut down, and this reduction may cause corresponding
out in service units . It seems probable that we shall receive n Corps.
Y3 Corps is nov, in the area but must be moved later . It is hoped that
time of its relief will coincide with dat~ when I I Corps can be spared
from present assignment . Final decision on II Corps will be made by General McNarney as soon as he hears from General Eisenhower. Present esti- ]
mate is that &1HAEF will' turn over command of u. S. zone in Austria to
AFHQ in about three or four weeks and not on 5 June as previously suggested . That arrangement is sound in view of present complications in
removing prisoners and displaced persons from area and reorganizing divisions depleted by re-deployment of personnel.
"Doyen sent letter to Crittenberger on 30 May indicating that French
intend to administer certain parts Northwest Ita.ly and that they find it
undesirable to have Allied Military Government in same region. In one
area in west Imperia French Local Commander refused to allow our officers
to post proclamations. Matter has been referred by us to .AFHQ for high- A'
level decision as to policy to be follovred in view of apparent changed
att1.tude on pa.rt of French. It is not alarming, but it is most annoying
in view of Doyen assurance to you that French would not interfere with
our AMG . No other incidents either in Northwest or Northeast Italy.
rote to Tito has not yet been delivered .
r
"Kildore committee visited our headquarters today and expressed pleasure over reception . "
General Clark cabled General Gruenther as follows today:
"Saw Grace at noon. When I talked with General Marshall he asked me
to ~iscuss with Keyes an assignment in the US . Have done so and Keyes
prefers to go into Austria with me .
�"Your msg as received. I am glad that everything is being done to
get us II Corps for that assignment . Make it plain that I want Keyes as
Commanding General provided that War Department does not overrule his decision, and I am sure that they will not do so. War Department has same
views as mine on Austrian set-up . n
General Gruenther briefed General Clark on the current situation in
Italy today in the following cable:
(
"Doyen sent radio to Crittenberger last night stating that French
Government approves his posit.ion in resisting establishment of AMG . La.st )
sentence his message reads ' General DeGa.ulle has instructed _me to make a.s
clear as possible to Allied Command that I have received the order to pr~vent setting up of Ar/Gin territories occupied by our troops and administered by us by all means without exception'. Alexander will present mat~
ter to Combined Chiefs of Staff for action . We now have A1\G well established
northwest Italy but in provinces of I mperia and Cuneo not complete because
of dif'ficulties road communica.tions and shortage A1lG personnel . Fifth Army
appreciates importance of time and has made every effort to work rapidly.
French have not tried to eject our officials in areas "here we have already
established ANG. New note to Tito delivered to Vice Premier yesterday in
Tito' s absence . He gave no indication Tito 1 s reaction. Ambassadors took
a firm line and indicated Allied pr oposals were not subject to further negotiations . Tobruki n sent message last night cutting size of U. s . .and British missions r om 7~ to 40 in each party. However , full size missions
left Klagenfurt this A. M. Message received few min~tes ago indicates re ceived with elaborate ceremony when entering Russian zone . Apparently
none to be sent back. Alexander still visiting Eighth Army area. MI'OUSA
has recommended to Wa:r Department that II Corps Hq. be -changed from Category 4 to Category 1 so that it may be used as Corps Hq . in Austria . Everyt hing proceeding smoothly. Hope you will be able to enjoy a long well de served rest . You must not feel that there is any reason for you to hurry
back. "
*
*
*
*
WESI1 POINI'- -JUNE·4, 1945- At 1000 hours General Clark talked to the members
of the Tactical fupartrnent or USM upon the invitation of General Honnen,
Commandant . He dis cussed briefly the Italian campaign, the French situation in Northern Italy and the Yugoslav situation in Trieste .
At 1100 hours General Clark joined other members of the Class of 1 17
for the Alumni Exercises and along with the rest of the Alumni, reviewed
the Corps of Cadets at the review for the r eturned Alumni •. Mr . & Mrs .
Tom Griffiths , friends from Seattle, arrived at 1200 hours .
At 1245 General Clark attended the Alumni Luncheon in Cullum Hall
where he spoke to the assembled Alumni . General and Mrs . Clark attended
a Class of ' 17 reunion at Colonel Hayden's quarters in the afternoon.
Graduation parade was held. on the Plain at 1730 hours where General Clark
reviewed the Corps .
In the evening General and Mrs . Clark, with Ann , h d dinner in the
\
�l39
.(
Cadet Mess
Hop in the
Clark were
later with
Hall with Bill, after which the party attended the Graduation
Gym. For the first part of the evening the General and Mrs.
in the receiving line with General and J\Jfrs. Wilby and then
General and Mrs. Honnen.
General Clark today received the following cable from General McNarney•
nconcur in use of II Corps Headquarters in Austria with the urrlerstanding that it cannot ·be made available until the Jugoslav situation is
settled. SHAEF understands this and has indicated the feasibility of providing a Corps Headquarters for the initial few months, if necessary.
"Desire you arrive Caserta early 18 June to complete reports on
general officers as I will probably depart for United States about 21
June . "
General Gruenther today cabled General Clark as follovrn:
ttus,
(
British and French missions reached Vienna last night and were
given warm reception and excellent accommodations by Russians . General
McNarney said he radioed you today that II Corps Headquarters assignment
to you is practically certain. Alexandert s Headquarters Commandant has
requested villa. for field ma.rshal on Lake Garda. Smith recommends tfussolini villa since it is not suitable for individual to whom it is now a.ssigned. Smith has more appropriate one lined up for him. If you approve
P- 11 make Mussolini offer to Alexander in your name . No new developments ·
in French or Tito situation. Everything quiet . Bradshaw, Colbern, Crane
ordered to US for assignment . Duff goes to P~cific. Bill Donovan will
be here today. "
General Clark cabled General Gruenther as follows today.
nMessage concerning French si·tuation received.
fic assignment .n
*
*
Kno11 nothing of Paci-
*
WEST POINT-J1JN'E 5, 1945--General Clark and party attended graduation
exercises in the Field House at 1000 hours where General Clark presented
his son Bill with his diploma. General Omar Bradley delivered the Graduation Address . After the graduation, General Clark talked with Congressman
Jackson .from Washington State in his su:l'te in the hotel. He also saw
Mayor La.Guardia of New York City. The mayor invited General Clark to visit him at the City Hall in New York City.
2nd Lt . Clark arrived at the General's suite at about 1230 hours, and
General Clark proudly pinned gold bars on his son's shirt. Mr. Beck of
UP interviewed General Clark shortly after lunch concerning the trip to
Braz1_l . The General Jmew nothing of any plans for such a trip . About 20
or 25 photographers assembled at the hotel for pictures of General Clark
pinning lieutenant~s bars on his son. The party left West Point at 1400
hours for New York City by motor .
1
)
�l 'iO
General Gruenther cabled General Clark as follows tcrlay:
"Alexs:r1der has sent strong note to CCS reference French situation.
Meanwhile Allied attitude toward French in Italy is stiffening in such
matters as requests to send French missions to various places in Italy.
"Tito returned to Belgrade yesterday. No action from him yet .
Donovan and party spent night with us. Two Russian genera.l s here today.
Situation all areas quiet.
"In previ ous message I indicated command of US Zone would pass to
you in about three or four weeks . That estimate is poor one . Co~mand
will pass when French occupy their Zone and that time is still a wild
guess .
nMcNarney thinks it may not be for two months yet .
e.xtreme courtesy by Russians . Damage to city is great .
transacted yet . "
Flory reports
Little business
General Cle,rk today received the following cable from Mr- . Fernando
Lobo, Charge D1 Affaires of Brazil:
"On behalf of the Minister of War I have the honor and the pleasure
to i nvite you to go to Brazil to attend the ·o fficial ceremonies planned
for the arri'val of the first contingent of the Brazilian Expeditionary
Force which fought in Europe . Through this invitation to you my government wishes to demonstrate its appreciation and recognition."
General Clark today received the following letter from General McNarney ith regard to or ganization and staffing of the Austrian Higher
.Headquarters :
"1. The various MrOUSA staff sections have studied carefully the
statement of requirements for the Austrian Higher Headquarters which has
been prepared by members of your staff . It is not necessary, I know,
for me to tell you that to the extent of our capabilities I am most anxious to provide you with the personnel which you consider to be necessary for your headquarters . Unfortunately the only allocations of personnel which I can give you are those which ca..~ be withdrawn from troops
serving the Allied Commission, .from the Replacement and Training Com1ru;md ,
and from other miscellaneous pro jects which nmv require personnel allocations from .the authorization for overhead.
"2. It rill not be possible to give you the total personnel which
the Fifteenth Army Group's staff study indicates as being the minimum
essential required . Accordingly, you must plan to use initially in your
headquarters personnel detailed on special duty from your operationa.l
forces . This is desirable in that the initial personnel requirements
will be larger than the requ." .rements after your headquarters operates on
a routine ½asis . It is believed that certain other personnel economies
can be effected, such as the utilization of stenogra hie typing pools,
consolidation of functions in one section instead of in several, and by
havin the same personnel in the supply sections per-form military govern-
I
�ment as well as their routine military functions . The Eastern District
will undoubtedly be willing to assume certain additional supply and evacuation functions which should diminish the personnel requirements of
certain staff sections.
-"3 . The Austrian Headquarters has been authorized 531 officers , 20
warrant officers and 1305 enlisted men, as against 971 officers , 56 warrant officers and 2895 enlisted men indicated by you as necessary. By
surveying all existing allocations of overhe d a.uthorizations, it has
been possible to make cuts in OUSA Headquarters and other installations
to provide additional grades +.ota.lling 150 o~ficers, 15 warrant officers
and 159 ~nlisted men. The authorization for the_Austria.n Headquarters is
hereby raised to 681 officers , 35 warrant officers and 1464 enlisted men. "
*
*
*
NEW YORK CTI'Y- -JUNE 6, 1945- -General CL,rk departed New York City by an
Army C-47 and arrived in Washington at 1815 hours . He went from the airport to his home .
General Gruenther sent the following cable to General Clark today:
' .Headquarters Fifth Army now declared category 2 unit and will not
be demobilized . This change h s already resulted in slight stiffening
t oward our personnel requests .
· ''Our missions in Vienna have not accomplished much yet . Russians
are asking when they will depart . Tolbohkin has suggested June 9 as good
departure· date .
"Alexander referring matter to Combined Chiefs of Staff.
*
*
*
All quiet . u
*
WASHINGTON- -JUNE 7, 1945-General Clark arrived at his Pentagon office at
0930 and disposed of cables and correspondence which were waiting. His
first conference was wi~h Major General Henry, War Department G-1. He
discussed certain personnel problems and made arrangements for Captain
John J . Luther, Jr . no with the Tactical Department at West Point , to
be issued orders to report to him in Washington on 14th June . Captain
Luther is to become General Clark' s new aide . The General next saw Major
General James A. Code , Jr . , who had certai n Signal Corps personnel problems
which he wanted to discuss with General Clark. The General was next called
in to see General Marshall , and after a half hour visit with him he met
w:i.th Secretary of War Stimson, and Assistant secretary of War McCloy. The
main topic under discussion at that conference was the attitude of the
French Government toward Allied Military Government in Northvestern Italy.
The possibility of General Clark visiting Brazil was next taken up
with Major General Hull of .OPD. The Brazilian Government invited General
Clark yesterday in a telegram delivered to him at the Hotel Astor, New York,
to make a trip to Brazil coincident with the arrival of the first echelon
of Brazilian troops who fought in Italy. Generals Clark and Hull agreed
�(
that it would be a fine diplomatic gesture and General Clark is going to go
to Brazil during late July, if conditions permit. The troops are scheduled
to sail from Italy on the 10th of July and will arrive in Rio either the
24th or 25th.
General Clark then went across the river to an OSS luncheon at which
he was the guest of honor . During the afternoon he held brief conferences
with the following people:
General Farenbaugh, just home from duty as Assistant Division Commander of the 83rd Infantry Division. He was General Clark' s G- 3 when he
commanded the II Corps in England.
Genera.l North, head of the Current Group, War Department, OPD .
Major General John Hildring, head of the Civil Affairs Division of
the War Department . General Clark discussed at length wi.th General Hildring problems which would face him as U. s. Military Governor in Austria .
General Hildring pointed out that ·the Austrian policy paper being prepared
by the Civil Affairs Division was finally complete and General Clark asked
to be kept abreast of developments .
Colonel Robert J . Wood, Strategy Section of OPD . Colonel Wood was
formerly Assistant G- 3 of the Fifth Army under General Brann.
Ci
✓---
Mr; erb~ :Matthew and Mr . Sam Reber, both career men with the State
Department . · -· Mr . Matthew was attached to AFHQ during the time that General
Clark was Deputy Commander under General Eisenhower. Reber was the State
Department representative then with SHAEF. They discussed political problems in Europe and the Near East .
Brigadier General Frank Caffey, who was Assistant Division Commander
of the 34th Division in Africa- Italy and who now is President of the War
Department Returnees Advisory Board.
Major Ge?'}.eral James G. Ord, Senior U. s. Arrrzyr Member; Joint BrazilUnited States Defense Commission. General Ord said that he thought it would
be of great benefit to relationships between the Military of the United
States and Brazi lian Governments if General Clark could be in Brazil when
the Brazilian troops which had been under his command came home from Italy.
At 1615 hours General Clark went to ATC airport and took-off for
1lhite Sulphur Springs at 1650 hours . He was accompanied by Mrs . Clark,
Ann and Bill.
General Clark cabled General Gruenther as follows today:
naeneral MacArthur's Headquarters have made inquiry ·as to the availability of Saltzman as Deputy to his Chief Signal Officer . Is Charlie
interested? Will abide by his wishes .
"Reference Headquarters 5th Army being placed in ca.tegory 2, this is
no tactical implication merely a desire to perpetua.te 5th Army Headquarters .
�I have discussed this whole matter with Hull. Go right ahea.d with your
personnel requirements. To White Sulphur Springs tonight for 6 days ."
General Clark formally accepted the invitation to attend the official ceremonies for the arrival of the first contingent of the Brazilian
Expeditionary Force in Rio de Janeiro today in the follov,ing letter to
Dr. Lobo, Charge D'Affaires ·of the Brazilian Embassy in Washington :
"Your telegram inviting me to attend the official ceremonies planned
for the arrival of the first contingent of the Brazilian Expeditionary
Force in Rio de Janeiro has been received with profound appreciation
"I take great pleasure in accepting the invitation of the Minister
of ar to visit your great country at the time of the arrival of the Brazilian troops who so gallantly fought side by side with their North American comrades in Italy. I am returning to my as signment abroad in the very
near future, and sincerely hope that nothing will arise in my command
respons bilities overseas which would prevent my being in Rio at the time
the first contingent arrives .
"Please convey my deep gratitude nnd appreci .tion to General Dutr ,
fc,r this signal honor which has been accorded me , nd assure him that I
am looking forward with a great deal of pleasure toward seeing him again
personally in Brazil."
·*
JUNE 8,
*
1945 - JUNE ll, 1945 - General Clark
*
&
*
family at White
Sulphur Springs.
*
*
*
*
WASHI mT0M--J1UE 12, 1945--Because of the illness of l1rs. Doran, who is
at Walter Reed Hospital, General Clark and his family returned to Washington unexpectedly by air, arriving at -rational Airport at 1030 hours.
During the entire time they were in White Sulphur Springs the weather was
bad. The General went directly from the airport to his home, visited Mrs .
Doran at Walter Reed but did not come down to his office.
General Gruenther today cabled General Clark as follows:
ttFrench meetin at JtFHQ yesterday resulted in satisfa.ctory arrangements. French ill start moving qut at, once and will complete withdrawal
by July 10th. Carpentier headed French group. Sent you his best regBrds .
Meeting with Jugs on ~ednesday. No news from Flory. ·
"War Department has not yet g·ven decision reference II Corps . It
would also be of assistance if ar Department can clarify status of Fifth
Army Headquarters .
np lease
phone McKenney. "
�(
WASHINGTON--JUNE 13, 1945--Before coming to his Pentagon office General
Clark went to his mother's home on Kalorama .Road and spent half an hour
with her . His first caller was Brig. Gen . Ralph S . Tate, his G- 4 who
had just returned from Italy. General Tate made a report on things that
had developed since General Clark left his headquarters , and told him
that Genera.l Gruenther was eager to meet him at Caserta when he flew back
into Italy. General Clark sent a cable to General Gruenther saying that
he did want to meet him in Casert and telling him that his estimated time
of arrival was 0900 on 18 June . The General and his party of 11 are
scheduled to depart from the ATC hangar at ational Airport at 0900 on
16 June. General Clark then had a number of callers, including General
Carter Clarke of the MIS; General Code, Deputy Signal Officer who dis cussed with General Cle..rk the decision on General Saltzman; Major General
Hull who came in to talk to General Clark a.bout the Austrian ComnM .nd directive; Major Genera.I Dan roce and Major General Tompkins, Director
Special Planning Division, War Department Special Planning Division, War
Department Special Sta.ff. General Tompkins and three of his officers
questioned General Clark concerning his convictions of the use of antiaircraft troops , colored troops and similar matters . They also discussed
how Jational Guard Divisions should be led in peacetime , and it was Gene ral Clark's conviction that Regular Army officers should hold top commands
in Guard Divisions since this war has shown that the politically appointed
Generals of National Guard Divisions had to be removed after the Guard
D~visions were called into the Federal service .
General Clark then went to a luncheon wi th a number of StA.te Department officials including General Julius Holmes and Mr. Herbert (Doc)
Matthews, Head of the European Division of the State Department . The
luncheon ,vas held in Blair House across the street .from the State Department . This house is the one that is used by American Presidents during
the time that the White House is being refurnished . Upon leaving the
~1ncheon, General Clark visited Lt . General DeWitt, under whom he served
overseas -in the last war . General DeWitt is currently Head of the ArmyNavy Staff College .
General Clark then returned to the War Department and cleaned up what
work was pending and went home at 1530 hours . In the evening he went to
dinner at the Army- ~avy Club with Mrs. Clark.
General Gruenther cabled General Clark as follows today:
''Vienna ~ission will return here late tonight .
cessful.
Trip generally suc-
"Tolbukhin was sick on last day and did not see them. Have you seen
Tate? I estimate you will reach Caserta Swrlay or Monday. Consider that
I should meet you there to assist in preparation yotu:- reports . Will bring
Beach with me .
"Please confirm that you vmnt me to come .
day will now begin. "
Work ha.s eased up and holi-
General Clark cabled General Gruenther as quoted below:
�''Back in Washington. Take off 9 AM 16th for Caserta. Keyes , Coulter,
Earnest, Honnen, Lieutenants Clark and Keyes and my aide Captain Luther
coming with me . Honnen and young Clark and Keyes for two weeks visit .
Tate tells me of your proposal to meet me Caserta. I i:muld like you to do
this. My scheduled arrival at Caserta 900 hours 18th in C54. Your telegram reference Brigadier Maconochie received . He will be ordered here . "
General McNarney today sent the following cable to General Grittenberger regarding General Clarkts proposed trip to Brazil:
nThrough Brazilian Embassy, Washington by _Dutra a formal invitation to
WD has been extended for Generals Clark and Crittenberger to att end national
celebration. Requested by return radio is Crittenberger's ?-Vailability.
Regardless of whether Crittenberger will attend or not, an appror~iate personal note is suggested from Crittenberger to Dutra. General Clark will attend unless unforeseen circumstances prevent. Wooten will furnish exact
date US party to arrive Brazil."
*
*
*
*
WASHINGTON- JUNE 14, 1945--General Clark arrived at his Pentagon office at
1030 hours , accompanied by Lt . Cl~k. During the remainder of the morning
he conferred with General Mci.rshall and with the Assistant Secretary of War ,
Mr . McCloy. With both officials he discussed his coming assignment in
Austria and got final advice from both the Chief of Staff and Mr . McCloy.
General Clarks new aide , Captain Jack Luther, reported in for duty.
Genernl Clark left the office early and returned to his apartment at the
Kennedy-Warren
.
0
General Gruenther cabled General Clark as follows today:
nerders for Pence have not yet arrivetl .
nrt is improbable that Charlie will depart on Friday. "
General Gruenther also sent the following cable to General Clark:
"Command set up for Austria contained in SHAEF messa.ge number SCAF
433 was dispatched 8 days ago but has not yet been approved by Combined
Chiefs .
"You ma.y desire to follow up .
nTito representatives very disagreeable at initir-il meeting yesterday \
squirming for every possible advantage . Tough li.ne toward them being fol- }
lowed in toda.yl's meeting.
Flory returned ea.rly this morning . Reports Russians very cooperative
in .all matters except inspection of air fields on north side of Danube .
This we were not permitted to do . Russians consider that re should have
only one air field Tulln.
11
I.
0
After jnspection of accommodations on ground Flory considers that
�C
Russian proposal for division of city submitted to EAC in April is much
more favorable to us than United States proposal. His recommendations
will be submitted promptly.
"It aP})ears that we may have more horsetrading to conduct with British and French than with Russians . We have large contingent from our
Headquarters on duty with X:V Corps at Salzburg who are actua.lly performing certain functions in US zone . We are receiving excellent cooperation from General Robertson .
npassage of command to you will n9w ·be reasonably simple procedure
but we do not know when it will take place.
"Estimate that 15th Arnry Group Headquarters will di ssolve about July
1st.
"We have examined question of moving our new Headquarters to Salzburg area shortly after July 1st but my present thought is that such a
move is unwise.
e should move into Vienna as soon as settlement of
Vienna problem is obtai ned. The sooner the better .
"Bea.ch and I will meet you Caserta Monday.
"Charlie received invitation last night to take quick trip to States
with Pence and White . I approved and he leaves today or Friday. tt
I
*
*
*
*
WASHINGTON--.TTJIB 15, 1945-- General Clark arrived at his Pentagon office
at 1030 hours and disposed of paper work. He then went down to the Pictorial Branch of the Bureau of Public Relations and was photographed in
color . Pictures will be distributed to all publications in the United
States who use 3 or 4 plate color job. He then met various callers , including .Mr . Tyrell, who had served in the last war wi th him in the First
Army. At 1145 hours General Clark ent to the Capitol where he was the
guest of honor at a luncheon given by Congressman Henry Jackson of Washingt on State. Among those attending the luncheon were leading mambo.rs of
the House of Representatives, including Speaker Sam Rayburn of TeY..a.s.
After lunch Senators Mitchell and Jackson of Washington State escorted
General Clark to the Senate's private dining room where a group of Senators,
including Majority Leader Barkley, were having lunch. General Clark spoke
to the senators for a short time on the Trieste situation, after which
Senator Barkley asked for a recess of ten minutes, during which General
Clark was taken upon the floor of the Senate, and each Senator was presented to General Clark. The General was the first officer of this war to
be given this distinct honor.
General Gruenther cabled General Clark as follows today:
"Brig. Gen. Jeffe , no't'r in Somervell' s office , will be assigned to our
Austria Hq . for {ey position in Flory' s Section by reason of his business
background. He is Vice-President of the Consolidated Gas Company. Perhaps you can bring him along Saturday.
�Russian proposal for division of city submitted to EAC in April is much
more favorable to us than United States proposal. His recommendations
will be submitted promptly.
"It appears that we may have more horsetrading to conduct with British and French than with Russians . We have large contingent from our
Headquarters on duty with XV Corps at Salzburg who are actually performing certain functions in US zone . We are receiving excellent cooperation from General Robertson .
upassage of command to you will n9w ·be reasonably simple procedure
but we do not know when it will take place.
"Estimate that 15th Arnry Group Headquarters will dissolve about July
1st.
nwe have examined question of moving our new Headquarters to Salzburg area shortly after July 1st but my present thought is that such a
move is unwise • . e should move into Vienna as soon as settlement of
Vienna problem is obtai ned. The sooner the better .
"Beach and I will meet you Caserta Monday.
"Charlie received invitation last night to take quick trip to States
with Pence and White . I approved and he leaves today or Friday. tt
I.
*
*
*
*
WASHINGT0N- -JU~ 15, 1945--General Clark arrived at his Pentagon office
at 1030 hours and disposed of paper work . He then went down to the Pictorial Branch of the Bureau of Public Relations and was photographed in
color . Pictures will be distributed to all publications in the United
States who use 3 or 4 plate color job. He then met various callers, including Mr . Tyrell, who had served in the last war wj_th him in the First
Army. At 1145 hours General Clark ent to the Capitol where he was the
guest of honor at a luncheon given by Congressman Henry Jackson of Washingt on State. Among those attending the luncheon were leading memb9rs of
the House of Representatives, including Speaker Sam Rayburn of Tey,.as .
After lunch Senators Mitchell and Jackson of Washington State escorted
General Clark to the Senate's private dining room where a group of Senators,
including M:tjority Leader Barkley, were having lunch. General Clark spoke
to the senators for a short time on the Trieste situation, after which
Senator Barkley asked for a recess of ten minutes, during which General
Clark was taken upon the floor of the Senate, and each Senator was presented to General Clark. The General was the first officer of t his war to
be given this distinct honor.
General Gruenther cabled General Clark as follows today:
"Brig. Gen. Jeffe , no • r in Somervell' s office , will be assigned to our
Austria Hq . for <ey position in Flory' s Section by reason of his business
background . He is Vice-President of the Consolidated Gas Company. Perhaps you can bring him along Saturday.
1
�"We are busy today in connection with the Vienna Project, prospects
for which are good . City is in bad condition and the Russians are eager
for us to enter . Hovvever they are not so eager that they would weaken on
the airfield situation. They have thr8e a:irfields all believed to be
good , and I consider we are taking a bad trimming on this point . Will
be glad to see you Monda,y. "
*
*
*
*
ENROUTE TO ITALY--JUNE 16, 1945--General Clark, accompanied by General
Keyes , General Coulter, General Earnest , General Honnen, Lt . Col. Booth,
Major Pearce, Captain Kibler, Ca.ptain ,Lut her, Lt . Clark, Lt . Keyes and
Sgt . Chaney left the National Airport, Washington, D. c., by C-54 at
1245 hours GM:r. The plane landed at 1820 hours Grm.1 at Stevensville,
Newfoundland where General Clark talked with General Bill Collier.
At 2005 GMI' the plane departed for Paris .
and the trip was very smooth.
*
*
*
The weather was clear ,
*
CASERTA- JUNE 17, 1945- At 0810 GMI' General Clark's plane landed at Paris
where the party had breakfast . General Earnest and Lt. Col. Booth remained at Paris , and the remainder of the party departed at 0930 GMr for
Caserta and arrived there at 1410 Gtfr . General Keyes and son, Lieutenant
Keyes , General Coulter, Jajor Pearce and Captain Kibler left Caserta by
plane at 1440 mm.1 . General Clark, his son, Lieutenant Clark, General
Honnen and Captain Luther went immediately to Villa Content at Caserta
where he saw General Lemnitzer and Colonel King . Later he had dinner with
his party and Mr . Offie. After dinner General Gruenther arrived and conferred with General Clark for the rest of the evening .
*
*
*
*
RO:ti'IE--JUNE 18, 1945- -Gener al Clark had breakfast with General McNarney,
General Gruenther and General felson, after which he accompanied General
McNarney to his office for a conference concerning the promotion to permanent grade of colonels and general officers of ~fro.
General McNarney, rxeneral Clark and General Bevins attended the conference . General Honnen and Lieutenant Bill Clark left for Salerno by
motor at 0800 and ret urned at 1600 hours .
At 1630 hours General Clark, with General Gruenther, General Honnen,
Captain Luther and Lieutenant Clark, left Caserta b y plane for Rome, where
he landed at 1745. The party proceeded to the Hasler Hotel where they
stayed for the night . After a short tour through the city they had dim1er
at the Excelsior Hotel and later met several new 2nd Lieutenants just
graduated from OCS . GenerA.1 Clark arrived at his hotel at about 2330.
*
*
*
*
FLORENCE-J1JNE 19, 1945-General Clark, accompanied by General Gruenther,
�fn
�General Honnen, Captain Luther and ~Lieutenant Clark had an audj_ence with
the Pope at 1000 hours , arranged by Mr . Gowan of the American Embassy at
the Vatican. After a short tour of the Vatican, the Genera l' s party returned to the hotel where they met Colonel Wedemeyer who arranged a meet ing with Prince Umberto at 1130 hours. The General discussed briefly the
ItaHan situation with the Prince and later presented his party to His
Highness .
At 1300 the pa.rty arrived at the American Embassy and had lunch with
Ambassador Kirk . After lunch General Clark and General Gruenther left by
plane for Florence, arriving at 1615 hours . The General stayed at his
villa tonight .
·
*
*
*
VERONA--JUNE 20, 1945--General Clark, accompe.nied by Genera.I Gruenther ,
left Florence by plane at 1000 hours and arrived at Verona at 1100 hours .
He went immediately to 15th .Army Group Headquarters where he spoke to the
assembled officers and men of his headquarters . He then met his staff
in the conference room and spoke briefly to them. After lunch General
Clark left for his villa on Lake Garda where he relaxed and went in swimming with General Saltzman and Lieutenant Clark . G.e neral Gruenther joined
General Clark for dinner this evening at the Lake Garda villa.
*
*
*
VERONA- JUNE 21, 1945- -General Clark spent the day at his villa on Lake
Garda, relaxing , fishing and swimming. He had dinner in the evening with
General Br ann and Lieutenant Clark .
*
*
*
*
VERONA--JUJE 22 , 1945--General Clark spent the morning at his villa at
Sirmione . At 1230 General Mascarenhas , accompanied by Lieutenant Gra.ell,
arrived at the Villa for presentation of the War Medal to Generals Brann,
McMahbn, Moran and Colonel Porter . General Mascarenhas also presented
General Clark with a beautiful coffee set reminiscent of the empire days
of Brazil.
After lunch General Clark, with General Gruenther and General Br~mn,
motored to Riva to inspect under ground factories located there and returned
from Riva by boat to the villa. Colonel Sutherland conducted the tour .
The General had dinner with General Gruenther, General Brann, Colonel Sutherland and Lieutenant Clark.
*
*
*
*
VERONA --J1J:NE 23 , 1945- -The General left the cub strip on the spit at 0930
(
and arrived at his headquarters at approximately 0990 . He saw Colonel
Porter and was brought up to date on all correspondence . At 1030 Genera l
Anders, Commander of Polish Forces in Italy, arrived and after a short conference with General Clark presented General Brann, Colonel D' Orsa and
Colonel Burrill with the Polish Gold Cros s of Merit with Swords . After the
�presentation General Clark saw Colonel Mills , Commanding Officer of "Phantom" in Ita.ly.
General Clark left the headquarters for his villA. at 1300 and spent
the afternoon at his villa . In the evening he had dinner with General
Brann at General Brann 1 s villa .
*
*
*
VERONA--JUNE 24, 1945--Genera.l Clark spent the day at his villa at Sirmione
and in the evening had General Gruenther, Genera.I Brann, General Howard ,
General Lewis, Colonel Smith, Colonel Porter, Mr. Earhart and four State
Department girls for dinner .
*
*
*
*
VERONA--JUNE 25, 1945--General Clark, accompanied by Lieutenant Cla.rk ,
Captain Luther and Captain Lampson, departed Villafranca. airport at 0930
and arrived at the 91st Division cub strip at 1050 where he was met by
General Keyes , General Livesay, General Honnen, General Harding and Colonel
Magill, Commanding Officer of the 363rd Infantry.
After reviewing Compe.ny D rof the 361st Infantry Regiment which acted
as a guard of honor , the General proceeded to the reviewing stand where
he spoke to the assembled t r oops of the 363r_d ;J:nfantry Regiment . Foll owing this , the General presented the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Oscar G.
Johnson of Company B of the 363rd Infantry Regiment . Immediately after
the presentation, the 363rd Regiment passed in review for General Clark
and Sergeant Johnson. Arter the review, General Hr-u-ding drove General
Clark to 13 Corps Headquarters where the party had lunch .
After lunch General Harding conducted a tour through Trieste and
surrounding territory for General Clark's party. At 1500 hours General
Clark and party took off by cub from Ronchi airfield and landed at Venice
at 1545 where they were met by Brigadier Richards and escorted to the
Grande Hotel . General Clark bad dinner with General Honnen, Lieutenant
Clark, Captain Lampson and Captain Luther and spent the evening with his
son .
*
*
*
*
VERONA - -JTJIE 26, 1945- -General Clark departed from the Lido by cub at
1000 hours and landed at the cub strip at 15th Army Group Headquarters
at 1100 hours . He proceeded to his headquarters where he caught up on
administrative matters which had accumulated during his absence. General
Honnen and Lieutenant Clark left by motor for Balsano at 1500 hours .
Lieutenant Clark will visit Paris and depart for the United. States on 2
July 19/f-5 •
General Clark left for his villa a.t 1600 hours .
(
*
*
*
*
VERONA- -JlJNE 27, 1945--General Clark arrived at his headquarters at 1000
�l50
hours . He worked on important papers during the bala.nce of the morning
and at 1200 hours met Mr . Brunner, CINC, VFW; Mr . Kimball, Director of
OC Bureau of VFW; and Colonel Heard , GSC , Washington, and had them as
his guests for luncheon.
*
*
*
*
VEROWA- JUNE 28 , 1945--General Clark spent the day at his villa, having
luncheon with Brig Gen . Brann.
*
*
*
VERONA-JUNE 29, 1945--General Clark, accompanied by General Gruenther
and Brigadier Ritchie , left his villa at 0845 by cub and flew to Bologna
for the purpose of decorating Polish officers and men . After inspecting
the assembled Polish troops in the public square of Bologna, General
Clerk presented twenty-eight officers and men of folcorps with American
decorations , after which General Anders decor~ted two American officers .
Immediately after the decoration ceremony General Clark delivered a short
address to Polish troops and was answered by General Anders . The assembled
troops then passed in review to General Clark. Immediately after the review the General returned to his headquarters by cub where he worked on
important papers prior to lunch .
In the afternoon General Clark proudly presented General Brann with
his second star before an assembled group of staff members . After pinning
General Brann•s star on, General Clark entertained the assembled staff officers in his conference room for a drink.
The General spent the rest of the day at his villa at Sirmione.
General Clark's speech to General Anders and the officers and men of
Polcorps is quoted below:
ffGeneral Anders, Officers and Men of the 2nd Polish Gorps:
"This has been a happy occasion this morning in presenting to members of your command, in the name of the Government of the United States,
American decorations for heroic achievement on the field of battle .
"It is the valorous action that you and many other individuals and
units have performed which made possible om~ great victory after our long
and difficult Italian campaign.
"The acts of heroism for which you are being decorated this morning
are characteristic of the valorous conduct of the entire 2nd Polish Corps .
''I recently re-t?urned from a visit to the United States. _ I can assure you that the people of our country are fully cognizant and appreciative of the great part you and the other troops in Italy have played in
bringL!g about the final peace in Europe . At Chicago where I took a group
of officers and men from Italy for a homecoming , celebration, I hRd the
privilege of talking to thousands of civilians, among whom were a. large
�l5 l
audience of Polish-AmeriCRn citizens. They were particularly proud of the
magnificent victories of the 2nd Polish Corps. They know the unselfish
manner in which you flung your entire vveight into the final battle in
spite of the worries and uncertainties which faced you at that time.
rtGeneral Anders , the time has come when our paths will part . It
has been a great honor for me to have your magnificent command serve with
me. I want to thank you for yom" loyalty, devotion to duty, energy 8.nd,
above all, the magnificent leadership you have given this cause. _I do not
know what the future may hold for you and your men during the bala.nce of
this war, but I do know that whatever t ask may be assigned to you, you
will conduct it in the same glorious manner in which you have carried on
here in Italy. I will now say goodbye and wish you and your men all the
luck in the world , and may God watch over you wherever you go .n
*
*
*
*
VERONA--J1JNE JO, 1945--General Clark spent a quiet morning at his villa.
At 1400 hours he took ·off from Villafranca airfield, accompanied by General Gruenther. This was the first trip he had made in his new C-47 plane.
He landed at Ca.mpo Forrnido airfield near Udine just before 1500 hours and
transferred to General McCreery's C-45 plane , in which he flew to a strip
near General McCreery' s schloss in Austria. General Clark and General
Gruenther dis_cussed the situation in Austria and the forthcoming move to
Vienna with General McCreary and also wi-th Tub:- . Ma.ck , British Ambassador
designate to Austria and Major General Winterton.
At 1930 hours there v1as a colossal dinner party for members of the
Eighth Army. About 6oO guests were present : Practically all commanders
in the Eighth ~rmy down to battalion commanders were invited, and there
were a few nurses, FANYS, Red Cross personnel, etc . The schloss was beautifully situated in a lovely valley which was floodlighted by searchlights
for some twenty miles around. During the course of the evening General
Clark met the following ranking commanders - General Anders, Commanding
Polish Corps; General Harding, Commanding British 13 Corps; General Freyberg, Commanding New Zealand Expeditionary Force; General Floyd, Chief of
Staff, Eighth Army; General Livesay, Commanding u. s. 91st Division;
General Hays, Commanding U. s. lOtb Mountain Division, and many others.
He also met a Major Braithwaite, presently commanding a battalion in the
78th British Infantry Division, who was the officer who met General Clark
on M:lison Blanche airfield on November 10, 1942 and drove him in an armored
carrier to the St . George Hotel for his first meeting with Admiral Darlan,
and also Miss Whittington, who was the lady in charge of the British Red
Cross Rest Center on the Wortersee and whom Ger1era.l Clark ·had met in Sorrento more than a year ago and to whom he had given an American jeep and
trailer.
General Clark spent the night Rt General McCreery1 s schloss.
*
*
*
*
VERONA--JULY 1, 1945--General Gruenther left early in the morning to return to 15th Army Group Headq~a.rters. General Clark and General Mccreery
left the schloss at about 0900 hours by road and drove into Klagenfurt.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Clark, Mark W. Diaries
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark (1896-1984) was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in World War I and World War II, and was President of The Citadel from 1954 to 1965. <a href="http://www3.citadel.edu/museum/Clark_Inventory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This finding aid describes Clark's archival collection at The Citadel Archives</a>, the bulk of which covers Clark's World War II career and his time as Citadel President.<br /><br />This collection features diary entries from June 1942 to December 1950.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
CP Clark
Relation
A related resource
Mark W. Clark Collection
Format
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application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
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https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/20
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mark W. Clark Diary, May 3 - July 1, 1945
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark's World War II diaries were kept by an aide. These entries are from May 3 - July 1, 1945.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
CP Clark
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Relation
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Mark W. Clark Collection
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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English
Type
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Text
Identifier
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https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/1668
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Text
/
THE CITADEL.
ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM
Here there was a small formation, including a guard of honor provided by
the 61st Brigade of the 6th Armoured Division. This honor guATd consisted
of riflemen from the Rifle Brigade, and General Clark was interested to
note the peculiar form of arms drill used by this regiment .
At the ceremony General Clark decorated the following British officers: General McCreary received the Distinguished Service Medal for his
outstanding services from the landing at Salerno until the final surrender of the German forces in Italy. Maj. Gen. Murray, Commanding British
6th Armo'l.ll"ed Division, and Maj . Gen . Arbuthnott, Commanding the British
78th Infantry Division, received the .Legion of Merit in the Degree of
Commander. Brigadier Divers, presently at Eighth Army Headquarters and
who had previously been the senior British administrative officer at Fifth
Army and also Chief of the British Increment there, received the Bronze
Star Medal.
After the ceremony, General Clar k ret'l.ll"ned to TAC Headquarters Eighth
Army situated in a beautiful villa on the Wortesee. He took a trip on the
lake in General McCreery's motor launch and paid a short visit to the Red
Cross Rest Center run by Miss Whittington. He lunched at TAC Eighth Arrny.
Present also were General Mccreery, General Harding and General Mtµ-ray .
After lunch General Clark drove as far as Udine in Gener11l McCreery1 s newly
liberated Mercedes Benz, which at times topped ninety miles an hour without
giving the impression that it vras even moving. ·
.
,
At Udine General Clark boarded his own C-47 and flew back to Villafranca., arriving back at his villa at approximately 1q30 •
In the evening there was a small get- together of the few remaining
members of the 49ters Club, sponsored by Lt . Col . Jackson, Headquarters
Commandant at Fifth Army. General Clark attended this party with General
Gruenther.
*
*
*
*
VF,RONA-JULY 2, 1945--General Clark arrived at the headquarters at approximately ten o'clock this morning and spent a busy morning with General Brann,
who is taking over the duties of Chief of Staff. (When General Blark moves
to Vienna, General Gruenther becomes Deputy Commander).
At 1100 ho'l.ll"s General Clark saw Mr . & Mrs. Bracker from the New York
Times and briefed them on the 15th Army Group's campaigns in April in the Po
Valley and the provisional set-up for the American Zone of Occupation in
Austria . General Clark lunched at his headquarters with General Brann and
shortly thereafter departed for his villa where he spent the afternoon
fishing in Lake Garda.
*
*
*
VERONA - JULY 3, 1945- -General Clark spent the entire day today at his lakeside villa at Sirmione.
�VERONA--JULY 4 , 1945--Gener~l Clark remained at his villa today. · He
had luncheon with General Sullivan at General Sullivan' s villa. In the
evening the General entertained members of the State Department with a
movie at his villa.
*
*
*
VERONA--JULY 5, 1945-General Glark left his villa at 1030 hours and
motored to Lecco where he was met by Colonel Thomas Wells who accompanied
the General to Belagio. The General had lunch at Belagio and spent the
afternoon visiting nearby villas on Lake Como. In the evening he was
joined by General Crittenberger, Colonel Nnnce , Colonel Crittenberger,
Major Case and spent the evening with them at the hotel.
At midnight tonight 15th Army Group was officially disbanded, and
General Clark took over command of the United States Forces in Austria. .
Following is the text of the cable issued in this regard:
"Effective 052400 hours B General Mark W. Clark assumed command of
the United States Forces in Austria.
nAll directives for f,ilitary Government in Austria, proclamations ,
orders and instructions heretofore issued by Allied· Commanders for use
in the U. s. Zone are continued in force except as changed by subsequent
directives issued by this headquarters .
"Until further orders the administration of the U. S. Forces in
.Austria will remain the r~sponsibility of Twelfth Army Group. Supply of
these forces will continue to be the responsibility of Third Army Eastern
Military District under USFET ."
*
*
*
*
VERONA --JULY 6, 1945--General Clark, accompanied by Captain Luther., left
Belagio at 0830 and motored to the Swiss border where he entered Switzerland . He was met by 1\-'fr . Bell, Consul at Lugano; Captain Ka.tsaihos,
Military Attache at ,Berne; and Lieutenant Braafladt, of the Frontier
Control. The party motored to Lugano where the General was greeted warmly by the Swiss people . General Clark was the first American General to
enter Switzerland in this manner since the war .
After a short tour of Lugano the General' s party motored to Locarno
where they had lunch . In the a ternoon the General's party paid a visit
to /fr' . Rusca, Mayor of Locarno, and in the late afternoon General Clark
and party returned to Lugano where the General spent the night at the
Hotel Splendide .
In the evening GenAral Clark was joined by Mr . and Mrs . Jerry Mayer ,
of OWI, and Mr . Fhil Vitiello of the CIC and spent the evening with them .
*
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*
*
'VERONA--JULY 7, 1945--Genera.l Clark left Luga.no at 1000 hours and returned
to his villa at Sirmione where he spent the remainder of the day.
�3
VERONA- -JULY 8, 1945- -Gener al Clark remained at his villa today and took
~are of all matters which had accumulated duri ng his absence .
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VERONA--J1JLY 9, 1945--General Clark remained at his villa on Lake Garda
dur ing the day.
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*
VERONA--JULY 10, 1945--General Clark arrived at his headquarters at 1000
hours and saw ~~-jor Walters concerning details on t he Brazil trip . He
next saw Colonel Gale who is leaving the headquarters for return to the
United States .
At llOO hours farewell ceremonies were held for the British members
of the USFA , and General Clark , in a speech, gave his appreciation for
the splendid work and cooperat~on the British had given him.
At 1200 hours Gener al Clark presented men an0 officers of USFA Headquarters with decorations and thirty-one promotions , after which the decorees and newly-promoted officers retired to the General' s conference
room for a short get- together .
After lunch the General left by cub for his villa at Sirmione .
General Clark today received the foLlowing cable from the Joint Chiefs
of Staff:
The channel of communication by which the Commanders-in- Chief, U. S.
Forces of Occupation in Germany and Austria will ~eceive and ask for instructions from the U. S . Government on matters of policy pertaining to
th ~ control machinery, Germany, and the control machinery, Austria , will
be through the Joint Chiefs of Staff with· the War Department acting as the
executive agency for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Therefore , instructions
to you will be sent by the War Department and queri~s from you should be
directed to the War Department .
0
"The channel for t r ansmission of politica l informa tion , as distinguished
from instructi ons, will be direct f r om the St at~ Department, through your
political adviser . "
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*
VEROHA--JULY 11, 1945--General Clark rema; ned at his villa all day today
and took care of nll important mr1tters 1,,rhich came up during the day a.nd
were transmitted to him through his aide .
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VERONA--J1JLY 12, 1945--Genera.1 _Clark arrived at his office at 0930 and
worked on papers in his office until eleven o'clock ·1hen he met Colonel
�:regroni and members of his Itrilian Linison Section and bade them farewell,
as they are leaving the hea.dquart8rs .
t 1115 the Genr~ral bade farewell
to Lieutenant rressier of the
T• rench
Lia.ison Section .
At 1200 hours General Bethouard arrived at the headquarters and was
met by General Clark. After inspecting the guard of honor, Genera.1 Clark
conferred with General ethouard for some time on the future set-up of the·
Austrian command . General Bethouard and party remained for lunch and left
shortly thereafter
feneral Clark left for his villa. at 1500 hours where he spent the remaind,3r of the day.
General Clark today sent the folloring cable to General Deane of the
11
0s cow:
J. S. Piss ion in
ni,. Although no information has been receiv8d from JCS it is my understanding that EAC has no'v signed n.greements for occupation of Austria
j ncluding lienna ano that r atification by four governments may be exrected
soon. I am still unable to l .,arn n:-1me of Russian comm;::,_nder in command of
Soviet Forces in Austria .
11 2.
Will be grateful to you if you ,;-rill arrange with Soviet authorities for ..,11.try to Vienna of my Deputy Commander, General Gruenther, also
General Flory, General Lewis and eight other officers and fifteen enlisted
men in eight vehicles . Party will proceed to ViennP by road from Linz .. _
French party will he of sarie size and will accompany U. S . party ·ri th
General. herriere in charge . I am respnnsible for making arrnngements for
entry of French so you will consider this message as official request for
French entry.
3. British party with TlfAjor GenerR..l Winterton in charge will be of approximately same size but will proceed by road over .Judenburg Vienna route .
Generri,l r1ccreery is R..ttempting to communicate , ith BarshAl Koniev by officer
courier on 13 .Tuly in order to arrange for Vlinterton entry
0
tt 4.
Desire also that you a.rrHn~e for meetinr{ to t c ke plRce shortly after three parties reach Vienna so that l,finterton, Cherriere and Gruenther
may confer wit n :rropriate Russian officer to settle details for take over
of mtional sectors . They will -also arrange for a later meeting of the four
commanders in ,lienna . · No political Rdvisers will be included in the parties ..
Discussions will be purel military
n5 . Based on experience gnined from B.wrlin entry it is our idea that
orgRni.zation of headquarters in Vienna nnd movement of garrisons there should
be carefully planned and executed only after complete agreement with Russians.
The H.s., British and French commanders should not enter Vienna. until conditions are such that they can remain there permanently and assume comm~.nd from
'ienna .
I
tt6. _ shall le~we for Brazil on July 14th and will return about July
26th. If there is :=my reason why I should return sooner I shall be able to
cut riy vis: t accordingly. tr
�5
VEROT•. A--JULY 13, 1945--Gem~ral Clark spent the day at the villa and took
care of an accumulation o:f important papers · in an effort to clear his
desk of all pending matters prior to his departure for razil
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MARR.AKE H--JULY 14, 1945--Genera.l Clnrk, accomptmied by General Crittenberger, Gene~al Brann, Colonel rriaddox, Lt . Col. Eberhnrd, Lt Col. Critt enberger, '. ~ajor Case, Captain Grann, Ca tain Luther, Lieutenant Hill
and Sergeant Chane;r left Villafranca airport by C-54 at 0900 hours -for a
two-,vee trip to Brazil in order to be on hand for the welcoming home
ceremony of the first contingent of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force .
After .:1n eight-hour, non-stop flig _t , the party landed at D~arrA.kech
where the,r spent the night at Villa Ta, lor . Durinp; the evening the
General drove throu,h t e native '3oction of the city an looked in on
some o the shops .
*
*
*
NATAL--JULY 15, 1945--General Clark 1 s pRrty continued on the trip to Rio ,
leaving- F11arrak ch at 0600 hours and lPnding at Dab1r n.t 1130 hours .
After refuelini:;, GenAral Clark' s plane flew to atal , l~nding at rn30
hours . Here General Clark revie ·red An assembly of Brazilian Army, Navy
and Air Corps officers and enlisted men. The party spent the night a.t
.Jata.l . General RHlph Wooten , CoIT1I'1anding General of the South Atlantic
Commu d, met G neral Clark at fatal and had dinner with him, alon(; with
several other officers of the T-fa.tnl flfilitary Region .
*
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RIO DE JA1'l'EIRO-- JULY 16, 1945--General Clark's plane took o~f from Natal
at 0600 hours and le rt non-stop to Santa Cruz where it landed at 1145
hours . General Clark was JY1et by GenerBl Hays Kroner, r.Jjlitary Attache at
Rio de Janeiro and Colonel Bini r1acha.do of the Brazilian Army . After
having lunch at Santa Cruz, the party agc1in took off, this time in a
LocVi1eed, at 1320 hours and landed at Rio airport at 1345 hours
Here the General was met by Gcner81 Dutra, General Ma.scarenhas a.nd
many high ranking o-rficfals of the government - Army and p,_,r-J. A ~ uge
crowd of people was ' on hand to give the General a most her1.:rty welcome to
·the capital of Brazil . After inspecting a gunTd of honor, General ClBrk
and his party rode through the strGets , receiving the acclaim of the
crowds . After the public reception the .1ern~ral was taken to the home of
Roberto Marhieno, here he wa to live during his stay in Rio .
At 1600 hours GenAral ClRrk and f8rty asseMbled at the Presidentts
work palace ,yhere General Clark received the Oder of the Southern Cross,
Second lass, the TrTedal of War t=i.nd the Campairnic Cross from President
Vargas. General Crittenberger and eneral Brann were also decorated
Many hiffh state officials rnre present at the decoration .
A ter the presentation ceremony, General ClP_r k' s party drove to the
�Wa.r Depa.1"tment for a visit t o General Dutr a , 7inister of Har . All high
rankini:; officials of the War D pr1rt ment were present to i:sreet General
C:1Prk .
Irnmedfately folloving the visit to the W
0r Department the party
vi ited the l11inistry of Foreign Relations where GenerA.1 Clark talked
vith r.~r . Velos o the r1inister of oreign Relations . Shortly thereafter
General ClA.rk returned to his residence where he had dinn r ., General
jj lto:n , of the
razilian .Armored Force , was ass:i.gned to be · at GenerF.tl
Clarkt s d sposal .nd ccompany him vhile he :vas in Brazil.
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RIO DE JAl\!EIRO --JULY 17, 1945--G nHr al Clar { nnd pArty left the Rio air ...
port at 0900 hours for a visit to the Military Academy at Rezende . Upon
arrival at the Military Academy he reviewed the entire adet Corps which
lined the main avenue o the f, ilitary Academy. The Corps was divided
into Cc va.lry , Jn antr;'t and Horse - Drawn Artillery
After walking along
the line of c dets he rroceeded to the Academy Stc1d1um, wbich has been
m~med the I'IPrk Clark Stadium , anc reviewed the Corps of Cc1dets as it
passed on the RVenue in the front of the stacl ium. After the pP..rade
General Clark r s party was conducted on
tour of the Tiilitary Academy in
order to see the new portions which are beirn~ constructed . ,,.,he party
had lunch in t e officers mess and shortly a.fter lunch left the Academy
by way of the main avenue which was lined on both sides by cadets.
The party arrived at the Rio ~irport at 1430 ours an0 , accompanied
by General Kroner , paid a short visit to the America n Ambas sador in Rio ,
~'Ir . Berle .
At 1-TI 0 hour s General Clark , ~rith Gcmer2l Crittenber ger and General
ra.nn , held a press conference in Gern~rA.l Kroner' office where he met
:representatives of all Brazilian newspapers .. At 1600 hours General Clnrk
r-md pt1.rty arrived at the Rio airport where General Clark met ·1rs . Clark
who levY from Washin{{'ton to Rio. A large cro d of reopl8 , including r1any
hi,:;h s t ate and m:'Lli tary officials and wives , were on hand to we lcorie I lrs .
ClRrk to Brazil.
~rs . Clark, - accompanied by Mrs. Dutra Rnd T1Ts . Be'rle ,
left for the General' s residence Hnd wo..s joined shortly therenfter by
General Clark .
I
At 2100 hours General and Mrs . ClFirk , accomprmied by Major Vlalters
and CR ptain Luther , hn.d dinn0r at the .olc en Room of the Copacabnna I ::i.la.ce
Hotel .
General Gruenther this evening cabled General Clnrk as f ollo,vs :
11
eturned Verona tonip,ht a. ter t rnnty 1ours in Vienna .
i rench are
most unhappy_ over refusal of RussiRns to p'1rmit small reconmdssance p:irties to remain in city And Russian refusal to confirm arrangements of any
dnd prior to ratification EAC agreenent . Winterton and I feel we made
progress . Petrov told us that ~-rhen _next Chie of Staff meeting is held
points raised b;v us vrill be settled to our satisfaction . Winterton thinks
ussians may tr,r to force early meeting of commanders , but I do not concur .
I fee l co ·irtent e shall be able to meet your ishes . He have no estimate
�when agreemc-mt Yill be ratified . Everything in order here . Your rAply
to SG 630 received . Approval :, anted for aw~rd s to Yroner and Hooten . 11
Genentl Clnrk ,replied to Gene:cal GruenthP,r today as follm;s:
nMessages received .
Wonrlerful reception Rio .
Ac 1rnowledge please ., It
Delighted arrangements proceeding satisfactorily.
rresent plans on July 2() or ?.7 to leave here .
*
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*
RIO DE JA fr~IRO-- JULY lg , 1945--At 0900 hours General Clnr , accompanied
by Mrs . ClArk n.nd the other rr1embers of his party, went to the dock to visit the "Gen .J ral ieigst v hich brought the Brazilfan troops from Italy to
Rio . Fresid nt Vargas rind Gennrnl Clrrk both spoke briefly to the offic rs and men. A. ter leavini:; the boat, GenerPl and I'irs . Clnrk And rarty
went to the hospital to visit the wounded members of the BEF, and Mrs .
Clark presented in the Gem~ral t s TIP.me American cigarettes to each wounded
officer and man .
here ,ere approximately 175 wounded .
After lunch at home
GenerRl Clark proceeded to dmmtown Rio where he
was to rAview the retm--ning members of the BEF . Althoup;h the General 1 s
party was due at the reviewing stand at 1340 hours , the crowds broke loose
and formed a solid mass in the stre t , making it almost jmpossible for the
cars to move . The General finally arrived at 1400 hours, after having
slowly made is vray throu Jh the trnrnendous crowds . At the time of the
start of the parade, the treet was so filled with happy Brazilian people
that the troops were unable to push their way through the street. By half
shoving and half marchin~, the parade finally began and lasted until 1745.
A ter the p8rade, the GenerHl a d party ·~ ent immediately to the WPr Departr1ent where he attended a reception given by Minister of War Dutra. . A ter
the reception he returned to his residence and at 2030 hours he and Mrs .
lark attended a dinner fsi ven at the American Er1b~ ssy by Ambassador and
Mrs . Berle . After dinner Gen ,ral and 1rs. CJ.Ark received with the American
Ambassador and his vife at n reception ~iv n in the General t s honor P.t the
American J!..mbassy. All high rank{ng state and military officials were
pre sent at t .e reception ..
·
1
General Gr uenther cabled General Clark today as follows :
"Everything under control. Our rroblems today involve displAced persons in AustriR, food for p~isoners and attempts to prevent division being
sent to Austria to take place of 101 Division . Food supply for Vienna is
still headache . Fetrov said it nras too compli.cated to talk about at first
meetin.r;
To furthBr information reference commnnderst m etin~.
I believe
you w111 have comfortable mp· gin . Today' s Stars and tripes carries big
story your Tuesday reception . re are proud of you . Orders issued for J .
Marshall report this headquarter s . Pal • ine R11d sends best vishes . Very
hot here . n
*
*
RIO DE JA~JEIBO--JULY 19, 1945- -The General rested in the morning, and at
1300 hours gave rt small luncheon 1·.rhich was attencl ed by Gener0l Cri ttenberger ,
�General Brann, General Yfooten, General Y.roner, General Mascarenhas,
Colonel Machado and several others . Before lunch GenerE'~ Clark decorated
General r~ascarenhas, Gfmeral Wooten, Colonel Draynier nnd Captain BRrrn.,
General ri~ascarenhast aide, with the Bronze Star rfodal. He also presented
GenBral r"ascarenhas with a coffee table beAring the insignia of the 15th
Army Group, Fifth Army and the Smo ing Snake of Brazil, inl:dd in wood .
In the afternoon the GenerRl rested and in the evening met Mr . Roberto
Marhieno and rtr . ;foses, President of the I ress As ocia.tion in Brazil
At
2030 hours General Clark and his party attended a dinner at the Ministry
of War where Genr-;ral Dutra delivered nn address and. ms answered by General Clark . Hrs . Clf-1rk attended a dinner given at the home of 1ltr and I/rs .
Borges where the General met Mrs . ClA.rk after the dinner given at the
Ministry of War .,
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B ,LA HORIZO~ E--JULY 20, 191~5--General and Prs. Clark, accompanied by
General Crittenberger, Gene-ral Brann, General 0rd, Head o the Joint De·•
fense Commission of Brazil and the United States, _C olonel Grittenberger ,
Major Walters, Captain Luther, General Tifilton of the Brazilian Army; and
General and ·tcs .. Castello rr-rnco, left tb.e A.irport Pct 0900 hours by C-47
for Bela Horizont.,
General Castello Branco was acting as escort for
General Crittenberger .
On arrival at 1100 hours at Bela Horizonte General ClF1rk was met by
an honor guard flt the airport and a ter reviewing the guard left by car
for the city where he was net by a grand reception from the people .. After walkinf{ through the crowds, he reviewed a short y.11.rade by the Brazilian troops and then started to walk to the hotel where he was to stay
General ClFJrk hr-id hardly begun when the crowds literally picked him up
and carried him to the hotel on their shoulders
The spontaneous public
ovation was tremendous . After lunch,. p,iven a.t the Tennis Club , the General visj ted the barracks of the local regiment, after ~rhich he visited a
girlst school which gave a short program in his and Mrs . ClArk ' s honor .
Next the pnrty proceeded to the Ar:1,ricano School and then returned to
the hotel where the General held a press conference at 1700 hours .
In the evenint:; the ~.rt;v- had d:i.nner at the beautiful CA.sine Pampulha
near the airport.. After dinner General rrnd ·,'trs ., Ch1rk returned to the
hotel.
Follmdng is the text of a cable · General Gruenther dispatched to
General Clark today:
HErhardt received message from Grew today advisinR th--:t EAC agree ,,.
ment h;::i.s been approved by Joint Chiefs of Staff and State Department .
Papers will be presented to }'resident in Berlin. State Department recommends to Fresident that Winant be authorized to ratifv on behalf of United
States . Food supply problem for Vienna and U.. S ., zon~ is source of extreme agony for us. SRltzman and ivil Supplies Officer a.re in Frankfort
today. Adcock G- 5 at t S 1 '-'~~ says problem is political, and 1,•.re must process
all food deman s thru Joint Chiefs of Staff . We do not like that decision
A.t t i s late date because we must havA food a.s soon as we take over . Tate
�is spendinfs entire time on this Inf tter
British -are Rlso bavinf, food
trouble 11ith no sol ution in si[sht yet .
rench have no worries because
they have no food . We ·;ill solve di ficultie in some way -- I hope .
U . S . has authorized us to
rnish rations and g,_ solin to Vienna French
garrison until September 1st .
foNarney wrote letter to you reaffirming
his rrevious dec ision reference battle t ar for Po Vr-i lley CPmpa.i n .
J-Towever you vieYrs vill be presented to Har Department . I tried to -~et
to Salzburg this rnornin.r.t but weather forced us back vrhe 1 :re 1ere halfway there . Am folloYrin~ Dutr a - r1A.chado decorations . AFHQ expects Wr:ir
Depar+,rient approval late tonight
nll proceed Genoa Saturday evening
ret irnin. , her ~onda;v morning to execute o ders issued by Brann in his
5542 . Still extremely hot . JuTessa e service with you is xcellent . 11
GenAral Gruenther also cabled General Clark as follows this afternoon:
11
Although this is hottest nay of year, you will be interest
learn thnt I hcive just defeated ,.Tick decisiv0ly in tennis . This
will e videly disseminated in Italy, including Genoa
Hope you
see thnt proper announcement is made in 1razil . Stories of your
tion are most interesting.. Will now have suprer with Pa.l. n
*
*
*
.d to
news
will
recep-
*
AOLO--J1JLY 21 1945- -Genera.1 ClA.rk nnd party left ela Horizonte
·or the airport this r1orninj and arrived at Sa.or a.olo a t 1100 hours .
Although the party had been told that this tmm Yas emotionally cold ,
wh n ,-reneral Clark :u-rived at the city, and as the car drove t rough
the streets on the v y to trie hotel, people crowded to ·r rd the car in an
attempt to shake the General' s han , or even touch him . General Clark
and party left the hotel for the Technic8l Aeronautical Institute where
General Clark presented the grndunting class of 30 m.,n with their diplomas . r he faculty of this school consists .,ntirely of instructors from
the Tnited States . Here the General received n most beauti ul leather
c esk set as a t~L t from the school..
SAO
After lu 1eh a.t the chool, the Generr-11 1-.rent to the Governor' s Pal _ce
for q. shot reception , followed by a visit to the arracks o the local
re~iment , an returned to the hotel at 1700 ho-µrs for a short rress confer ,nee .
At 1800 hours Gem~ral Cl tr ' s party proceeded to th, home of .r.r . and
r. 1rs . Prado ·7here n huge cocktail rarty was given in General and •trs .
Clerk ' s honor
,'frs .. Prado , a very lovely young woman, is a native of
T,Jew York City. General f-'.nd r'1rs . Cle rv. procAeoed to the Sao Paolo Opera
House at ?100 hours 1Yh8re the General spok, to 8 , 000 peopL crammed jnto
the theater , v1hose normal capacity is '3,000 people . After leaving the
theater , GrmerA l a.nd Mrs . CL!:lrk, with General Brann, h:::id dinner in their
hotel room .
General, Gruenther today advised Gene~.l Clark by cable that 1ars al
Koniev had invited the Chiefs of Staff for a Vienna meeting at noon on
J ly 24th . Gene al Gruenther also mentioned that the EAC agreeme t had
been ratified ..
�lD
I
J
SAO AOLO--JULY 22, 191+5--Genernl Cl::=trk rested in the morning and Rt
1300 hours, with the members of his party, had lunch at the Governor's
Pnh.ce in Sr-to Pt·w lo., Governor Costa vas one of the most outstanding
personalities r1et on the trip to Brazil and was a living example of
Brazilian hospitality. Following a remAr .... made by General C1ark as to
the r:;ood quality of the co fee he served, the Governor presented General Clr-irk ,d th a 125// bag of coffe • In response to a remark dropJ:ed
by Firs. Clark as to the loveliness of his crystal service, the Governor
presented Mrs. Clark with a very nice set of cryst_a l.
After lunch General Clark's party proceed d to the Municipal Stadium for a short look-in upon the football game and th~n proceeded to the
Joclrny Club to \7itness the rrrark Clark Handicap Rrice.
rom the Jockey
Club the party proceeded to the hor10 of the AT"!erican Consul 1here a.
cocktail party vas held for General ~nd Mrs. Clark by Consul and I\/rrs •.
Cross . After the cocktail party, eneral and 'Irs. Clark returned to the
hotel, and at 2100 hours had dinner with rr. and fl!rs Prado in a ni.ght
club oime b, Prs. rado.
General Clark today cabled G-ener81 xruenther as follows:
n ood nro Jlem in my opinion is politicA.l and should be rrocessed
throue;h Joint Chiefs of Staff. Please direct your e forts along these
lines
nornentum of Brazilian reception increasin~ with each city. Vfant
to l . ave here 29 July arrive destination 31 July. Could if absolutely
essentfa.l lea.Ye on 28 July. With vour confer nee on 24 July, it seems
perfectly reasonable to Me thR.t ommanderst Conference can be del,.,yed a
week . Insist on this in order that I may e present for that meeting.
Your weat victory over ick pushed r:.e off the front page of Br zilian
press. St:i 11 hitting a fast pR.ce . Keep me posted. 11
General Gruenther sent General Clark the following radio today:
"Our advance party 1? officers 15 enlisted men left Linz for Vienna
this rnornini:;. BalRnce of reconnaissance detA.chment will rroceed to
Vienna. on '?4 Jul?. 'T'here is considerable rressure to admit press to
ViennR. Y will settle this question as soon as Tuesday's conference in
Vienna is completed . 11y rresent est:i.m~te is thnt vre sha.11 probably admit the press to 'ienna on 2r-) July. I plr-m to leave Vienna as soon es
Tuesday 1 s conference is completed
There is still no puggested date for
Commanderst Conference . n
*
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PORT ALEGRE--JULY 23 , 1945- -General Clark and party left Sao Paolo by
plane at 1000 hours , arriving at Port Alegre at 1230 hours . Following a
tremendous welcome by the population of the city and a parade reviewed
from the hotel balcony, he was escorted to a private home where he was to
stay while at Port Alegre .
After lunch with Hrs . Clark at njs residence , the General proceeded
to the Governor' s PalA.ce for a short reception, from which he v1 ent to
meet the faculty of the local .iunior military academy. General Clark
held a press conference for the loca.1 press at 1700 hours and then at -
�ll
I
tended a program gi ven by the student body of the Institute of Education
a large girls ' school. The Gl~neral delivered a short speech to the stude'11.t body and introduced each member of his party f.il:'esent . '.'lrs . Clark
also spoke to the girls
At 2100 hours the General and his rarty a.ttended a dinner given by
the Commander of the Jrd . filitary 1.egion . General Clark a-g in spoke at
the dinner .
General Gruenther cabled GenerRl Clark today as follovTS :
nr am now at Linz and will depart for Vienna early Tuesday. General
Mccreery called this evening after r had left our headquarters and de livered the fo llowinfs message . ' I feel that I can not agree to postp oning the Commanders ' neet1ng beyond Monday July 30th . I feel strongly
that we have delayed long enough . Delay beyond July 30th will not fit my
own plans . General Clark assured me he could alter his schedule if it
became necessa.:r·y . t
HI shall give you a further re commendation on this point a fter our
meet ing on 'J'uesday.
still have hope ~ shall be able to delay Cornrnander s '
Meeting until August 1st , but this ma.y entail some collusion with the
Russians . tr
The text of ~nother cable fr om General Gruenther to Gener al CL'1rk is
quoted belo rr:
''Winterton told me this morning that General Mccreery desires Commander s' Meetine July 1
_ 0th . I told him that August 1st is earliest date you
can be present . Will advise you further after Vienna meet ing Tuesday.
'7ill follo yo 1r instructions reference ood rroblem . rt
*
*
RIO DE JAEIRO --JULY 24, 1945--At 0900 hours General lark visited the
military academ;r which is a prepnrntory school to the Academy at Re zende ..
Here he spo <e to the assembled cadets . T\fext the Gene r al and hi~ party inspected the merican School which ms run totally b:r teacher s from the
States . Upon leaving t he school, the General paid a call at the Red Cross
where he , Gener al Critt enberger and General Ord vmre given memberships t o
the Brazilian Red Cross .
At 1100 hours the General , ~llrs . Clark and the rest of the party at . tended a barbecue at the local Countr y Cluh. Due to rain the barbecue was
held lnside but still was a very gay affair . The Gener al received three
barbecue ~nives of various izes , and , in line with tradition, gave the
Mayor of fort Alegre a captured German coin j n return for the knjves .
At 300 hours the party left Fort Alegre for Rio by C-47 and arrived
in Rio at 1705 . General and Mrs . Clark had a quiet dinner at home
The followin~ cable was dispat ched today from General
General Clark :
r uenther to
�"I talrnd to Mccreery last night over bad line .
e is pressing hard
for July 30th meeting and stressed that you a.greed to modify your chedule
if necessary . It is not clear vrhy he is in such a rush . I told him message had been sent to you on sub ject . You might care to send him message
direct . I am holdin~ out for August 1st or later meeting . Cherriere informs me Bet ouart will support us in th8.t rosition . We leave for Vienna
in a . ew minutes . "
*
*
*
RIO DE JANEIRO--JULY 25 , 1945- -General Clark remained at his residence all
day and rested . At 1700 hours General Clark, . with 'tr's . Clark, called on
•qrs . Vargas, the wife of the President of Brazil. At 1800 hours GeneralClark saw ~'tr . Hugo, 9·ner of an exclusive gift shop in Rio, and vras presented by ~lfr . Hugo •d th a life-size head and shoulder wood carving of himself .
1
At 2030 hours General Clark and pa.rt:r attended dinner at the Foreign
Ministery given by oreign ·~inister Veloso . Mr . Veloso delivered a speech
honoring General Clark, to which General Clark responded .
*
*
*
*
RIO DE JAN'EIRO --JULY 26, 1945--General Clark remained 2t home the early
part of the morning, and at 1100 hours attended a decoration ceremony at a
£.'ort on Copacabana Beach . At the ceremony several American officers and
enlisted men, including General Hays Kroner, aere decorated by GJneral Dutra
for their cooperation and wor)~ in Rio .
General Clark ret 1.rnect' to his residence a-f'ter the ceremony and had
lunch triere . Mrs . Dutra and 'tr's . Veloso called at 1500 hours . At 1630
hours General Clark and rarty attended a decoration ceremony held at the
American 1,mbas::;y a.t which General Clark rresented 48 American decorations
to members of the BEF which had served under him in Italy. .A_mon~ those
decorated ere Gcmeral Dutra. and Colonel u1ach..-:1do . A platoon of the 10th
Mountain Division, present in Rio acted as honor guard for the presentation .
Immedjately after the decoration ceremony G neral Cl'" k gave a reception for
the various officials o government and military offices n11.d his many
frfonds in Rio .
u:
l
At - 2100 hours General Clark gave a. dinner at the Copacabana Palace
Fotel which was attended b:r the cabinet ministers and wives , military attaches· of the embassies in Rio , and other distinguished persons i.n Rio .
General Dutra and ·:tr· . Veloso attended the dinner .
General r 1enther yest erday cabled General Clark a.s f ollo'rn with tega.rd to the Austrian situation:
"Conferred i th Russians or four hon.rs today followed by b o hours
qdka dinner . It wa.s apparent that Russians prefer July 10th CommP ders 1
Meeting suggested by 1'finterton . However , I am quite certain thnt we can
put acr oss August ls~ meetin~ if you so direct . If your plans A.re such
that you can attend Commanders ' Con_erence :i.n Vienna on July 30 or 31 , J
suggest -that yo 1 arrarw,e your schedule accordingly. Advantages gained
�l3
will, in my opinion, be worth curtailment of Brazilian trip . Our next
rrieetin , v ith Russians will be 1500 hours July 25th. Desire guidance
prior to that meetinp; if possible . Additional complications is fact
that Russians feel that rress should not be rermittod to enter before
entrance of Commanders into Vienna . As result of pressure from British
we hAve already 9tarted to assemble press in Linz a.rea an<i they will be
ready to enter from July 26th onward .
his is another argument in favor· o ,July 30th or 11st Commanderst f.~eeting . Gruenther t s eyes only
1'fil1 not reach him until afternoon 25 Jul~r. Above message fr om Gruenther reached i:rerona sa.me time as :voursto Gruenther. 11
In addition to the above , General Gruenther also sent t he following
cable to General Clark yesterday:
"You may relax . Pressure for July 30th meeting has subsided ..
Koniev is no:v stalling on date because he believes Bi~ Three is considering Austrian question . Commanders' Y
11 eetinis may not even take place on
August 1st . Had three-hour rreeting this c fternoon
Touv,h e-otng jn spots .
Another one later tonight ."
Gem~ral Tate added the following to the above message· to General Cl2.rk:
trYour 5607 ,iu t received and forwarded to Gruenther who hf-ls not yet
received it . 8uggest you not depart pending next message from him .
General Clark cabled General Gruenther as follows yesterday:
I
n 'Jecessary
leave Rio 0930 local time 27 July reurad 5598 . Conditions rermittin~ will fly to Da.:ar night 27-2g continuin to Marrakech for
overn"ght 2R .. Arrival v·11afranca 29 July expected ."
General Gruenther today cabled Gener, .1 Clark a.s fo lows:
tt Commanders t r eeting vill not ta3.re
give no estimate when it rill occur. n
lace be ore August 1st .
Can
Ge 1eral _G ruenther also Cc.bled G Jneral Clark today as follovrs:
"Yo, r1essa!se received at three o'clock this r1orning a's I returned
rom in<1l conference. Will s'ee Petrov noon today a:nd vrill again bring
up question Comnanders' Teeting . However, as J explained in message
last ni~ht , J dou )t that meeting ill ta . 9 place on 11st in view of nee;)
attitude. Will wire again ;:i,t noon . Me1:m·hile , take life easy. There
A.re many headaches here.n
*
if
*
*
*
Rl\lROUTE TO ITALY-- JULY 27, 1945--General and Mrs . Clark, accompanied by
the remainder of the party, left Rio at 0835 in a. Lockheed Bomber . At
the airport rere leadinF; state ::md military officials to bid a.rewell to
Gen .,ra.l Clark. The party landed at Santa Cruz at 0900 and took off a.t
0920 in a C-54, landing at t-Jatal at 1650 . Here the party divided , · and
after suprer General Clark, accompanied by- Colonel Sewell, Liaison Officer of the A};"\ q with the EF, Captai n Luther, Captain Grann c_nd S9rgeant
�\L\
Chaney took off in the C-54 for Tarrakech while the remainder of the party
continued on their way to the TTnit .... d States the following morn··ng
*
*
*
NfARRAKECH--JULY 28 , 1945--Genera.l Clnrk landed at Marrakech at 1430 and
after a short drive t rou~h the city had dinner at Villa .aylor where the
party remained for the ni ht.
*
*
*
*
VER0NA--JULY 29, 1945--At 0800 hours General Clark and p8.rty took off from
fffa.rrakech for Verona and landed at Villafranca. Rirfield at 1l+35 hours in
the a ternoon . General C1ark went immediately to his villa by cub, accompanied by General Gruenther, v,here they spent the rest of the evening in
conference concernin~ the Vienna situation .
*
*
VERONA--JULY 30, 1945--General Clark arrived at his headquarters in V-rona
at 1000 hours where he proceeded to take CAre o official business vh ich
had accumulated during his Brazilian trip . ERrly in the morning he conferred with General Gruenther on various sub,jects concerning the Vienna a.ffair nnd also with a group of officers from TTSFET
I/
In the a fternoon the Gener:=tl continued his conversations with General
Gruenther Hnd went to his villt'.l at 1500 hours where he spent the rest of the
day.
*
*
*
*
VE"R.ONA --JULY 31, 1945--The Generel spent the da;r todFi,y at his villa resting .
*
*
*
VERONA-- AUGUS'.!." 1, 1911-5--The Gen0r a l spent t he day relaxing Pt hfu villa .
*
*
·*
*
ROJ.A--AUGUST 2, 1945--General Clark arrived at his headquarters at 1000
hours a,nd conferred the greater part o the day with Genera l Gruentrer on
the proposed conference on the 3rd . Jn t he a_ ternoon Lt . Col. Vl illiams
c ame in to see t he General regarding the 15th Army Group . History ::i nd then
the General continued the conversation with General Gruenther concerning
the Austrian situation .
General Clark let for his vill
there for the rest of the day.
by cub
at 1700 hours and remained
G,meral ClArk today sent the following cable to Field Marshal Alexander:
rrr was highly pleased today to learn of your appointment as Governor
)
General of Canada. '!'hose of us who have served under your leaders hip take
pHrticular pride in this recognition your government has seen fit to bestow
r
�upon you for your outstanding military services . I hope thRt when J return
to tt".e nited Stat es we "'hall have an opportunit)r to meet r.n renew old
times . tt
*
*
*
*
VEROTt~A--AUGUST 3, 1945--General Cl2rk remained at his villa at SJrmione all
dai and at 100 hours held a conference which was attended by General
foCreery , General Winterton nnc Mr . Mack of the Bri ti.sh Austrfan Command;
General Bethouaro , General Cherriere and the French Politicnl Advisor of
the rench Austrian Cornnand . General Gruenther , Genera.I Flory and Mr Erhardt also attended the conference, and Colonel Suth.,rlnnd acted s French
interpreter . rrhe complete minutes of the rrieeting will be included in the
diary notes of today' s activities .
After the conference General Clark and his guests h:'l.d luncheon at the
villa , throu~h which they co tinued their discussion . General Mccreery and
General Bethouard , accompanied b:r their parties, left the Sirrnione cub
strip in L- 5 sat 1530 and proceeded to Villafranca , from which point they
proceeded to their headquarters .
Generfl.l Clr-trk remrd ned at his villa and had for dinner General McMahon,
Colonel Porter and Captain Luther . Later in the evening General Sullivan,
accomptmied by four guests , joined General Clark or a movie at the villa .
Foll owing are the minutes of the conference held this afternoon:
"The British group arrived at about 1100 hours and some general conversation took pla.ce concerning sub.jects to be discussed with the Frenc h officers on their R.rri val. General Clark emphasj_zed that the question of food
contr0l should be early on the agenda for the first Allied Council rieeting ,
and asked General f1cCreery if he thought an J:;conomic Board should not be
agreed on at thA first m8etj ng of the Council , to be instr1 1.cted to report
at the second meeting of the Council . General McCreery said h~ thought
th~s was a good idea and thRt he thou ht the Co1.L~cil , under the European
Advisory Commission rules, should meet every ten days . In connection with
the food question, there was a discussion of the number of people in the
various zones in Vienna . GenAral Winterton said he understood that there
were 275, 000 in the Anerican zone , 356,000 i .n the Russian zone , 250 , 000 jn
the British zone , and ?.99,000 j_n the French zone , but that there were
800, 000 oth ,rs normally living in Vienna, now temporarily elsewhere , v1ho
would be coming back as soon as possible .
"Gern=~rals Bethouart and Cheriere arrived a.t l?.00 hours and the meet in~ began., Genern.l Clark acting a.s Chairman . He said that the meeting had
been called to agree upon an agenda for the first meeting of the Allied
Council .
ttGENERAL CLARK then stated that the first subject he thought of dis cussing was that of cod, and h .. repeated to General B8 thou.art the proposal
already- made to General Mccreery that an :.iconom:i.c Committee or Bor-ird he
set up at the first meeting of the Council, to report at the second meeting of the Council. This was a.greed to by all .
�(
"The second subject r aised by GEmeral Clc1rk was communications . All
persons present agreed that the comrm.J.nications channels proposed by the
Russians were inadequate for the rnaintemmce of the necessary headquarters
in Vienna a't1d tha.t this subj8ct would have to be diC\cussed 8.t the first
Council meeting . General r.cCreery requested that in connectfon w:tth communications, the air routes also -be discussed .
ttGeneral Clnrk then sta.ted that the third point to be discussed was
·\
the establishment o the Kommandatura and the da,te for the takin over by
the A lied troops of the several zones in Vienna. General Mccreery stated
that before the Komnandatura could commence functioning, some means of
handling the civilian supply problem in Vienna would have to be decided
upon
General Bethouart agreed with this a.nd General Clark said that for
that reason he had proposed the appointment o the Econom::.c Board in uestion , which should be instructed to report back to the Comman:lers -inChief before the seconc1 me eting of the Council.
0 The fourth point raised by Gener&.1 Clark was the establishment of a
Finance Committee. General Bethoua.r:. agreed , stating that ·in':lnce was
clearly A. most important problem in viev1 of the in la.tion now in r rogress
in ienna a.nd the uncertainty as to the Russian handling of Allied military schillings . General r~cCreery also agreed that this item should be on
the agenda .
V
naimeral Clark then proposed the issuance of a joint" proclamation as
a subject for the agenda, and stated that a draft 1ad been prepared by his
headquarters for criticism by the others concerned . He stated thR.t he
vrould furnish General McGreery. and General Bet ouart with copies of thi e...
draft to work on .
"General Clark proposed as the next subject for discus~ion that of
fraternization , and snid that the Americ an attitude was that all limitations on .raternization in _ustria should be removed immediately when the
Council met .
.e asked whHt Gem~ral Bethoua.rt ' s view was, and General
Bethouart said that he hAd no rroblem in that respect, as fraternization
was unlimited in the French zone . As a matter of fact, he said , it could
not be stopped anyway . General •,1 cCreery then said that _e agreed with
General Cla k and with Gen~ral Bethouart , but thr-=tt from his point of view
it waP preferable not to give publicity to relaxation o the fr:=i.ternization
ban . General Cl~k aid he would be glad to cooperate with General McCreery
in the latter point , though he felt thnt it was inevitable that regardless ,
press mention 1vould be made on the change in attitude .
HThe seventh p oint suggested by Genere.l Clark for discussion ·ms the
formation of the Executive Committee . It .7 as agreed the.t t his should be
discussed and thr:1t no great problems would be rresented by it .
HGeneral Clark then said that there should be a. discussion of the r.1e chanics of runnin the All:ed Council, the establishment of a secretariat ,
etc . He said that ~•rhile he felt this must be discussed, the project of a
jo:rnt secretariat would be opposed by the Russians.
HG 'J't>.lERAL wrrrIIB.TmT then said thRt he unrlerstood that the Russfans
wished to hHve no central building for a headquarters of the Joint Allied
�Commission, but that the meetings should be held in rotation in the office
of the o ficer act ·i ng for the moment as Chairman of the Allied Council,
and his office would furnish secretarlal service for that m,Jeting and rre pare the agenda for the succeeding meeting . General Clark stated that
nhile his original thought had been +.he establishr1ent of a joint secretar· at, he felt that the Ru,...sfa.ns ~~,ould not accert this, and hence that arrangerients of the sort outlined by General Winterton, as they would in his
opinion be practicable , might well ;e acce ted. GcmeraL, Mccreery- nnd
Bethouart expre sed concurrence in this view . General Clnrk suggested
that the Americans, Rrit1sh and French put forward Koniev as Chairman for
the first meeting or the Allied Council and tlk1.t thereafter the chairmanship rotate alphabetically ·a ccordin'; to the name of the nation in question .
They could discuss hether the chtdrmanship would be or one or two meet. in~s. These _roposals were likewise agreed to as a subje ct of discussion
for the first Council meeting.
ttThe next subject for discussion was the entry of troops into Vienna
and their composition . General Clark said he thought the question had two
subdivisions .
or the first meetinr: of the Council a guard of honor,
rather Tik9.ll in siz , should be arran_"'ed from each of the four nations in"l,olved, the guards of the everal nations to meet at some convenient point
and collectively do t __ e honors to t . e several Generals in turn
Later, he
said, when the respective garrisons entered Vienna, they should form a
single parade and the four Commanding Genera.ls should be present as the
parade passed in review, the ~eneral o each nqtionality stepping forward
one or two pacev and taking the salute as his own troops rassed. General
Mccreery stated that the British avy and the British Air Forces would
like to be represented with some part in this parade . General Clar~ said
that he had no naval forces readily availfi,ble for the parade , and suggested
that the Air Forces fly overhead in planes . It was agreed that a discussion
of this s1Jbject should be put on the agenda .
J.
"G .,~IERAL BETH~ again mention9d the question of food c=i.t this point,
saying thA.t be ore the meeting closed he would like to accent the importance of a ood ('.'<upply for his zone . General Clark expressed understanding
of his nece-ssities .
,lERAL CCRE I Y said that he thought a press communique should be
prepared as well as the joint proclamntion previous.ly mentioned . He also
said there should be a meeM.ne; of the Deputy Commanders eld in the immediate future. The purpose of this neeting '"'r ould be t o discuss the agenda
for t_1e first meeting of the Council and agree on it in the light of the
preliminary discussions held today. Gen r a.l Gruenther sr:dd thAt l-ie could
get to Vi8nna tomorrow evening to attend such a rrieetin ::) .. Genernl 1dhterton and Gener 1 Cheriere said they would a.lso be avai1cible . Generr-1 Gruenther said he ~vould get in touch vith General Zheltov and r ropose the conference for Saturday evening.
rtm~
11
GE 1TF.RA.L CLARK then raised the uestion of the date for the first
co mcil meeting
He said he thought it likely th;:i.t the Russians would express th, ·r preference for the date of · this gathering . Generri.l CJ.ark said)
he thou.c;ht the 7th was a prob-?ble date , that it ,, ould talre a week to ten
de.ys thereR ter or the i..Conomic Committee to have its recormnendations
ready on the ood situation, and hence that the s econd meeting of the Coun-
�cil could not tal:e plHce until about the 17th. He thought thr1t the second
meetin of the Co ncil should occur at a.bout the time the troops entered ..
0 He then raised the question o
rho should Pttend the first Council
meeting, saying that it was his own preference that only the Commande:r ..~-inChief, the Political Advisers, interpreters, and stenographic reporters attend the meeting . GenerHl Bethouart as '"ed vrhy the Chie s of Staff should
not attend, and General Clark stated that he wished, if r,o sible, at this
meetj_n to eep the ma,tter ~mtirely on the level of Commander""in-Chief to
Commande -in-Chief. He felt thRt the Politjcal Ad isers should be present
to represent the respective foreign offices. He sa.id there might well be
subsequent meetings at which only the four Commanders-in-Chief 1ould be
present, and possibly other r1eetings at which members of the Executive
Committee would be present . Generals Mccreery and Bethouart stated that
the;v V!ere satis-fi d with this proposal.
"General Clark then as ..d if any one had any other matters to brine up
at the present meeting, and there being nonJ, the
oup adjourned for
luncheon . tt
*
*
*
*
VERO ,TA--ATJGUST 4, 191+5--General Clark departed from Sirmj one cub strip at
1000 hour and landed at Villafranca at 1015 hours, from which point he
took off in his C-47 for Florence to spend the day
He exrects to return
on the 5th.
*
*
*
VERONA--AUGUST 5, 191+5--General Clark arrived at his villa from Florence at
1100 hours , returning by C-/+7 to Villafranca and by cub to the Sirmione cub
strip. He rested during the A. ternoon and at 1800 hours met Mr . McCloy,
Assistant Secretary of War, at the cub strip . ·The General had dinner at
his villa with !Jr . McCloy, General Gruenther, General Tc te a.nd VT . 1-l""!rhardt.
·,!fr . McCloy spent the night at the villa.
1
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*
VER NA--AHGUST 6, 1945--Mr. McCloy left the villr-t at 0830 to return to Villafranca by cub from i"There he took off in his plane for Rome . General Cla.rk ,
left his villa at 0930 hours by cub and la.need at Villafranca at 0950 hours
where he was met by Captain Luther . General Cl8rk, with Captain Luther, took
off from the Villafranca airfield at 1000 hours for Salzburg where he landed
at 1100 hours .
General Clark was met by General Keyes, Conmander of JI Corps, and after revic ri g an honor guard at the r-iirport was tak<m to the public square
in SHlzburg wher9 he inspected a battalion of assembled troops and then reviewed the battalion as it passed by JI Corps Head.quart rs . General Clar
and General Keyes then went to General Ye yes' .office where they conferred·
with Brigadier rreneral Willems, Chief of Staff, II Corps; fJ1 ajor General Deger, Commander o 11th Armor d Division; ~-1a,jor General Hilldring of the /Jar
Department, Hashington; M~..ior General Reinhart, Commander of the 65th Division; e.nd i ajor General Collin~, Commander of the 42nd Division. After
�(
�(
the conference the part, had lunch at General Keyes' ville. .
After lunch General Clark , 'Tith General Keye
went _or a boat ride
on Konig Sea and then proceeded to Berchtesga.den ·vhere they went to inspect Hitlert s famed 11 Eaele ~Jesttt
mroute to the "Eagle :Jest" they
were met hy General Tobin , Commander of the 4L~th AAA Group , who conducted
them on a tour of the "Eagle 1\Je"'t" and 3erchtesgaden. Upon the completion of the tour the party went to General Tobin ' s Headquarters for a
short while and then- proceeded t o the Hapshtirg Palace in Salzburg vhere
General ClRrk is to spend the night .
0
,
At 1900 hours General Clark had dinner with General Keyes , General
Willems, General Howard, ,1/lr . Dend,,r of the State Department and General
B'il l dring c: t the Hapsbbrg Palace •
. General Clrirk today sent the following message to Brig. Gen . Deane
of the U. S. p.!Tj_litary Mission in Moscov.r :
"I have Rlready made several attempts to arrange a rr1eeting o t.e
\
our cornr1anders in Vienna , but all have been unsuccessful becA.use of
Russ.'an refusal to agree to a date .. At t e conference of Deputy Commanders on AuF;Ust L1- , Colonel General ZHELrrnv stated that I1JTc .rshal KONIBV 1 s
health h:rn not ·yet recovered to the point where a .date can be agre ,d to
by the Russians . _ Later in the conference he stated that the communique
of the Big Three .1eeting in Berlin c ontains so 1ittle concerning Austria
that h1rshal KON •,V was certain that additional instructions wuld be is sued by Moscow .
Tntil these instructions are received no Allied Council
meetinr; can be held . r,le hHve not been R.ble to determine whether or not
Marshal KONIEV is actually ill .. During the staff conference held in late
July some Russian staff officers stated that lfONIEV w·as ill while others
indicated that his health vas excellent .
''The1~e are many matters which are urgently in need of immediate attention ap.d vrhich can not be solved until the Allied Counc il meets . Any
attempt to resolve t.1eso difficulties in advance is usually blocked by
Gemral ZHEL'T'OV . I shall be nost grateful to you if you can exert any
presm.u·e from your end to expedite this neetinL • British and French Commanders share my views and .have made similar representations to their
gover _men ts . "
*
*
*
*
VERO_\ A--AUGUST 7 , 191{,5--At 0900 hours General Clark , vdth General Keyes ,
le t 11y car for an hour R,nd half trip throup,h Austria to the headquarters
of the 11th Armored Di vision vs here they vrnre ret by General Deger and
.Colonel Dovrrv~r , Chief of Staff of th~ 11th Arr11ored D~.vision . After an inspection o the guard of honor, General Clark had lunch with General Deger ·
and his staff .
After lunch General Clark inspe cted a vill8 with the idea in mind of
using it at a la.ter date but found it undesirablA bocause it was at the
present time used as a maternity hospital.
At 1330 hours General Clnrk left the 11th Armored Djvision and drove
--
�to Linz where he visited the Headrpmrter of the 65th Division . Bere
General Clark met his old friend General John E. Copeland . After a short
conference at 65th D · visfon Headquarters Genern 1 Clark , General Keyes,
General Reinhart and General Copeland went to General Reinhart's residence
where General Clark decorated General Reinhart with the Silver Star and
the Bronze Star . General Clark l . . ft Linz· ~.t 1,~·30 hours by cub r:md flew to
the Salzhurg airport where he left General Keyes and drove to Berchtesgaden
Hotel where he ·ras to spend the night .
After dinner General Clark retired early.
General Gruenther arrived
at the hotel at ?200 hours from lerona .
General Clar1c today received the following cable from the W, r De partment:
"fleet ·ng of commanders in Vien..na is s 1bject reurad SGS 772 , 6 August
1945 .
nst ate Department believes we should not press for m8eting at this
date as onus for present difficulties in Austria now rests with Russians .
If, fr om your standpoint, it is essential that matters be discussed immediately with th Russians reqnest additional information to assist consi derations here . "
*
*
*
VER0 11JA--AUGUST 8, 1945--Genera l Clark conferred with General Gruenther
from ORJO hours until 0930 hours t his morning and left B~rchtesgaden at
091+5 hours . AccompRnied b;r Captain Luther , he drove to Innsbruck vrhere
he inspected an honor guard and had lunch at French Headquarters with Gene ral Bethounrt's staff. Genera.I Betho1n.rt was absent attending a conference
in Paris .
fter lunch General Clark resumed his trip to Verona , arriving
at his villa at ?100 hours . Upon his return General Clark conferred with
General Tate on subjects w ich hAd arisen during his absence from his headquarters .
*
*
*
VE .0 1,rA-- ATJGUST 9, 191,.5--General Clark re:mained at his villn all day re laxing . The G8neral had General Tate and ~tr' . Erhardt as guests for lunch .
General Gruenther sent the following cables to General Clnrk from
Vienna today:
/
----.._
081155 . "1.
IELTOV rage has subsided . He did not like the idea that
you would report to ~our government that Russians a.re delBying when in
fa ct they· are not . So
, ason for failure to agree to a date is Koniev' s
·illness through Zheltov says Russfans are still awaiting instructions from
,fos cow . ·z heltov would ~ive no estimate as to date . In my opinion meeting
will not be held before August 13 . I think Koniev is ill. But tho.t is
only my hunch .
n2.
ood que;1tion discussed at length today with Russfans agreeing to
�principle v1e have so often discussed . Thev agree that requisitioning
should not ta._ce place and state -thFt Russians have almys follo 10d non
requisitioninr; practice
Zheltov sa,rs that J'l'leeting of food experts Tuesda:r :rroduced no results because all our experts did was to ask questions
and refused to answer any themselves . Fe strongly su::>gests high powered
food body with power to riake positive recorunendatio:ns for a.pproval by
Allied ounc1.l. If the··r findi~gs are approved by executive corunittee
he thinks council problem will be simple . I thinl committee should eet
and I will so arrange immediately unless you instruct 1:ne othervdse .
n 3. WI IT'S 1TOlJ is st:i 11 convinced that Commanders !·1P.eting should
not be call d r.1cetini:; of Allied Council until food rroblem is settled • .
He nay be right but
don' t think so . v'linterton is Asking McCreery to
apologize to you for ank Buildinz J1essage .
tt Lt' .
Will recommend to you Thursday vrhe:re I should return.
should remain here until Saturday. n
I
V
?
Probably
RH 338 . n1 . When we assernbled for neeting at 1500 yesterday ZHSLTOV
announced that he could only rerm=dn or ? hours rind that 'Je should budget
our time accordingly
, e agreed to discuss t e dra.ft paper you saw at
Berchtesgaden also proposed agenda and problem of food for Vienna and
Austria .
u2 . Then raised question of date for meetin, of Commanders. Discussion that fo lowed took up 30 minutes Yrith Zheltov on defensive but neverthel ,ss gained no ~ound . He adopted hurt a-t titude thrit although General
Clark had . reviously shown consideration · or Konie~,, s health and had even
(
throu_~h Gr110nther stated that ho hPil no desire to 'destroyt the f/ti rshc.l' s
health h still sa fit to report thet you were stjll solicitious for
Yoniev' s health but that an early meeting ':ms absolutely necessary because
there AX'e so man7 j_mportant matte! s to be settled . J then nede formal re quest that the meeting he held 1 riday and if thr-it date not acceptable
Saturrlay, Sunday and so on . To ·vhich Zheltov sm~led and said he would convey General Clark' s vif'hes to oniev.
Vinterton and Cheriere Plso asked
. or early meetin •
ir3 .
Zheltov was in ~ood temper throughout neeting .
At 1?00 he told
us he -ras r.;oing to att end final performance of Moscow Concert roup and Vie
~,ould be h · s guests . He l<ept his 'natch in front of him throughout meeting
and at 1Pl5 we r·:nally f.save in and adjourned.
feast _or 1 hour .
There followed usual Russian
0
1+ • The c0ncert was good and Z eltov was gracious host . His wife
joined us at theater . During intcrmis sion Dr ~ Rmmer called to ay respects
to Zheltov and we were presented to _him . u
SGS 1001-V, 352 . "Will meet with British, French Deputies three
o ' clock today to discuss food problem and rroposed line of action . flhile
Rus ians have agreed to sone important r ,rinciples it is rrobf ble that execution may find us in posit· on imilar to Berlin . 11Jo agree!'1ents will be
made unless submitted to you . l eanr,rh le v:-e shall try to determine Russi::tn
intentions more clearly. Problem is still nost complic ted . n
1
✓
�SGS 1003- V. "Finance meeting Tuesday vas great success . Russi~
representative aP,Teed to A.11 our p~oposals . ~Iovrnver le has been i n /
Vienn.
. v , ~ . Wint9rton and Chericre still feel strongly that
it wil e error to he ve Commanders meet as Allied Council until food
prol::ilem is settled . 1'linterton hinted at this idea yesterday bu+, Zheltov
professed he could not understand Winterton 1 s point . Winterton suggested
meeting of four Corunanrlers ns such but Zheltov said he could not detect
difference .
,eather bad here . 11
SGS 1004-V. "After conference 1!'dth Winterton a.nd Cheriere this afternoon we are convi .ced that Russian solution of fooo rroblem ·s unsatisfactonr. Their osition is no, clearly stated but i appears that they
have in rnind arran.~er11ent whereby each nation is responsible .or its own
zone . British r-md French pLm to refer matter to f;OVernrnent or guidance .
Cheriere and Winterton will leave Friday to consult •rith commanders . I
"rill arrive Verona. early Friday afternoon in B-17 . Reference meeting I
now cor cur with point of view expressed by State Derartment but have not
indicated that to anyone here . n
General Clark cabled General Gruenther this
c
fternoon as follo rn:
f
0
Thanks for keep1n~ Ple so thoroughly posted on your activities . I
rather feel that my name is being identifiRd as the sole ringleader of the
opposition to Zhukov and Koniev . This if allowed to continue without re ·
su.lts wj_ll seriousl; hurt my future relr-itions w:i th thorn. Hope you do not
find it necAssary to rema:n until Saturday unless you think absolutely
essentiaL J must leave here Sund, y 111orning in order to address initial
meeting that evening at SALZBT1RG festival. Wi~h reference to my alleged
lack of consideration of Koniev' s henlth, the expl2.nation is that c C-in-C' s
meet~ng 1s so urgent thnt if KonieY could not be rresent or sorne time his
deput;r could represent hi m. However, do not discuss thflt subject urthP-r .
I would restrict future meetings with Zhukov to the r1inimum unless you feel
something worthwhile is being accomplished . n
GenGral Gruenther cabled General ClArk this evening
HS
follows :
"I Hm scheduled to see Zheltov ten o'clock ItPl:r time FridRy reference
food problem . Desire to clr1x•ify Russian position further. Winterton and
Cheriere ill not accompany me . Both of them consider the case hopeless
but I nm sB ghtl;r more , ortimistic . I do not plan to y,ress again for early
meetinr; date since that ma.tter already adequately presented . PlPn to leave
Tulln twelve thirty. u
*
. *
*
*
VEH0llJA--AUGUST 10, 1945--General ClA.rk remained Ht 'his villa during the
morning and cleared up nll correspond nce which had accunrulR.ted . Together
v.r·th Gem~ral SaltzTinn he discussed u..merous problems concernint=; USACA.
0
At 1100 hours Gemm::i.l Clark r,inned 2nd Lieutenant bars on two m~rrant
Officer and five enlisted men pnd rromoted 1·8utenant Jones, his r::..lot , to
the rank of Captain .
In the afternoon the GenerRl
swim hef ore dinner .
ini<::'hed up his corresponnence and took a
�""
,
General ClP.rk today cabled General Mccreery and General Bethouert
as follows:
u1. General Zheltov told Gruentber this morninp; that H2.rsh~l Koniev
desires to have the rr1eeting of the Commanders on August 14th. Gruenther
sa.id hP- ,:muld convey that inforr1ation to me but he did not volunteer nor
vvas he asked to transmit it to Generals f 17cCreer~r and Bethouart .
n2 . I intend to notify Yonfo-v on Sunday that the rroposed date is
agreeahle to rrie . I full~r realize from the discussions which took place
Thursday afternoon between Winterton, Cheriere and Gruenther that :irou may
have the conviction that the . meetfo½ should not be held until the food
question is settled . I consicer that the advantages in having an early
~eetinr- outweigh the disadvantar:;es . However please feel free to transrni t
a contrar-s.r vie.,. to r 10rshrrl Koniev if ~rou so desire ..
u3 . I am familiAr with the proposal which Winterton r1ade end rrhich
Cheriere supported thRt, since tb8 food rroblem will rrobcbly not be
settled prior to the first rieeting, we should consider the conference as
an informal one . In my· opinion ·e can have the meeting of the four Commanders in Vienna and till not assume the responsibility for feeding
Vienna or for the government of Austria by the All ed Commission if condjtions are not suitable . The comrm.mique which ·we issue should clarify
that point .
4. For General B8 thouart . I am sorr:v that I missed you Yfodnesday .
Your subordinates extended ever;r , hospitalit7 to me . "
0
*
*
*
*
VEROT<TA-- AUGUST 11, 1945--The Ge neral remained at his villa all day today
and rrepAred for the rriove of his headquarters to Salzburg on Sunday.,
General Clark today cabled Generc=i.l Lewis in Vienna as follows:
"Take Colonel Thayer with you end call on Colonel Gen,ral Zheltov
today to deliver the following message from m~: 'Ple::we inform Marshal
Koniev of my acceptance nf his invitation to meet with him on August
fourteenth . I am deeply appreciative of his cooperative attitude in
agreejng to this conference at a time when his health is still impaired ..
J am confident thr-it as soon as the four Commanders meet we slu.tll be able
to find ::t solution to our problems and that we shall proceed in full harmony in the executio!l of, our mission of establishing a free and independent
Austria .. Kindly convey to Jarshal Koniev my continued interest in his
health .. I sincerel;r trust that his recovery will be rapid ., Advise when
message bas been delivered . Also find out rroposed time of meeting .
General Cla.rk prefers that time not be earlier than 111.00 hours so that he
can drive if weather is poor . tr
*
*
*
~~~/~
SALZBURG- -AUGUST 12, 1945-- General ClArk left his villa ' by car at 0830,
e.ccompa~ied by GenerAl Saltzman, and motored to his new headquarters at
Schloss Ilessheim at Salzburg, arriving there at 1730 hours. After reifiewing a guard of honor at the gate , the General proceeded to the ma.i
�palace where he is to open his :new headquarters on Monday.
had a quiet dinner at his coJ11rria.nd post .
The General
General Clark left the schloss at 1840, accompanied by General
Gruenther, and proceeded to the Festspielhaus where he was to open the
Salzburg Music Festival. He was met and shor\ln to his seat by General
McChrystal, Head of ISB. Upon arriving there, he was given the ruffles
and flourishes, followed by a parade of the 48 flags of the States by
the 42nd Division • . After a speech given by the Herr Landeshauptmann,
General Clark addressed the gathering, and a short concert of music by
Mozart followed. General Clark's remarks are quoted below:
"Thank you, Herr Landeshauptmann, for your gracious words of welcome. Through you I speak to the people of Austria. within the American
occupational zone.
The Salzburg Music Festival, which we are opening today, is a
heartwarming example of the revival of your characteristically Austrian
traditions, coming as it does only three months after the arrival of
the United States Forces in Salzburg. I am indeed gratified that my
first official utterance to the Austrian people, dwelling in the zone
occupied by the U~ted States Forces, which I have the honor to command,
should be on the occasion of a celebration of a rebirth of Austrian cultural freedom.
11
The United Nations are giving Austria an opport unity to work her
way back to liberty, to independence, and to an honored place in the
community of peace-loving nations. This end was clearly eArpressed in
the Moscow Declaration of November 1, 1943; and by their sponsorship
of that Declaration, all the four occupying powers have pledged themselves to the reestablishment of a free and independent Austria. This
work is already well under way. The forces of the four nations, who
share in the occupation of Austria, have moved into the zones which were
agreed ~pon some time ago. Final arrangements are now being made for
the quadripartite control and occupation of Vienna by Soviet , British,
French and American forces. All connection between Austria and the
Nazi Germany which overran her in 1938 has been severed. The great
task of handling prisoners of war and displaced persons is well begun.
Your o~n governmental and social institutions must be reestablished as
soon as possible. The Germans who flocked to this country in recent
years to enjoy the fruit s of Nazi treachery will be removed as speedily
as t ransport permits. A relentless search fur Nazis is in progress, and
I assure you that we in the American zone, like our Allies in the other
zones, will be vigilant to see that no one who was devoted to our enemies
remains in a position of public trust.
1
0
"Meanwhile, the Austrian people are being given a chance to show
what they can do with the tools of freedom. Organs of local government
have been reestablished in the provinces. I shall allow and encourage
democratic political parties, with rights of assembly and of publ ic discussion. Your time-honored trade unions, suppressed by the Nazis, have
been allowed to resume their activities in defense of the rights of
�working men and women. Your courts are functioning once more, dispensing
true - not Nazi - justice, with Austrian judges on the bench. Your national flag, the red-white-red flag, banned by Hitler,- may now be flown. In
tact, I have embodied those colors in the shoulder pltch insignia or the
.
American Forces in Austria. Pl.ans are under way by which, shortly newsplpers,
magazines and books will be published by Austrians for Austrians, reestablishing the danocratic right or freedom of the press. I can therefore assure
you that the reconstruction or your country, pledged by the Allies, has
already commenced.
"The Moscow declaration, however, contained more than a promise to
the Austrian people. It contained an admonition to them that they were in
pirt resJX)nsibl_e for their own downfall and hence that they must contribute
in large measure, by their own efforts, to their own revival. When your
country, the first or maey unhappy lands, was overrun by the Nazis, man;r
Austrians, I am sorry to say, aided and abetted in the betrayal. More tragically still, in the great conflict which has so recently ended in Europe,
your country was in the ranks of our enemies. You can readily understand that
the people of' the United Nations, remembering these dismal chapters of your
recent history, look for Austria to dEID.onstrate - by her zeal, by her industry, by her patriotic aid in ridding herself of all German militaristic and
Nazi influences. We expect you to demonstrate that the servants or Hitler
among you were a wicked minority, whom you will j_o in us in casting out.
".Americans at a Salzburg Music Festival are not a new sight. In happier da1s my countrymen frequently crossed the seas and came to Austria to
attend your f'es1ii val at the birthplace or Mozart and to enjoy the inspiration that came from your renowned musical tradition. Now there are again
many Americans in Salzburg,••this time not simply as visitors but as pu-t
of the Allied forces which have ended your seven years of servitude. These
young men and women, like the Austrian people who planned and organized the
revival of this festival, will draw from it the same inspiration which their
parents found in brighter days. I am confident that this prompt renewal of
your resti val foretells the early completion, by' the efforts of your people
and of the forces of' the United Nations, of the work of reestablishing, in
liberty and in peace, a free and independent Austria."
*
*
*
*
S.ALZBURG--AUGUS'J: 13, 1945•-General Clark looked over the headquarters setup with Colonel Smith, Headquarters Commandant, this morning and walked
around the groupds ot the palace.
At 1700 hours this afternoon the General had a rece,p tion for 100 manbers of his staff up:>n the opening or his headquarters in Salzburg.
In the evening the General had several members of his staff for a
small dinner at his headquarters.
*
*
*
*
SALZBURG--AUGUST 14, 1945•-General Clark conferred with General Gruenther
�(
from 0900 hours to 1000 hours, after which he saw General Hume for a short
time concerning his assignment to II Corps as G-5. Shortly after 1000
hours General Clark saw General Flory with Colonel Marget, Head of Finance,
USA.CA.
At 1100 hours General Clark talked to Colonel Langan, Civil SupPly man
in the USAC set-up.
·
At 17.30 ·hours General Bethouart, Commander of the French Troops in
Austria, landed at the airport and was met by General Gruenther, who escorted
him to the Schloss. General Clark conferred with General Bethouart and Mr.
Moincault, Political Adviser for General Bethouart, and was joined by Mr.
Erhardt and General Gruenther later for dinner.
*
*
*
SALZBURG-·•AUGUST 15, 1945---General Clark met Congressman MacMillan and his
son, Captain MacMillan at 0800 hours and had breakfast with them, along
with General Bethouart 8Xld Mr. Moincault at his headquarters. At 0900
hours, after conferring shortly with General Keyes, General Bethouart left
the Schloss for the airi:ort. A guard of honor from the 42nd Division, and
the 26th Infantry Division Band, were on hand for the de:p9rture of General
Bethouart and party. At 1030 General Clark conferred with Colonel Stevens,
who is the displace~ persons man f~ USACA.
· At 1100 hours General Clark saw Colonel lfoFeely, who is Head of the
Demobilization Board in the Military Division. of USACA. He also saw Mr.
Adams, newly arrived in Mr. Erhardt' s office, and had lunch with 11.r. Erhardt and Mr. Adame.
~
Shortly before 1400 hours General Clark saw Colonel Shaw, son of General Shaw, who was in the headquarters to see Colonel Jaynes, Ordnance Officer. The General l~ft shortly after 1400 hours to look at a hµnting lodge
near Werf'en with a view toward using it some time in the future. Shortly
after 1900 General Clark ret'urned to his headquarters where he had dinner
and, after conferring with General Gruentb.er, retired.
General Lewis today submitted the following rep:>rt with regard to the
food situatd.on in Vienna:
"l. It has oot been possible this afternoon to obtain any additional \
information regarding the food supplies now on hand in Vienna. We have
only the statanents of the Russian authorities and the statement of Dr.
Frisch, chief or the Vienna rationing board that there are sufficient supplies on hand to last until September let.
"2.
was
DO
The Vienna Chief of Police ui:on being questioned stated that there
immediate cause for alarm, that no incidents had occrurred, that the
only complaints of consequence came from having to spend much time waiting
in line to pn-chase supplies.
n.3. Bezirke Control Officers .have expressed the following opinions:
�.I• Acute hunger is general; the entire p:,pulation is suffering
privations of tragic proportions.
~. Considering the seriousness or the situation, the mass of
the p,pulation has shown, until now, ranarkable calm.
£• Confidence in US -ability to materially improve the situation is general. A few may be anticipating a miracle, but the
vast majority view the situation realistically •
.4. They
do not doubt, that we can teed them. They are certain,
that we will f'eed them sooner or later. But there is, however,
a evidence of considerable worry as to whether there might not
be a chaotic period between the time Russian stocks are exhausted
and other supplies arrive.
0 4.
Food, Public Safety, and Bezirke Control Officers have been in- ·
etructed to keep me fully informed of' any developnents."
*
*
*
*
SALZBURG-•AUGUST 16, 1945--Shortly after 0900 hours General Clark saw Mr.
J4cCorm.ac and Mr. Fodor, newspaper correspondents who conferred with him
for a short time concerning press JX)licies. At 1000 hours he saw Captain
Furniss, who has been picked by General Howard to take care of the personal
safety of General Clark and al.so to act in the capacity of an aide.
General Clark coni'erred with .Lt. Smith, u. s. Navy Department, Chief
of the Naval Division, USA.CA,, and Lt. Col. Holliday, Chief of TransJX)rtation, USACA, regarding the water traffic on the Danube.
In the af'terooon the General rested for a short while and theh, accompanied by General Gruenther, took a long walk through the countryside. In
the evening he attended the music festival at the Festspielhaus with General Gruenther, General Saltzman, Mr. Erhardt, Col. Sutherland and Col.
Porter. Upm returning to the schloss the ~ty had dinner and retired for
the evening.
General Clark today sent the following cable to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff with regard to the food situation in Austria,
"l.
Subject is food supply for Austria.
u2. Conferences between four de}Uty commanders in Austria have been
in progress since July 24 but until August 10 Russians were reluctant to dis•
cuss food iroblem for Viexma. On that date Colonel General Zheltov, reireeenting Marshal lfoniev, stated it was urgent that four p:>wers agree immediately on imIOrt program for food supply or VieDna starting September first.
Russians state that Vienna food supPly will be exhausted on that date and
that thereafter Russians will bring to Vienna only their prop)rtionate share
of food. Each nation is now asked to turn over food to Austrian auth9rities
in Vienna for distribution which will be supervised by all Allies. Russians
�now supplying 10,000 tons monthly which provides 850 calorie scale for nor•
mal individual. We estimate that 25,000 tons will be required to provide
l, 550 calorie scale for Vienna pop;,lation. Russians further sta tad at
,August 10 meeting that they expect British, French and Americans to replace their prop:>rtionate shares of food supplied to Vienna by Russians
since July 25. When asked how that date •as arrived at Zheltov replied
that this was date on which Allied reconnaissance parties arrived in )
Vienna. He would not discuss replacement question further. I will not /
agree to this demand.
.3. Bri ti.sh, French and American deµities represented strongly that
1 t is essential that normal source of food supplies for Vienna including
coUll.t ries in Danubi~ basin such as Hungary and Roumania be utilized before four nations im.}X)rt food into Austria. Russians state that use of
food supplies from Hungary and Roumania is matter for goverments to settle
and beyond competence ot Allied Council. Zhel tov did agree that Allied
Council might make a recommendation to respective goverments that this
source be utilized but the definite imiression was gained that it will be
a most difficult matter to s.e cure Russian concurrence to such a plan and
winter will pass before it could be effective.
11
l
"4• Russian position as outlined in paragraphs 2 and 3 above conveyed such grave implications to the British that General McCreary, his
political adviser and economic expert are nov in London to determine attitude of British governnent. Initial meeting of Allied Couooil had been ar•
ranged fQr August fourteenth but could not take place because of McCreery
abseJlCe. He radioed yesterday that he expects to return for August 20th
meeting if one can be arranged for that date.
"5• General Bethouart and his political adviser came to see me last
night after attendiJ>.g meeting of French authorities in Paris. They stated
that French have :oo rood to imlX)rt to Vienna and must continue to imp,rt
food into French zone in western Austria.
11 6.
The food situation in Vienna is rapidly approaching critical status and the present 10 1 000 ton supply is totally inadequate. Continuation
of 850 calorie ration scale which this tonnage pr-ovides may produce star•
vation conditions. Russians have already indicated that they consider present ration scale ample and they will probably oppose any increase. They
agree with us however that there should be uniform ration scale in Vienna.
"7. Russians favor establishment of quadripartite Resources Board but
they visualize that its main funption will be to use meagre non•food resources
of Austria to best advantage. It will be impracticable to organize pooling
system so that it will be effective by September first.
ns. British state that Stalin agreed at Potsdam conference that Russians
rill centime to supply :.fbod to Vienna until some other arrangement is con..
eluded. I have had no confirmation of such a statement from American sources and Koniev1 s representatives appear to be unaware oi' it.
"9. I intend to do everything possible at initial meeting of Allied
Council to secure Russian agreement to utilize normal sources of food supl,>lies
�including Hungary and Ro'UJilania, but particularly food from Russian area in
Austria surrounding Vienna which formerly supPl,ied to Vienna. I anticipate that Russians will insist that each nation should contribute its pro•.
pertionate share to the Vienna p:>ol beginning September first and that food
from the Russian zone surrounding Viema will be used to supply the Russian
share. I will accept Russian solution olll.y after all efforts to obtain a
more satisfactory one have failed.
"10. It each nation is required to import own food for its national
zone in Vienna our cost will be 85,000 tons per year assuming 1550 calorie
ration scale. An additional 180,000 tons annually will be required to
supply deficiency in u.s. zone. These totals may be reduced slightly when
barter arrangements can be concluded with other countries by ()ladriparti te
Board. We already have in stockpiles in Linz suffic~ent ·food for our zone
in Vienna tor one month and we arraDged with Hilldring when he was here for
supply tor three additional months. None of this will be moved into Vienna
until food agreement has been reached by Allied Council.
"11. It is clear to me that the Russians are eager to have us in Vienna
to share the responsibility for a situation which is degenerating and which
is a burden to them. I may find it appropriate to state at first Allied
Council meeting that we shall delay entry to Vienna until food situation is
settled, in the hope that such a statement may bring them to suitable terms.
However, I fully appreciate the importance of assu.ming our responsibilities
at the earliest p:,ssible moment.
"12.
My headquarter s is now in Salzburg, Austria and I have only house-
keeping a...~d service units totall ing 2,500 in Vienna.
"13.
I desire that my responsibility tor furnishing civil supplies for
French be clarified as requested in paragraph seven ot my SGS £:£,7 dated July
27th. As matters now stand French will be unable to agree to aiv imix>rtation of food to supply Vienna because they do not have the food. We have already submitted to Hilldring French requirements for September, October,
November to include French zone and Vienna, but French have not been advised
of this action."
*
*
*
SALZBURG-•AUGUST 17, 1945--9eneral Clark attended to accumulated corresix>ndence and conferred with General Gruanther on questions concerning the Aus-
trian situation.
He
saw General Gruenther and General Tate with General
Keyes concerning the arrangements being made for the reception of the Russian, British and French Commanders of Austrian Troops which was to take
place on the 19th.
After lunch General Clark, accompanied by General Saltzman, flew by
L-5 to Micheldorf where they were met by Colonel Yale of the 11th Armored
Division, who took them to Dietlgut to inspect a hunting lodge. General
Clark looked over the lodge with the prospect of using it in the near tu.ture as a rest spot. He returned to the schloss by L-5.
A.t 1730 hours he received General Brann, General McChrystal, General
�(
(
�Tate, General Saltzman, Colonel Lazar and Colonel D1 Orsa for drinks and din, ner, after which they spent the evening playing poker.
General Clark today sent the following cable to Prime Minister Parri of
Italy:
· "I have now taken up my new duties as Commanding General, United States
Foreea in Austria. Upon my departure from Italy after two years of diff'icult campaigning in your country, I wish to sa3 goodbye to your people and
to thank them for the fine assistance and cooperation they have always rendered me in driving the, ana:ny from your country, first as the Co.mmanding General or the Fifth U. s. Army, and later as Commanding General or the Allied
15th Army Group. It was a great source of satisfaction to me that your
people, both military, pa:rtisans and civilians, assisted so wholeheartedly
and played such an important role in the f'inal Po Valley Campaign which corn•
pletely crushed the enemy and liberated your country. I wish you arid the
Italian people all the success in the world in bringing about the early reconstruction of' your f'ine country."
*
*
*
*
SA.LZBURG--AUGUST 18, 1945-•General Clark spent most of the morning conferring with General Gruenther on various questions which bad arisen concerning
the Austrian situation and -l ater, with General Tate, concerning plans f'or
the Sunday reception.
At 1300 hours he had lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, u. s. Minister to
Switzerland, and daughter Ann. ll1r. Erhardt, Colonel Sutherland, Colonel
Porter and General Tate also attended the luncheon.
At 1730 hours Governor General Puaux or French Morocco, Mrs. Puaux and
two daughters, along w.tth the Harrison party, had cocktails with the General
and staff members of the headquarters at the Slllall doll house near the schloss.
After a light dinner the General retired early.
*
*
*
*
SALZBURO,.•AUGUST 19, 1945-•At 09.30 hours General Clark received the Congres•
sional Group which consisted of Messrs. Thomas S. Gordon1• Josei:h F. Ryter,
Karl E,. Mundt, Fritz L. Connor, Clerk, Mr. Kinehart and -rs. Francis P. Balton. The committee received an honor guard and then proceeded to the Gene. -~
ral' s office where he explained the set-up in Austria and what was to be ex- t, 't"'
pected in the near future. ·l
_
fJ
General McCreary and General Winterton, with Mr. Mack, Political Adviser
for the British, arrived at 1030 hours and conferred with General Clark, General Gruenther and Mr. Erhardt. At 1300 hours the Russian party, consisting
of General Zheltov, Mr. Kiselev, Political Adviser, and six other off'ieers
and a group of enlisted men, arrived, escorted by General Saltzman. The convoy had been escorted by motorcycles, a MP jeep and two armored cars from
Linz to General Clark's headquarters. At 1400 hours General Zheltov with
General Clark received a ~ard of honor, consisting of' an infantry compe.J.V'
from the 42nd Di vision. The U. S. and Russian f'lags made up the color guard.
At 1415 hours General McCreary, with General Clark, received a guard of ho:cor
with the u. s. and British fiags predominant. At 1430 general Bethouart,
�3l
French Commander, with General Cherri ere and Mr. Monicaul t, Political Adviser, and aide, arrived from the airport and immediately General Bethouart
received a guard of honor with General Clark.
Immediately following the French guard of honor, the entire party lef't
the schloss and proceeded by motor to Berchtesgaden where they visited the
Eagle's Nest and Hitler's House, returning to General Clark's headquarters
at 1730 hours. At 1800 hours General Clark gave a reception in honor of the
visiting commanders, which was attended by General Bethouart, General Zheltov, General McCreary, Gen. Keyes, Gen. Gruenther, Mr. Kisilev, Mr. Monicault, Mr. Mack, Mr. Erhardt, Gen. ~~ _
, Gen. Saltzman, Gen.
McMahon, Gen. Howard, Gen. Moran, en. McC~stal, Gen. Lewis, Gen. Will ems
and the ~action heads of the he~dquarters.
At 1845 hours ·t he entire party proceeded to the Mozarteum to attend the
performance g1ven by the Vienna Boys Choir, after which the party returned
to the schloss where General Clark gave a dinner for forty-two guests in
honor of the visiting commanders.
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SALZBURG--AUGUST 20, 1945--At 0900 hours General Clark conferred with General Zhel tov concerning the prgent need tor an early meeting of the four commanders and other various topics. At 0930 General Bethouart and party left
and were g:lven a guard or ho:cor up:>n their del)lrture.
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At 1000 hours General Clark conferred with General McCreary concerning
the British policies in Austria and shortly thereafter General McCreary
left, receiving the honor guard with General Tate. After a meeting of the
three deputy commanders, General Zheltov and party departed from the schloss
after having received a guard of honor with ·General Clark.
After lunch General Clark conferred for a long time with General Gruenther on ·the results of the meeting and the probable meeting of the f'our commanders. General Clark spent the evening at his headquarters and had a
group in for the evening.
General Clark today received the following cable from the Joint Chiefs
ot Staff.
"l. SuJWlx SjA:J<14s. Authorization to Headquarters USFET to call forward total food requirements submitted for U.s ./FR zones Austria, including
Vienna, through Novanber 1945 will be completed by ·22 August. No require•
ments beyond this date have been received. Understand that as result conference Salzburg beginning this month USFET and AFHQ have agreed to advance
certain quantities food from existing stocks to meet requirements Austria,
including Vienna, until supplies called forward against specific Austrian
requirements are available~ AFB Q and USFET stock position and their needs
outside Austria for whieh stocks of these Headquarters are required are not
known here. Moreover stock advances and interzone exchanges needed to meet
Austrian food situation 's hould be subject of consultation between you and
other Zone Commanders in Austria and with AFB Q and USFET rather than subject of directive from JCS or ec-s. Shipnent of supplies against Austrian
/
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�requisitions will be expedited.
"2• Supply irocedure. Method of placing Austrian supply require•
ments as outlined by Hilldring in his message Victory 259, amended by his
message DTG 051520B approved. Desirable that requirements for Austria,
including Vienna, are coordinated on quadripartite basis by Austrian Control Council or in absence of such machinery for three Western Zones by
u. s. - u. K. and French Zone Commanders in consultation, so that equitable distribution of Austrian resources will be effected .before resorting
to imix>rts. If' you and other Zone Commanders desire to effect such eon•
eultation through orgaDization similar to CRAB no objections here to such
procedure. It will be your resp:msibili ty to coordinate w1 th USFET as to
use of aey available USFEI' food supplies, in addition to responsibility
to clear inland transp:>rtation availability.
3. USFA resp:msibili ty for Freneh Zone. As interim measure pend•
ing final decision as to supply machinery and financial responsibility for
meeting essential civllian requirements in the respective Zones, you
should eontiw.e assume resix>nsibili ty to meet food requirements in French
Zone, including ViemJS.. State Department advises that question of French
res~nsibility w:Lll be subject of discussion with General DeGaulle on his
forthcoming visit to Washington.
11
4. Russian Agreement £or feeding Vienna. You . should proceed to
Vienna for proi:osed council meeting 20 August and assert your p:>sition as
stated in your P-1054, but not ·adhere to rigid policy of refusing to complete occupation of city until adequate arrangements are made for feeding
Vienna }X)pulation. You should discuss question w1 thout commiting U. S.
to rigid position as regards entry into Vienna, but should not agree Russian prop:,sals as outlined by you. If you cannot secure agreement to your ,
view you should make no commitment with respect to your occupation of Vienna
but should hold :subject open for further discussion and advise JCS, reques~
ing further instructions. For your inf'or1nation, State Department adv.1.ses that Stalin agreed at Potsd8Jll Confei:ence to continue _ SUPJ?lY Viemia until
the British and Americans found it p:,ssilYre'to make other ar~G,. ..i,f::;,'-"l,en s.
State Depart.ment agrees that until fllrther instructed you contillUe attem
to negotiate acceptance your r,osition. Your P•l054 and this message being
relayed to General Deane at Moscow, where representations will be made to
Stalin by Harriman, with whom State Depart.ment has communicated, requesting Soviet Authorities to instn.1.ct Marshal Koniev of Stalin agreement at
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Potsdam."
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SALZBURG-•A.UGUST 21 1 1945-•General Clark left his headquarters by cub for
hie hunting lodge at Dietlgut where he spent the day relaxing and fishing.
He returned by cub at 1700 hours and had dinner with Mr. Erhardt, General
Brann, General Saltzman and Colonel Sutherland.
General Clark replied to the cable from the Joint Chiefs Gf Staff,
WA.RX 51777, as f~llows:
"Your WA.RX 51777 received.
On the 19th I invi. ted Koniev, MeCreery
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and Bethouart to be my guests to attend the Salzburg Music Festival, using
it as a conveyance to bring the four Allied leaders together. Koniev• s
illness prevented his coming, but he sent his deputy, Colonel General Zheltov.
All others came, including their depities and JX>li tical advisers.
"My p:>si tion is that we ean not begin to accomplish our Allied mission
in Austria until the Allied Council meets, for every effort in the i:ast to
set up subordinate committees on food, other economic subjects, finance,
etc., have accomplished nothing, because the Russian representatives finally
block :i:rocedure by stating, ''This is a subject to be decided by the Allied
Council 11.
11In frank talks with Zhel tov her~Sunday, he informed me that Koniev
was most anxious to have an Allied-e-ouneil meeting and would adhere to 81\f
date we suggest~q. I asked for Thursday, the 23rd, allowing the 21st and
22nd for preparation of an agenda for the meeting, by the executive committee, which is now in. Vienna. Zhel tov and Betb.ouart agreed, but McCreary surprised me by saying his go,;vernnent would not permit hiin to attend an Allied
Council meeting until the long-range food situation for Vienna and, for
Austria as a whole, was discussed at the forthcoming confereme of Foreign
Secretaries, to be held in London in early September. He said, however,
his gover:anent would permit him to attend an informal conference of the Commanders-in-Chief. He also stated that his goverrment would not permit him
to attend an Allied Council meeting nor to take over his resp:msibili t+es in
Vienna except on the basis of equality with the Russians. This means particularly certain hotels and other facilities now occupied by the Russians in
the 1 Innerstadt 11 in Vienna and desired by the British. My p:>sition is that
the food situation in Vienna is so critical that these relatively unimp:>rtan/
subjects and others can wait for subsequent meetings of the Allied Council.
"When Zhel tov heard that the British would not attend an Allied Council
meeting he was greatly upset. I told Zhel tov I did not agree with the British/
position but th~t I would meet under a11'J' condition with the other three Commanders in order to get started on our job.
ttMy guests departed yesterday. I have just received word that Marshal
has extended to me and the other Commanders written invitations to attend the first Allied Council meeting in Viema on the 23rd. I have accepted.
Bethouart has informed me by phone that he is accepting, and I hear in.formally,
through McCreery 1 s DeIUty and Political Adviser, that McCreary is declining.
In the meantime, Koniev has ex.tended me an invitation to come to Baden, outside of Vienna, to be his guest tomorrow night and to discuss matters with
him informally. I have accepted, as this will permit me to meet him for the
first time and to attempt to learn some of his views.
Kom.•v
"I know that no Allied Council meeting can be held unless all £our Com~
manders attend, and I appreciate that in accepting the invitation to the
Council meeting, along with the French, with McCreery 1 s refusal, places the
British in an embarrassing position, but in my opinion they have placed themselves in that situation, and acceptances by u. s. and French may force
British to a reasonable }X)Sition. I have notified McCreary that I have accepted Marshal Koniev1 s invitation to attend the Allied Council meeting and
to be his guest the night preceding.
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��34
''From my conversations with Zheltov I am reasonably sure that an acceptable interim solution £or the feeding of Vienna, at this critical time
can be found, and that the way may be paved for a solution to the longrange Austrian food problem. 11
•
tion.
General Clark cabled General Eisenhower today regarding fraternizaThe cable follows:
"Immediately following proposed meeting of Allied Council Austria in .
Vienna 23 August, I p.roi:ose to remove all restrictions ( except for known
Nazi elements) on non-frate,r nization by U. s. troops in Austria reference
message m:unber V.307BG.364 from Joint Chiefs of Staff dated 26 July. Please
let me know if this in a:rr,- way interferes with your plans."
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SALZBURG---AUGUST 22, 1945-•General Clark conferred with Mr. McElligott at
0845 hours concerning arrangements and changes desired at his hunting
lodge. At 0900 hours the General saw General Flory and Mr. Erhardt, discussing with them various topics concerning the coming meeting with the
Russian Commander.
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At 10.30 hours General Flory brought Mr. St. Aubin, Red Cross man, to
see General Clark. They discussed the Red Cross set-up for Austria. At
1045 hours General Clark interviewed Major Dollard, the new historian,
and discussed with him the possibility of a split in the G-.3 Section.
There was insufficient time for a complete discussion of this subject.
At 1100 hours General Clark had lunch with General Tate, Mr. Erhardt,
and General Brann and shortly thereafter left the headquarters for the air}X)rt where he took off in a B-17 for Tulln airport. Accompanied by Mr.
Erhardt, General Tate, Captain Gra.nn, piotographer, Captain Luther and
Chaney, Ge,n eral Clark lap.dad at Tulln airp::>rt at 13.30 hours and was met by
a Russian delegation and General Gruenther.
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The party proceeded to Baden, headquarters of Marshal Koniev, in Russian vehicles and was met by Colonel General Zheltov who escorted them to
the house where they were to stay while in Baden. At 1600 hours General
Clark, accompanied by General Gruenther, General Zheltov and Colonel Thayer,
interpreter, went to Marshal Komev• s headquarters where General Clark met
Marshal Koniev and reviewed a · guard of honor. Immediately the conference
began among the Commanders, Deputy Commanders and Political Advisers of
Ru~sia and the United States. Marshal Koniev decided that the meeting to
be held on the 23rd could be known as the Commanders-in-Chief Meeting and
immediately upon making this decision notified the French and British, ex- 1
tending them invitations to at tend such a meeting in. Vienna. Much discussion concerDing fuel and food for Vienna was held at the conference,
both General Clark and Marshal Koniev expressing their views on the subject.
This discussion aided greatly in bringing about many decisions which were
to be made the next day.
At 1800 hours the party lef't Marshal Koniev' s headquarters and p.roceeded to his home where an elaborate dinner had been prepired. Much toasting with vodka took place until the meal ended at approximately 2130 hours.
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�After dinner the party proceeded to the Baden Opera House where they enjoyed the concert given by a group of Russian entertainers dressed in native costume. The program consisted of Ioik songs and dances. General
Clark went backstage during intermission and Sp)k~ to the entertainers,
telling them he hoped the opportunity would p:-esent itself to enable than
to entertain America.n soldiers. In .return American entertainers would
come to the Russian zone. ~ J ~ ~ ~
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After the concert Marshal Koniev retired to his house, and General )
Zhel tov accompanied the party to the residence where General Clark was
staying. Here a movie of the celebration in Moscow was shown the group
and was followed by another dinner at midnight. Among those present
during_the evening were Army General Petrov, Lieutenant General Malanin
and Lieutenant General Marasov of~ the Russian Arm_y.
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SALZBURG-•AUGUST 23, 1945--At 1000 hours General Gru.enther played tennis
with General Zhel tov with the final score of 6-0. Following the tennis
match General Clark, Mr. Erhardt, General Gruenther, General Zheltov,
Colonel Thayer, Captain Bajeoow and Captain Luther went to the Baden Sanatorium where they had a swim in ~ols containing sulphur water from natural. springs. This aided greatly in relieving the vodka head.
Shortly after returning from the · swim, General Clark's party left by
ear £or Vienna and proceeded to USFA Headquarters. General Clark looked
over the new office set-up for the first time and at noon was escorted by
Colonel Porter to his house in the American zone in Vienna.
After a light lunch General Clark rested for a short time and at 1400
hours left for his headquarters where he joined the remainder of the party
to attend the review in honor of the four canmanders. At 1425 hours, escorted by six motorcycles, General Clark proceeded to the Imperial Hotel
through streets lined with American and Russian soldiers. Ui;on arriving,
General Clark was met by a Russian delegate and escorted to the American
room in the Imperial.
At 1500 hours General Clark, General McCreary, General Bethouart, es- ·
cor.ted by Marshal Koniev, went to the public square where the ceremonies
were to take place. .After receiving the rep,rt of the Russian Commander
or the guard of honor, the four commanders inspected the troops. After
returning to the reviewing stand, the troops or the Russian, U. S., British
and French Armies passed in review, followed by each of the separate portions of the combined banda.
After the ceremoey the four commanders, JX)litical advisers and deputy
commanders proceeded to the Russian room of the Imperial Hotel where the
conference immediately began, lasting until 2000 hours. The main !X)ints
discussed were the food and fuel problem for Vienna. Many other p,inta
were brought up and possible solutions reached. After the conference the
party proceeded to the banquet room of the hotel where a large dinner was
held.
At 2300 hours the entire group, consisting of the delegations of the
--
��four p:>wers, proceeded to the Franz Joseph Palace where the same group of
entertainers as entertained General Clark the preceding ·evening put on a
program of folk songs
and dances.
I
After the program, General Clark went to his house where he spent the
night •
. The protocol of the conference held this afternoon is quoted below:
"In view of the fact that the Commanders-in-Chief of the USA - General Clark, and of France - General Bethouart had accepted Marshal Koniev' s
invitation to · attend a meeting of the Allied Council, whereas the Commander-inChief of the British Forces, General cCreery had, as he stated, authority
to attend only a meeting of Commanders-in-Chief, the four Commanders-in-Chief
began the meeting by agreeing to consider it a meeting of Commanders-in-Chief.
non the prop,sal of the Commanders-in-Chief, Marshal Koniev was made
chairman of the meeting.
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ttin view of the altered character of the meeting, Marshal Koniev proposed to adopt the agenda as given above instead of the agenda for the meeting of the Allied Council which had been previously distributed. The Commanders-in-Chief agreed on this agenda:
Food Supplies for the City of Vienna.
The Calling of the Allied Council.
The extension of the ·competence or
the Provisional Austrian Government
to all Austria.
"Following an exchange of views on the above questions, the four Commandersin-Chief of the Allied Forces of Occupation in Austria decided:
"l.
Food Supplies
for the City of
Viema.
(a) Recognizing the need for further assistance
to the :EX>Pll.ation of Vienna in the supply of l'ood,
which has hitherto been supplied by the Soviet Command, to begin, as from 1st September 1945 until the
final settlement of this question by the Allied Council, a joint system for supplying the population of
Vierma with food on the basis of the existing ration
scale.
(b) That the share of each Ally in supplying the
pop.tl.ation of Vienna should be pro}X)r tional to the
}X)pulation in his Sector, plus one quarter of the population of the first, Inter-Allied, District of
Vienna.
{c) To preserve the existing machinery set up by
the local municipal authorities for distributing tood
and to assist them by the provision by each Ally of
motor transport.
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�(d) To entrust the control of the distribution
of food to the en.sting system of Komandaturas and
later to the Inter-Allied Komandatura.
(e) Having agreed that the existing ration
scales must be increased, to instruct the Deputies
to the Commanders-in-Chief ( the :t"u.ture Deputies of
Austria, to prepare by the 10th-15th Sept~nber,
1945, the new ration scales based on a ration for
the normal consumer of 1550 calories, with a view
to their introduction not later than 20th September.,
(f) To instruct the existing Komandatura and,
later, the Inter-Allied Komandatura to keep an accurate account of the food supplied by each Ally
with a view to readjustment at a :t'uture date.
"2• The
Calling of
the Allied
Council.
The meeting or the Commanders-in-Chief heard a
statement from the British Commander-in-Chief,
General McCreary, to the effect that His Majesty's
Government had not authorized him to participate in
the Allied Council until such time as the Austrian
food problem had been solved between the four Governments.
Marshal Koniev and Generals Clark and Bethouart,
taking into consideration the increasingly critic al
situation in Austria, advocated an early start of
the work of the .Allied Council. They stated that the
delay in beginning the work of the Allied Council
made it in fact imJX)ssible to implement the agreements of the four governnents concerning the zones
of occupation and control machinery for Austria. They
agreed to inform their governments of General McCreery's
statement of the p,int of view of His Majesty's Govern- _
ment on this problem.
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3.
The extension of
the competence
of- the Provi-
sional Austrian
·Governnent to
all Austria.
The following prop,sal made by the British Commander-in-Chief, General McCreery, . was adopted:
·
To instruct the Deputies to the Commandera-inChief to examine the competence of the Departments
of the Central Austrian Administrative Machine and
to make recommendations as to the extent to which
they could be used to assist the Allies in their
task.
-- - - - - - - - - ~
l
"At the close of the meeting, General McCreary proposed that a committee
should be set up to examine the food situation in Austria. It was decided to
instruct the Deputies to the Commanders-in-Chief to examine this problem and
also to prepare a list of further urgent problems to be examined by the
Commanders-in-Chief or the Allied Council.
��11It
was agreed to issue a communique summarizing the proceedings of the
meeting. tt
The complete text of the communique issued in connection with the meeting of the Commanders-in-Chief is quoted below:
"At Marshal Koniev1 s invitation, a meeting took place in Vie1ma today of
the four Commanders-in-Chief of the Allied Forces of Occupation in Austria:
Namely; USSR, Marshal Ivan S. Koniev; USA; General Mark W. Clark; U .K.,
Lieutenant General Sir Richard L. McCreary; France, Lieute:cant General M. E.
Bethouart. At _the request of his colleagues Marshal Koniev presided. Each
Commander-in-Chief was accompanied by his Political Adviser and his Deputy
Commander.
·
"The four Commanders-in-Chief considered a number of questions of urgent imp,rtance and agreed on certain measures to which immediate effect
will be given. In particular they discussed future arrangements for .feeding
the }X)pulation of Viema. They took note of the fact that the Soviet authorities had hitherto furnished the supplies for the city and they agreed
that, as an interim measure pending final decisions, each of the four occupying p:>wers would contribute as from the first of September certain supplies
for the city in pr-olX)rtion to ~he pop.llation of their respective sectors.
They further agreed that this factor would enable an improvement to be made
at an early date in the supplies which will be furnished for Vienna.
1'Preliminary consideration was also given to the question of removing·
economic and other barriers between the four zones of' occupation in Austria.
'The Commanders-in-Chief will work out detailed plans for implementing
the measures agreed upon.t1
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SALZBURG-•AUGUST 24, 1945-•General Clark arrived at his office at 09.30 hours
where he conferred with General Gruenther on the results of the conference
the night before. He then discussed the news reports with Mr. Erhardt and
Colonel Grogan, PRO, and at 1030 hours held a press conference for all the
American corresp:mdents in Vienna. At 1300 hours the General had lunch with
Mr. Erhardt, Mr. Adams, Mr. Frank and General Tate at his house, returning
to his headquarters at 1400 hours.
After conferring with General Gruenther for a short while, General Clark
left his headquarters by car} for Tulln airfield with General Tate. At 1630
hours the General took off in his B-17 to return to Salzburg, where he
l~ed at 1725 hours and was met by General Brann. Upon returning to his
Salzbur_g headquarters, General Clark conferred for some time with General
Brann----t>n the results and accomplishments of the Vienna conference.
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SALZBURG-- UGUST 25, 1945-- t 0900 hours General Clark conferred with
General Brann on the possible changes in the G-5 set- up and the dissolution of II Corps Headquarters . At 0930 ifeneral Clark conferred with
General Hume with the prospect of placing him as G-5 in the Salzburg
Headquarters, and then talked to General Howard concerning Mr . Burde who
has been used as an interpreter in the General ' s hunting lodge . l had
been uncovered that Mr . Burde is a very undesirable character, having
formerly maintained headquarters in Salzburg as head of a spy ring operating in this locality.
- --General Keyes saw General Clark immediately after General Howard, at
which time they discussed a new p:>sitiori for General Keyes , possibly the
command of the Seventh Army. Following General Keyes , General Snavely was
seen by General Clark and was followed by General Flory Colonel D'Orsa~
Colonel Warren and General Brann, who held a discussion on the ful e problem for Vienna . This is a most pressing question at the present time,
and a woriing solution has to be reached immediately.
Miss Elizabeth A. Riley was interviewed for JX)sition as General
Clark' s secretary and was accepted for that position.
After lunch General Clark conferred with Generals Collins, Reinhar t ,
and Brann on the problems concerning displaced persons and prisoners of
war in the u.s. zone. Later in the afternoon General Clark interviewed
Captain Mattox and Lieutenant Traugott with the possibility of using one
of them as his aide. Captain Mattox was selected ·and will report Tuesday
for duty with G~neral Clark as aide .
After dinner , with Genera[ Brann, General Saltzman and General Howard;
General Clark saw a movie 11The Merry Monagbans ". After the movie the four
generals went for a walk, dropping in at the Kavellier House for a short
time for a loo~- in at the dance being held there . The General returned to
his Headquarters and retired for the night .
General Clark sent the following cable to the Joint Chiefs of Sta.ff ,
P- 7013, as follows:
"l . As outlined in my P-1248 General McCreery declined to accept the
invitation of Marshal Koniev to attend the Allied Council Meeting in Vienna
on August 23 . General Be-thouart accepted. In response to an invitation
from Marshal Koniev I proceeded to Byden on the afternoon 22 August for a
discussion of the many urgent Austrian problems which conf'ront us. I was
able to secure Koniev 1 s agreement to change the meeting from one of Allied
Council to a meeting of the 4 Commanders- in-Chief . Thereupon General
McCreary accepted the invitation and the conference took place in Vienna on
the afternoon 23 August .
7
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Conference was preceded by a ceremony in which approxima;t ely
.1 Rifle Company from each of the 4 nations participated. An outstanding
feature was the Combined Band which functioned with most gratifying results. Troops passed in review and I was very proud of the American
Contingent from the 42nd Division.
"3
t the Commanders Meeting General Mccreery outlined British
position by stating that his Majesty' s Government is unwilling to have
him attend a Meeting of the llied Council or to :p1rticipate in establishing of the Allied Commission for Austria until the problem of meeting the
food deficit for Austria as a whole has been discussed with the other
Allied Governments . As regards the immediate problem of feeding Vienna
he stated that the British Government considers it a matter of such
urgency that it is willing, as an interim measure, to contribute its
p.ro:EX)rtionate share of food for Vienna commencing September 1st without
prejudice to the final solution for Austria . This arrangement was agreed
to with all nations participating from September 1st with the understanding
that the food would be distributed by the existing Austrian machine under
Russian control with Representatives of the 3 Allies functioning as observers.
It was further agreed that not later than September 20 a new increased Ration
Scale will be put into effect in Vienna .
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"4• It was also agreed by the Commanders that a Quadri:p9.rtite Resources Committee should be established immediately in order to examine
the method of utilization of the resources of Austria with immediate emJiiasis
on food.
"5. The British consider that the 4 Governments will find some solution)
whereby food from the countries in the Danubian Bssin will be made available
for the supply of Austria. It is possible that the Russians may be forced
into that position, but I consider it an err~~ fo~e Br·tish to refuse to
permit the Allied Commission to be set up prior to that conference . General
McCreary told me that the matter would be referred to t pe Council of Foreign
Ministers which meets in September. If that is true I foresee a delay of
another month before the Allied Commission can be established . There are
numerous urgent problems which require immediate so~ution and I consider
that we are in a very vulnerable position in the eyes of the world if we
continue to delay the assumption of our resp,nsibilities in Austria . As it
stands now we are virtually guests of the ,Russians i~ Vienna, and we shall
continue in that status for an indefinite period unless the British position
changes .
6. Marshal Konev proposed that the Commanders consider the extension of
the authoioity of the present Provisiibnal Government in Austria . After considerable disli•:ussion it was agreed to examine immediately the competence of the
Departments of the present Central Austrian Administrative ma.chine and to
make recommendations as to extent to which they could be used to assist the
llied. in their task .
8
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"7.
s a result of my 48 hours contact with Marshal Konev I feel
our relations have improved considerably, with indications that he
V]
will make some concessions from their hitherto difficult attitude .n
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SALZBURG-•AUGUST, 26, 1945-- General Clark conferred with General Saltzman
and General Brann on displaced persons and prisoners~of-war in the American Zone of Austria . The purpose of the meeting was to see if a solution
could be reached in order that the displaced persons may be disposed of as
rapidly as possible.
Comdr . M• . • Musmanno of Headquarters, USFA, conferred with General
C~rk ·quite some time on a personal matter . At 1030 hours General Gruenther
arrived by plane and immediately went into conference with General Clark and
General Brann concerning the results of a Depity Commander meeting which had
been held the day before . The conference lasted through lunch and until
around 1500 hours, when General Gruenther left by plane for Vienna . After
the conference General Clark and General Brann took a long walk through the
woods and returned to Headquarters around 1700 hours . In the evening General
Saltzman and General Brann accomµrnied by three other guests had dinner with
General Clark.
General Clark sent the following letter to General Eisenhower in regard to Enlisted Men travelling under their own supervision:
"lam in wholehearted agreement with the spirit and purpose of the
plan to allow groups of Enlisted Men to travel under their own supervision
to points of their ovm choosing within our area, as outlined in your letter
of August 20.
"Accordil1gly,, I .am sending out ten such groups of Ehlisted Men on
Wednesday, August ;;e . This number of groups, to be sent out each week, will
be increased later. Each individual group will be com!X)sed of ten men, including a responsible non-commissioned officer . Each group is free to plan
and to follow its own itinerary, will be provided its own transportation,
gasoline and the necessary rations and camping equipment. It will be at
liberty to travel for one week but shall avoid entry into the Russian Zone
and, initially at least, will stay clear of our organized l eave areas .
t'There is one further matter f*or consideration, which I want to mention
at this ti.me . Many of our men have not visited Italy and strongly desire to
do so. To enab e t hem to see the historic sights of Rome, Florene e, Bologna
and Venice., and to visit the renown~d vacatio~ spots of Lake Como and Lake
Garda, I shall · make the necessary arrangements v~ith MTOU A to permit them to
travel in Italy, should they elect to do so.
l
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Clark, Mark W. Diaries
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark (1896-1984) was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in World War I and World War II, and was President of The Citadel from 1954 to 1965. <a href="http://www3.citadel.edu/museum/Clark_Inventory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This finding aid describes Clark's archival collection at The Citadel Archives</a>, the bulk of which covers Clark's World War II career and his time as Citadel President.<br /><br />This collection features diary entries from June 1942 to December 1950.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
CP Clark
Relation
A related resource
Mark W. Clark Collection
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/20
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mark W. Clark Diary, July 1 - August 25, 1945
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark's World War II diaries were kept by an aide. These entries are from July 1 - August 25, 1945.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
CP Clark
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Relation
A related resource
Mark W. Clark Collection
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/1669
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PDF Text
Text
Lf
THE CITADEL.
ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM
As a result of my 48 hours contact with Marshal Konev I feel
our relations have improved considerably, with indications that he
will make some concessions from their hitherto difficult attitude."
11 7.
*
*
*
V
*
SA,LZBURG--AUGUS'f 26, 1945-- General Clark conferred with General Saltzman
and General Brann on displaced persons and prisoners-of-war in the American Zone of Austria. The purpose of the meeting was to see if a solution
could be reached in order that the displaced persons may be disposed of as
rapidly as possible.
Comdr. M. !. Musnanno of Headquarters, USFA, conferred with General
Cilark quite some time on a personal matter. At 1030 hours General Gruenther
arrived by plane and immediately went into conference with General Clark and
General Brann concerning the results of a Depity Commander meeting which had
been held the day before. The conference lasted through lunch and until
around 1500 hours, when General Gruenther left by plane for Vienna. After
the conference General Clark and General Brann took a long walk through the
woods and returned to Headquarters around 1700 hours. In the evening General
Saltzman and General Brann accomµi.nied by three other guests had dinner with
General Clark.
(
General Clark sent the following letter to General Eisenhower in regard to Enlisted Men travelling under their own supervision:
"I am in wholehearted agreement with the spirit and purpose of the
plan to allow groups of Enlisted Men to travel under their own supervision
to points of their own choosing within our area, as outlined in your letter
of August 20.
"Accordingly,, I am sending out ten such groups of Ehlisted Men on
Wednesday, August z:;. This number of groups, to be sent out each week, will
be increased later. Each individual group will be composed of ten men, including a responsible non-com.missioned officer. Each group is free to plan
and to follow its own itinerary, will be provided its own transportation,
gasoline and the necessary rations and camping equipment. It will be at
liberty to travel for one week but shall avoid entry into the Russian Zone
and, initially at least, will stay clear of our organized leave areas.
11There
is one further matter i'or consideration, which I want to mention
at this time. Many of our men have not visited Italy and strongly desire to
do so. To enable them to see the historic sights of Rome, Florence, Bologns
and Venice, and to visit the renowned vacation, spots of Lake Como and Lake
Garda, I shall make the necessary arrangements v1ith M'l'OUSA to permit them to
travel in Italy, should they elect to do so.
l
�42
nThere is no doubt that the entire excursion project should be
given a good publicity cami:aign immediately, both through coverage
in the Stars and Stripes and through announcements on our Allied
Forces Network radi stations . I will withhold my announcement until
I received word from your headquarters that I may do so .
in al). , I consider the plan an excellent one and , as it
unfolds, improvements will be made, based on the findingfl and desires
of the men themselves!'
11All
General Clark sent the following letter to Marshal Ivan
Koniev, Commander- in- Chief, Russian Forces in Austria:
s.
1 want to thank you for the hospitality and kindness which you
showed me on the occasion of my recent visit to your headquarters
I
was deeply touched by your underst~nding, your cooperation and your
genuine desire to solve our Austrian probl~m in cooperation with our
Allies . I assure you that I and my entire command will bend every
effort to accomplish our mission with the full under standing of the
different points of view which each of the Allies may have .
11
"Please accept my deep appreciation for your thoughtfulness in
presenting me with the beautiful brief case . I shall always treasure
it as a remembrance of my association with a grec1t combat leaderr.
"I know that you are fully as disappointed as I am because we
were not able to establish the Allied Council at our first meeting.
However, I feel that with your continued cooperation and leadership we
shall nevertheless be able to solve many of the problems which confront
us until the Allied Council is set up. To facilitate our work, I shall
be willing to confer with you at any time .
·
1 expect to return to Vienna towards the middle of this week and
will get in touch with you on Wednesday or Thursday to extend to you an
invitation to coma to my headquarters, receive a guard of honor and have
•
11
luncheon with me . At that time the princip:tl members of my staff will
have the privilege of meeting you.
"I would like, also , to ask your help on the occasion of that visit
on certain matters, principal of which are as follows:
(a)
The movement of approximately 80 1 000 Hungarians whom
the Hungarian representatives are anxious to accept .
This• involves , as far as you are concerned, the mere
passage by rail of these people without stop, through
your zone . Having over 500 1 000 surrendered personnel
and displaced persons in my zone, you will appreciate
the necessity of moving some of these before winter.
�43
(b)
The commencement of the work by the Inter-Allied Kommandatura .
This subject will include a discussion of the division of the
facilities of the Innerstadt ~
"I am sure that you and I can again succeed in advancing a few steps,\
in spite of the fact that. we are blocked from the immediate establishment ►
of the Allied Council .
.
}
_
"Again may I tell you of my appreciation of your giving me the opportunity to meet you in Baden and of my anticipstion of being associated with
you in the future !'.
SALZBURG-• ..UGU&'T 27, 1945- General Clark conferred with General Brarm for
sometime concerning various topics of immediate imp::,rtance in the Austrian
setup. He next saw Colonel Colonna of the Engineers, who was followed by
Colonel Custis, an old friend who dropped in to say bellow. Shortly after
1100 hours General Clark, accompanied by General Brann, left in a C- 47. for
a short trip and is not expected to return until tomorrow.
*
(
'*
*
SALZBURG- AUGUST 28, 1945--General Clark was away from his office on a
hunting trip and will return tomorrov,.
SALZBURG- AUGUST 29, 1945• -General Clark landed in his C- 47 at 1435 hours
at the Salzburg airport , accompanied by_ General Brann. He returned to his
Headquarters and after lunch discussed the various problems which had a:risen
dur ing his absence, later taking care of accumulated correspondence . At
lWO hours General Keyes called on General Clark to say goodbye on his departure to take up command of the 7th Army. General Clark conferred with
General Brann until 1900 hours and after dinner retired early.
*
*
SALZBURG- -UGUST 30 , 1945 --General Clark saw Colonel Kirkman, Medical
Officer , who gave the General a Typhus shot .
-t 1000 hou.rs General Clark saw Colonel Brisach who is leaving for the
States ani wanted to bid the General goodbye.
Following Colonel Brisach, Co:l,onel Lloyd talked with the General concerning the Ebansee Personnel Detention Camp in which the General was most interas~ed.
�4Y
Mr. Mccamy, head of Federal Economics Administration, saw the General:
at 1100 hours, and at 1115 General Clark lef't for the airport . Before
boarding his C-47 General Clark decorated Captain Adair , his pilot, with
the Legion of Merit . Captain Adair is returning to the States shortly,
after having been with the General for two years. General Clark took
off from Salzburg at 1135 hours and landed at Tullin airfield at 1245 hours.
He proceeded by cub to the cub strip in Vienna and motored to his office.
Immediately after arriving at his Headquarters the General had lunch with
General Gruenther, General _Tate and Colonel Porter. After lunch General
Clark talked with General Gruenther and General Tate on the arrangements
made for the reception of Marshal Koniev who is to ·visit the General's
Headquarters tomorrow • .Next General Clark talked with General Saltzman
concerning the deplorable conditions at the Ebansee Personnel Detention
Camp.
At 1700 hours General Clark left his Headquarters and went to his villa
where he had dinner with General Gruenther and Colonel Porter•
*
(
VIENNJ:-•Augtist 31, .1 945-•General Clark arrived at his office at 0915 hours
and conferred with General Gruenther for some time · on the forthcoming
meeting with Marshal Koniev and his staff. He next saw General Lewis VAC
Commander, who was followed by Colonel Porter . At 1100 hours General Clark
conferred for some time with Colonel Rie:pe ·Qf G-2 on the Italian decorations
which were to be presented in Milan in th~ near future. At 1200 hours
Marshal Koniev, accompanied by General Zheltov and Mr . Kiselev, Political
dvisor, arrived at USFA Headquarters and were met by General Clark, General
Gruenther and Mr. Erhardt. After inspecting the Guard of Honor for Marshal
Koniev which consisted of a comi:any from the 42nd Division, the party adjourned to General Clark's office where they conducted a confer ence which
lasted until 1330 hours. In the meeting such topics as Hunf,,a,rian Displaced
Persons being deported through Russian-occupied Austria to Hungary, food,
and fuel were discussed. After the conference General Clark and guests had
lunch in the Commanding Generalfi.s mess on th~ top floor of the Headquarters
QUilding. Marshal Koniev and party de:p3.rted from Headquarters at approximately ltO0 hours.
t 1630 hours General Clark left his Headquarters for his
villa where he had di.n:ner with General Tate, General Lewis and Mr . Erhardt()
·
The following cable regarding the meetings of Deputy Commanders on
August 27 and 28, was sent to the Secretary of State by Mr . Erhardt :
"Despite fact llied Commission not yet officially established, considerable progress is being made by four Commarrlers-in-Chief. At meetings of
Deputy Commanders on August 27 and 28, it was agreed, largely on General
Clark's initiative, that eleven basic reports be prepared on urgent problems by subcommittees composed of representatives of each' power. Included
V
�in the subjects to be considered are political 1 activity, use of Austrian
administrative machinery, supplies for Vienna, freedom of the press, compi•
lation of lists of Nazis to be apprehended, disposition of Sudetenlanders
and Volksdeutsche, and currency conver·sion, sub-committee reports on all of
which are due on or be.fore September 10, and the subjects to be covered
before the end of September are restoration of utilities, communications
and tr~nsportat:i.on and study of Austrian food and fuel resources.
0
, ncordial relations exist between top Soviet and American officials,
especially between Clark and Koniev. Clark is recognized as a man of action
and successful combat leader. Considerable progress is being made in this
direction, but this cordiality does not yet extend all way down.
Food and' fuel are considered as paramount issues by Clark and MG is
concentrating on their solution from a short range standpoint, in my opinion
with fair hope of success. Clark does not want and will not partici:p1te in
any arrangement that would permit the Austrians to freeze or to be on a
starvation dietU
*
*
VIENNA-·September 1, 1945---General Clark arrived at his Headquarters at 0915
hours and conferred with Colonel Grogan on public relations and later with
General Gruenther. At 1015 hours General Lewis arrived to ·c onduct General
Clark on an inspection tour of the warehouses in Vienna. General Clark took
off from the cub strip at 1100 hours for Tullin airport where he took his C-47
for Salzburg, arriving at approximately 1230 hours. He went immediately to his
office where he took care of accumulated corres,t:ondence and returned to his
residence at 1500 hours where he remained the rest of the day.
General Clark received the following telegram from the War Department:
•tURAD AUGUST P 7013 raragraph 5 your view that formal establishment of
Allied Commission should not be delayed contingent UJ?On meeting of Council
of Foreign Ministers concurred here. State Department dispatched cable to
London Embassy establishing United States position and urging British permit
Mccreery to attend and particip:i.te AC meetings. Copy this cable sent to Mr.
Erhardt, State Dept cable no. 84. In reply to this cable London Embassy advises that British Govt has reconsidered its attitude and now is in substantial
agreement United States p:>sition~ British Gov. London also expressed hope that
as result of instructions sent to Vienna formal meeting of AC could be held
within the week., from 28 August beginning".
r]'
�)
SALZBURG-- September 2, 1945•-General Clark remained in his villa during the
morning and at 1100 hours went to the airport to meet General Eis enhower
who was flying in from Frankfort in a C- 54. General Ei senhower arrived at
Salzburg at 1128 hours accompanied by General T.J . Davis , and Lt . Summersby ,
WAC , General Eisenhower • s secr etar y . The party went immediately to the
Schloss and at 1300 hours had unch. Shortly after 1400 hours General
Clark took his guests to Berchtesgarden and to see Hitler's agles Nefl.t..,
returning around 1600 hours . At 1830 hours the party had dinner in the
small guest house and afterwards played bridge . General Gruenther arrived
at 1700 and joined the group for the evening.
*
*
*
SALZBURG--September 3, 1945--At 1100 hours General Clark, accompanied by
General E.i senb.ower , General Davis , Lt . Summersby and Captain Luther depirted for Dietlgut to spend the night at the General ' s country lodge in
the Hinterstoder Valley.. The party had a picnic 1 unch on the way and arrived at 1400 hours , shortly after which General Eisenhower, General Clark
and General Davis went fishing . They returned at approximately 1900 hours
and after dinner spent the' evening in discussing old times .
*
*
(
SALZBUR'G-- 4 Sept ember 1945- •General Clark and guests de:r:arted from the lodge
at 1000 hours and arrived at the Schloss at 1230 hours . Arter lunch at
1300 hours General Eisenhower , General Dayis and Lt . Summersby departed in
a C- 54 for their Headquarters. General Clark returned to his lodge in the
late afternoon and spent the rest of the day fishing .
*
*
*
S LZBURG--September 5_, 1945• -General Clark spent the day at his lodge fishing
with General Brann and General Gruenther .
*
*
*
*
SALZBURG-- September 6, 1945-- G'eneral Clark rett1rned to Salzburg and after
a short time at the Schloss went to his office where he took care of all
accumulated correspondence and business . After lunch at the Schloss General
Clark returned to his Headquarters where he conferred with General Bram.
General Clark left his Hes.dquarters at 1500 hours returning to the Schloss
where he spent the rest of the day. In the evening h~ had Miss Riley, secretary, General McMahon, General Ladue, Gaptain Mattox, Captain Luther a nd
Mr . ·Beach for dinner .
�General Clark sent the following cable to Major General Joao
'Batista Mascarenhas De Moraes, Commanding General Brazilian Expeditionary Force, Rio De Janeiro
non behalf of the officers and men 0£ the United States Forces
in Austria, I offer hearti st congratulations to your great nation on
the 123rd anniversary of Brazil's independence, September 7o You may
be sure we shall never forget the gallantry of your Brazilian expeditionary
force in Italy. I send you best wishes for a productive and eternal peace,
and express our fervent hope that the peoples of the world shall live together in tranquility foreverl'
The following congratulatory message was sent by General Clark to
Lieutenant General Sir Bernard c. Freyberg, Commanding Gener-al, New Zealand
Corps, AFHQ, Caserta:
non. behalf of the officers and men of the United States Forces in
!~ria .1-..extend hea!'ti.e.st col)gr:atulations to .you on your appointment as
Q_overnor General of New Zealana.
ou may be sure we shall never forget the
gallantry of the. New Zes.land Corps under your splendid leadership in the
difficult Mediterranean campaigns. Today as we rejoice in the great victory
so recently won it is our fervent hope that the peoples of the world shall
live together in peace am tranquility forever. I send you best wishes for
your continued success and for the la sting welfare of New Zealand. t'
*
*
*
SALZBURG-~SEPrEMBER 7, 1945-•General Clark arrived at his office at 0900
and after conferring for a short time with General Brann drove to the 124th
General Hospital where he had dental work done by Major Meyers of the
Dental clinic. At 1045 hours General Clark returned to his Headquarters and
saw Col. Burrill,Head of Liaison Section. At 1130 Doctor Schlem, Governor
of the Province of Salzburg called on General Clark and discussed various
topics concerning Salzburg. General Clark then left for lunch at 1300 hours.
t 1500 hours General Clark went for a walk vdth Commander Musmanno , during
which they discussed plans for writ:ing a book, and in the evening had dinner
with General Brann.
The following memorandum was received from Lt. Col Charles
regarding the Austrian Russian Oil Negotiations.
Vl.
'l'hayer,
The Secretary General of the Socialist Party states with respect
to the oil negotiations, that the Russians maintain that they acquired the
right to take over German Oil interests in Austria as a result of the Potsdam
greement. As the Austrians have no knowledge of the Potsdam Agreement,
other than what was published, they can only take the Russian 1 s word for
this.
111.
��0 2.
The Russians, likewise claim that they can take over the
plants in any way they see fit, but suggest that an Austro-Russian Holding Company with a Russian majority interest, would be more acceptable
to both i:arties.
n3 . The Russians have constantly stresse<i the necessity for keeping the negotiations quiet from the Americans .
V
"4• This information is as of noon 7 September 1945.
"5. It is requested that the source of the above information not
be revealed.
tt6. The Vienna press today announces a draft law has been approved
by the Renner Cabinet nationalizing the oil industry as well as the
Electrical, Mining, Iron, and other heavy ind.ustries . The text of the
law has not been published."
i(r
*
*
*
SALZB1JRG-SEFTEMBER 8, 1945--General Clark arrived at his Headquarters at
0915 hours and conferred shortly with General Brann. He talked to General
Eisenhower on the telephone concerning a proposed trip to Italy, and also
to Ambassador Kirk at Rome concerning plans for the trip. Shortly after•
wards he saw Colonel Pesek, new Secretary to the General Staff and again
conferred with General Brann. He left the Headquarters at 1200 hours and
returned to the Schloss where he met Genera~ Gruenther, 'General Brann,
General Tate, General McChrystal and Colonel Lazar and had lunch with them .
He spent the afternoon at the Schloss with his guestso
General Clark today sent the following ·cable to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff:
"Subject is Soviet Exploitation of oil resources in Austria .
n1 . · Investigations made within pa.st few days by members of my staff
make it fairly clear that Soviet representatives in Austria are exerting
pressure on Renner Government to agree to formation of Austro- Sovlet Oil
Corporation to exploit former German- owned crude oil producing properties
in Soviet occupied .tJ ustria, principally in the region of Zistersdorf •
. Soviets insist that Austrians sign agreement for establishment of such
corporation prior to noon September 10th. First meeting of Allied Council
will be held in Vienna at 1400 hours September 11th.
v~
��(
"2. It is reported that Soviets accompanied original proposal to
Renner with statement that according to Potsdam Agreement all German
properties in E:astern Austria, including underground resources, belong to
USSR . When Renner indicated that in his present provisional post he
was unable to make commitments for Austria , the Soviets then presented
proposal to cabinet . Shortly thereafter Soviets reported to have offered skeleton contract with following provisions:
(1)
That an ustro- Soviet Oil Corp:,r~tion be formed under
Austrian Law:
(2)
That this corporation exploit former German-owned oil
producing properties in Soviet Occupied Austria.
(3)
That this corporation be a private enterprise. To this
ehd, the Soviet parties to the contract would be state controlled exploitation companies . The USSR, as such, would
would not be a party to contract .
(4)
That ownership of corporation would be on a fifty-fifty··
basis by Austrian and Soviet interests .
(5)
That the principal officer of the corporation will be a
Soviet national and the next officer an Austrian. Their
depp.t ies would be reversed.
( 6)
Soviets undertake to bring about maximum output of oil
fields and will provide necessary equipnent. As part of
their contribution, Soviets would turn over to the corporation former German-owned refineries in Soviet occupied
Austria .
( 7)
_ustrians to provide capital necessary for operations as their
contribution to corporation.
(8) . Austrian government to give corporation exclusive right to
exploit oil wells which may be discovered anywhere in Austria
in the future .
n3 .
According to reports given to me, Soviets have indicated tha0
the issue of pre- war ownership in the properties is not involved . They are
only concerned with the present ownership or more specifically with the
ownership a s of the date of the Potsdam Agreement . In this connection )
German actions after the annexation of Austria have complicated the
question of ownership but Socony Vacuum, Standard New Jersey and British
interests are all involved espec1ai1y around Zistersdorf.
�"4. Date as of which property to be considered Austrian not
clear. Soviets have stated they are willing to recognize as Austrian
all additions and investments made by Germans in Austrian firms between [arch 12, 1938 and September 1., 1939 . Austrians prefer 1938 date .
They say Germans actually made no new investments in Austrian firms between the two above- mentioned dates but that substantial Austrian oil
property was tran~ferred to German firms . ·
11 5.
Soviet delegation handling oil matter here headed by Kunikin
said to be Deputy Soviet Minister for Foreign Trade . It is not unlike11/
that . group is wholl:,y or in part a •; general Soviet Trade Delegation to
Austria .
)J
(
"6. Soviet Delegation indicated it means to return to Moscow
September 10 and therefore willing to leave blank in contract many un~
settled details . The delegation however , is insisting on having signed
agreement before departure . Representatives of Remer attempting to
✓ delay to delay signing all by manner of means but it is not known whether
they will be successful . Word was c ommunicated to Renner today to stall
until after Allied Council meets . Russians have asked Austrians to keep
negotiations secret but Austrian contacts were willing to talk until today. This morning they showed considerable reluctance for fear of personal action by Russians . Vienna press yesterday reµ,rted favorable
consideration by Renner cabinet of nationalization law including crude
oil production. This law has not been published and will not become a
law until published . Renner press chief thinks publication unlikely and
expresses opinion that main purp:>se of announcement of consideration 0£
the law at this time was to forestall the signing of Austro- Soviet contract .
7 . On September 6th, General Gruenther spoke informally to
Genera l Zheltov about reports concerning Renner intention to nationalize
oil industry and to sign private agreement for its production and distribution. He did not mention Soviet pressure but he emphasized that matter \
of such great imp:>rtance should ·n ot be acted on until after consideration
by the Allied Council . Zhel tov gave no reply.
{
0
ns. If I find that the Renner Government is unable to delay sign- \
in.g the · agreement until after the meeting of the Allied Council I shall
f
inquire of Marshal Koniev on Monday the status of the alleged agreement .
I shall stress that the disp:>sal of an imp::,rtant natural resource which
is vital to the Austrian economy should be considered by the Allied Council . What I object to is the methods the Soviets are pursuing in putting
pressure on the Renner Goverr.ment and the unilateral interpretation they
wish to give to the Potsdam Agreement without consultation with the other
three Commanders. If ustrians are able to delay agreement I shall bring
matter before llied Council on Tuesday.
�Sl
"9 . Request that my proposed action be confirmed by you as a matter
of urgency. "
•
*
*
*
ALZBUR
S 1 FT.:£MBER 9 , 1945--General Clark arrived at his Headquarters
at 0930 and conferred with General Brann for some time o He took care of
accumulated corresp:>ndence and other business and prerared his speech to
be given at the dec oration ceremony
He talked with Colonel Kir1'1nan con
cerning the medical troops in Austria and at 1100 hours conducted the
decoration ceremony held on the anniversary of Salerno . Day
fter inspecting the Honor Guard consisting of a company from the 142nd Division
with General Collins and General Reinhart, General Clark delivered a speech
to the assembled officers and men . Next General Clark had the pleasure of
presenting to his old friends and members of his HeAdquarters DSM 1-s and Oak
Leaf Clusters to the D. S ,,M. '.!'.,hose who received decorations were General
Gruenther , General Brann, General Tate, General Howard , General Lewis ,
General McMahon, General Iifor an, and General Saltzman
fter presenting the
rest of the decorations to some fifty officers and enlisted men, all the
decorees and Section Heads gathered at the Schloss for a buffet luncheon
given them by General Clark. Following the luncheon General Clark took a
long walk and spent the evening at the Schloss
*
*
*
SALZBl"'R - SEPTEMBER 10, 1945 - General Clark left the Schloss for his Head
quarters in Vienna at 0900 hours and after driving to Linz flew by B-25 to
Vienna . He arrived at his office in Vienna at 1230 hours where he immediately
had l_unch o
fter lunch he saw General Gruenther and Mr . Erhardt and had a
long conference concerning the forthcoming llied Council meeting . He next
saw Genera+ Tate and at 1545 hours Colonel Grogan and Mr . Bolling of Overseas
News . Mr . Bolling desires to write an article for his paper on how General
Clark is getting on_ s o well with Marshal Koniev and the Russians in general .
--
-
-
.,,,,,...
-----
.
.t 1600 hours General Flory conferred with General Clark on the report
of progress in the various fields in Austria and was commended by General
Clark on the report which had been written . General Clark saw General
Gruenther concerning the dinner which was to be given by the French, and
was followed by Mr . Erhardt . Mr . Fodor and Mr . McCormack, news corres}X)ndents ,
called on General Cla~k 8:t his office for a short visit with him .
General Clark left for his residence at 1730 hours where he rested until
1900 hours .
t 1920 General Clark left his villa for General Bethouart 1 s
Headquarters in the French Section of Vienna where he had dinner with General
Bethouart along with General Gruenther , General Tat~, General Flory , Colonel
Porter, Colonel Sutherland, Captain &.j_enow , Captain Luther and members of
General Bethouard 1 s staff .
fter dinner General Bethouart and General Cherrier
conferred with General Cl&rk and General Gruenther and at 0300 hours General
Clark left to return to his residence.
�General Clark sent the follow:ing cable to General Fredd Blesse,
Headquarters Army Ground Forces•
ttMedical prob.lams in Austria dictate I must have best talent available . Would like you to head my Medical Section. Before making formal
request for your assignment I would lik& to know if you could be made
available. Will you determine if your headquarters would release you
for such assignment and let me know by personal message? 11
General Clark received the following extract from an OSS report re•
garding Austrian-Russian Oil Negotiations:
·
"4. On September 10 at 1600 hours Renner was called from meeting
of Political cabinet to Russian headquarters where he was presented with
contract for bis signature . Renner refused saying tmt political cabinet
had again decided against signing for two reasons: 1) The Rermer Government cannot speak for the whole of Austria and the contract involves
Austrian national interests. 2) No contract should be signed on a unilateral basis without, consultation with other members of the Allied Co~mission.
"Russians were furious and cited previous support of Renner Government.
s for point two, they declared the co.ntract was a purely RussianAustrian matter not of concern to the other powers . They insisted he re•
t
some evening with intention of signing. Renner said he would not return an that his answer was final .
"Russians in threatening manner said this was a very serious matter and
would be reJX)rted to Marshall Koniev . They stated that this refusal would
make impossible any future trade agreements and implied that as a result of
the present gover:rnnent 1 s ungrateful attitude, they would no longer feel
obligated to support the Renner Government in its negotiations with the
Allies. n
General Freyberg of Headquarters 2 NZ Division sent the following telegram to General Clark.
"My most sincere thanks for your kind message of congratulations sent
on behalf of the Officers and men of the United States Forces in Austria .
New Zealanders in Italy and the Middle East will remember not only the
courage and steadfastness in battle of the United States Forces but also the
never failing kindness and assistance which we have always received from you.
After five and a half years of war we look forward to the days of i:eace which
lie ahead and we hope that the friendships and associations which we have
formed in war will continue and become strengthened to the benefit of our
two countries . Once again my most grateful thanks for your kind message of
congratulations . "
�53
(
VIENN -•SEPI'EMBER 11, 1945--General Clark arrived at his Headquarters
at 0930 and immediately had a long conference with General Gruenther
on the subjects to be discussed at first Allied Council meeting to be
held this afternoon at 1500 hours. After the conference with General
Gruenther, General Clark saw Colonel Neville of the Rome branch of
Stars and Stripes with whom he discussed the p,ssibility of setting
up a Stars and Stripes for Austria to be published in Vienna . After
Colonel Neville, Mr. Erhardt conferreg with General Clark and was
followed by Captain Winterhaler, Commander of the Navy Division of
US!CA.
General Clark had lunch at his Headquarters and at 1500 hours at•
tended the first Allied Council meeting at the Imperial Hotel in
Vienna.. Following the meeting General Clark flew to Linz in an L-5
and was met at the Linz airport by car in which he returned to the
Schloss .
*
*
*
1945- General Clark met General Eisenhower at
the railroad station in Salzburg and at 1100 hours with General Eisenhower, Lt . Col . Stack aide to General Eisenhower , Lt • . John Eisenhower
and Captain ·.G rann, left in a C- 47 for Venice . The party landed at the
Lido at 1235 hours and was met by Captain Luther who had preceded the
party to Venice . They went immediately to the Grand Hotel where they
were met by Brigadier Lucas- Phillips, British Commander of the Vienna
area . At 1.300 hours General Eisenhower and General Clark and p:1rty had
lunch in the main dining room of the Grand Hotel , after which they toured
the city of Venice in a launch and saw all the interesting spots . In
the evening after dinner the party preceded in gondolas followed by a
gondola of musicians through the streets of Venice, returning to the hotel
around 2200 hours .
SALZBURG--SEPrEMBER 12,
*
*
*
*
S LZBURG-- SEPTiilffiER 13, 1945--General Eisenhower, Genera Clark and
i:arty left the Lido in General Clark's C- 47 for Rome . at 0800
landed in Rome at 0930 hours, where they were met by Ambassador
Alexander Kirk, Mr. '.P-itmon, executive to Myron Taylor , General T . K.
Brown, Commander of t he Rome area , and Captain Luther who had again preceded the party. During the morning the party toured. Rome with Mr, Kirk,
seeing the Colosseum , the Forum, the Catacombs; toured St . Peter ' s
Cathedral, which was followed by an audience with His Holiness the Pope .
and
,1
At 1300 hours General Clark, General Eisenhower and party had lunch
with Ambassador Kirk at his residence . His Highness Crown Prince Umberto ,
General Brown and General Grady were among those present . General Clark
and his guests took off from Rome airport at lE:o0 hours and landed at Nice
airport at 18.30 hours . The party proceeded to General Eisenhov1er s vill
at Cannes where they spent the evening with Ambassador Harriman and Miss
arriman, General Deane and Lt . Kay Surnmersby.
~~
\
.
l
�(
General Clark received
Staff:
the following cable from the Joint Chiefs of
01 .
Subject is disposal of captured and surrendered e nemy war
materiel produced for or used by the German Armed Forces. Reference
S-18589 of 21 August .
"2. You should endeavor to reach quadripirtite agreement on the
provisions outlined in paragraphs 3 through 7 below. If by 15 October
1945 no quadripartite agreement has been reached you will comply with
this directive in your own zone .
"3 . As soon as practicable .you will destroy or reduce to scrap "\
all enemy war material in u. s. Zones in Germany and Austria with ex- }
caption of items mentioned in paragraphs 4 through 7 below.
In destroying
or scrapping such material you should, whereever feasible , make provision
for salvaging any parts and com:i;:onents suitable for civilian use .
"4. War material suitable or adaptable for civilian use, except,
aircraft, may be used to meet your operational requirements in your zone ,
including provision for needs of your forces, of prisoners of war and displaced persons of United Nations, of armed forces pending total disbandment or other disposition of such forces, and relief needs of civil p:>pulation. All types of enemy aircraft will be destroyed or scrapped except such aircraft as required for intelligence purp:,ses . All other transportation equipne nt should, whereever p:,ssible , be included in the category MSui table or adaptable for civilian use" . Any material retained by
you and surplus to your requirements spould be rerorted to the Joint Chiefs
of Staff.
"5. Sufficient war·material should be preserved to satisfy requests
from you.r Government for war material for trophy purp:,ses, and for exploitation for scientific , experimental, and intelligence purposes . U.S.
requirements will be forwarded to you shortly.
n6. War materials which can be readily identified as having been
acquired during the war in any way by the Germans f'Dom any United Nation
shall be restored, providing, however, that mater~al susceptible only of
warlike use shall be restored only when it can be identified as having been
captured from the armed forces of any United Nationo
"7. War material appertaining to ships and vessels of the German Navy
should be preserved pending disp,sal instructions from the Trip:irtite Naval
Commission in Berlin. Under Potsdam decisions such war material is to be
handed over to the pov,er receiving German ships and vessels o German Naval
uni ts are not included in this d:irective.
�(
�us. The Commanding General, USFET, should prop:>se that the Control
. I)
'
Council for Germany assume custody, through appropriate channels, of
Germany war material interned· in neutral countries . In event of agree. ment on this point , and in the absence of Control Council agreement as
to disposition of such material 1 .the u. s. share should be disposed of
in accordance with this directive ."
*
*
SALZBURG-MS PrEMBER 14, 1945--General Clark and General Eisenhower spent
the morning relaxing on the beach. During the morning General Eisenhov,er
received
a message concerning Displaced Persons which necessitated his
[
going to see General Patton at Munich, and General Clark returned to his
Headquarters immediately After lunch General Clark took off in his C-47
and landed at Salzburg at 1730 hours . He was met by General Brann at t he
airp:,rt and both returned to the Schloss , where General Clark conferred
with General Brann on the Displaced Persons situation making prei:arations
for an inspection tour to the Di·splaced Persons camps tomorrow morning.
After dinner General ~lark retired early.
General Clark received the following message from the War Dei:artment
regarding long term supply arrangements for Austria ;
''I'he following :p3.raphrased message at the request of Secretary of
State is passed to YQU•
(
"On ll September at first meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers
it was suggested by the British .Foreign Secretary that conference should
discuss long term suPPlY arrangements for Austria .
rrhe 4 Governments represented on the Allied Council Austria should
instruct their respective represenatives to consult immediately on this
question and submit their recommend.a tions as far as possible in time for
them to be considered before the end of the present series of meetings
This agreed on by Council of Foreign Ministers .
1
0
"With a view to an immediate consideration of these matters and sub"
mission of reports not later than 18 September with such agreed recommendations as may be possible you should consult with your colleagues.
11!.t
rr.ro each of your colleagues an identical telegram has been addressed".
is desired that you. initiate action to comply with the a.boven .
*
I
*
�(
SALZBURG--SEPT .BER 15, 1945--General Clark arrived at ·his office a.t 0945
hours and conferred with General Brann for some time on his proposed inspection tour of the Displaced Persons Camps in Salzburg, fols and Linz .
General Clark left at 1030 hours accompanied by General Collins, Gener al
Hume , General Ladue , Colonel Stevens and others. He inspected four camps
in the vicinity of Salzburg and leaving General Collins at 1100 hours
started for Linz where he was met by General Reinhart , and there inspected
two Displaced Persons Camps . The party then proceeded to General Reinhart 1 s
villa. for lunch.
fter luncheon General Clark and party inspected three
large camps in Linz . G eneral Clark was exceptionally pleased with the
.condition of the camps as to organization, supervision and operation
General Clark returned by car to the Horsching airfield at Linz where he
bordered his C-47 and returned to Salzburg.
General Clark returned to the Schloss and in the evening had
Colonel Ostler, Colonel D 1 0rsa and other guests for dinner.
General Clark received the following message from General Fred
This is a reply to the message which was sent by General Clark
on September 10, 1945:
Blesse .
Answering PV-7340.
p:precfate message my release would not be
favorably considered at this time by HQ ,AGF . Air mail letter
follows;,
0
*
SALZBURG- SEPT3MBER 16, 1945--General Clark left the Schloss for Vienna at
1000 in his car. He was met at the Horsching airfield by Colonel Martin,
who had made arrangements for General Clark to continue his trip to Vienna
in a C-47. Upon arriving at his Headquarters he immediately conferred with
General Gruenther, who was followed by Mr . Freshman. In the evening General
Clark had the following guests for dinner - Mr . Erhardt, General Gruenther,
General Tate and General Saltzman,
*
*
*
*
VIENN - EFT.EMBER 17, 1945--General Clark arrived at his office at 0845 and
immediately conferred with General Grnanther, Mr . Erhardt and General Tate .
Mr . St . Aubin dropped in to say goodbye , and also Miss Ella Logan.
The Allied Council meeting took place at 1100 and lasted until 1420
hours . General Clark who is the Chariman .of the meetings for September and
for the first two meetings in October , with his guests , had luncheon in the
General I s dining room.
fter lunch General Clark left for his villa at about
1600 hours, and returned to his office at 1800 hours to receive tt . Christian
Herter, Congressman from Massachusetts and Mr. Hanson, Agricultural Head of
UNRR • Mr . Richter was also called into this conference . ·
General Clark left his office at 1930 hours accompanied by Mr . Herter ,
M!' . Richter, Mr . Hanson and Mr . Erhardt who were the General ' s guests for
d inner.
�(
VIENNA---SEP'.,. EMBER 18, 1945--General Clark arrived at his office at 0900
and conferred with General Gruenther, General Lewis and General Saltzman.
At 0945 General Clark interviewed Miss Benetzha with the idea in mind tha.t
in the future Miss Benetzha 1 s services as Russian interpreter would be usedo
At 1000 hours General Clark, General Lewis, General Tate and Colonel Samouce
made an inspection tour of Vienna. General Clark remained at his villa
during the afternoon and then accompanied by Mr . Thayer attended a French
concert at 1700 hours .
General Clark sent the follo wing message to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff. The message sent was in two parts - the first part contained recommendations agreed to in the Allied Council meeting on September 17, 1945 .
The second part which is quoted below contains General Clark ' s personal
views:
ttThis is Part 2 of my P-7519 and contains my personal views .
n1 . At the outset of the discussion it was made clear by the Soviets
that they wouJ.d insist up:m a minimal feeding standard for Austria.~ The
following prop,sal with regard to foreign sources of food supply was made
by me and supported by the British and Fr ench: '~he Allied Council for
Austria is further unanimously agreed that , as a matter of p:,licy, food to
meet the Austrian deficit should come from normal pre- war sources, principally
Hungary, Rumania , Yugoslavia , Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria; that an exami•
nation to be made of the imports which present conditions in those countries
will permit; that the resulting quantities b~ taken into account as a part of
the means of meeting the deficit and that to the extent that the neeq. cannot
be met from the countries concerned, other sources of supply be found . n The
Russians firmly refused to support this proposal on the ground that it was beyong the scope of the Council I s competence . Further they stated th...at though
we were not fully cognizant of conditions in Central and Southeastern Europe,
there were indications that because of draughts and other fact ors there were
no surpluses for Austria to be had from those areas and it would therefore be
impracticable to recomm end that any relianc e be placed on such sources . Despite innumerable attempts to reword this paragraph in more innocuous terms~---~
the Russians r esolutely refused to accept any text which made any reference
to the Danubian Basin or Central European supply sources . In fact , they refused to accept the recommendation that as a matter of policy, deficit should
from ttnormal pre-war so1.1rces , u no geographical areas being named.
"2 . In this connection, I am aware of the alarming proportions to which the {
US is becoming committed as the residual wor ld supplier . I have done e:very1
thing to stress in the Council meeting the im!X)rtanc e of reserling local resources entirely for the Austrian population and of obtaining for Austria supplies from nearby countries . Yet we must steer clear of wishful thinking and
give you a fair picture of what we believe are the facts of the case as seen
from here. It would be unrealistic to assume tha.t more than insignificant
quantities of foodstuffs , i:ossibly sugar fr om Czechoslovakia , would be obtain.a d from the Danubian Basis during 1945- 1946 . It has become evident since
I disp,.tched my P-1054 to you a month ago that sweeping soci al changes , population transfers , hasty land reforms , changes in farm controls , indiscrimminate
��53
(
removal of livestock, farm machinery and transport vehicles in all of
Eastern Europe, as well as the drought that affected much of the area,
have eliminated virtually all surpluses that would under nor mal conditions have been produced in these regions . (This information furnished
by experts of the Dep:i.rtment of Agric1.1lture . Have had presently the advice of Dr . Motz and Dr . Richter, which was concurred in by a recent
conference of 15 U3 agricultural attaches . These facts, they tell me,
are well known in Washington and in London. ) Of co1..1rse I am speaking
of the present crop year and it may well be t hqt'.over a long- term period
the Danubian Basin will be the granary for Austria .
l
n3 • As indicated in µ1.ragra ph 2 of the official agreement the differencas in the calculations
the deficits are accounted for by differences
in the feeding goals envisioned. The British- French estimates are based
on a feeding goal of an average ration of 1700 calories for the total
population, including farmers . The American estimate is based upon an
average ration of 1700 calories for the non- farming FOpulation, allowing
for unavoidable retentions by farmers of approximately 2750 calories,
or slightly less than their reterrtions ln previous years . The Soviet
position is that the Austrian ration shoµld be limited to the r ation
scale should be limited to the ration of a vanquished nation . Russians
also wish to reserve barljy for human consumption, while the US , British
and French feel tmt it will inevitably be used for animal feed .
of
C
·
I
"4. The Russians brought up several proposals for increasing Austrian
food supplies, such as making use of the existing central Austrian Government for the ·initiation of a foreign trade program , rehabilitation of
Austrian industry and railroads,. and the extention of arable land , all of
these proposals involv:ing political recognition of the Renner Government .
'l'hese, however, were rejected on the ground that the question of the Renner
Government is on the agenda for the next regular meeting of the Allied
Council on September twentieth .
'L.
"5 . With regard to Point 5 concerning non- requisition of indigenous
food supplies, it should be pointed out that although the Russians have
.,
invariably taken the p:,sition that they never have requisitioned Austrian
\
supplies nor intend to do so , entirely reliable sources report that e~tensive requisitioning is going on not only by individuals and units throughout Lower Austria, but also centrally by the Russian High Command in Vienna
with demands in some instances placed directly on the Renner Government.
l
6.
0
In view of the urgency in reporting to the Council of Ministers, it
with
had previously been decided that only food and not fuel would be dealt
at this time .
n7 . As requested in paragraph 2 WAR 65058 US estimates by Zones (including zones in Vienna) of twelve months 1945- 46 import requirements based on
1700 calories non- farm average ration of foodstuffs listed and on farm retention of 2750 calories per day are as follows: 1000 metric tons
�(
Floiu;:
u.s.
Brit.
Zone
Zone
French
Zone
USSR
Zone
Total
446
138
161
Farinaceous foods
in terms of flour
z::J
27
115
18
32
28
102
including pulses
Potatoes in terms
of grain
6
10
16
11
43
Sugar
Fats
4
9
10
10
6
7
4
15
12
42
24
41
97
Meat
Milk
26
17
None
*
*
*
VIENN - SEPTEMBER 19 , 1945---Upon arriving at his office General Clark con- ,
ferr ed vd th Mr • .t;;rhardt and Gener al Gruenther and then had an appointment
with W..r . Frank Mason with whom he discussed the Russian situation in Berlin.
Following, General Clark saw Count Larisch regarding hi s property in Vienna .
He then saw General Collins, Colonel Martin and Mr . Grey.. General Brann arrived at 1130 hours and immediate~y conferred with General Clark.
Mr . and Mrs . Harold Tittma.nn and their two sons arrived at 1500 hours
from Rome , and were Genera~ Clark' s guests for dinner along with Mr . Erhardt ,
General Saltzman, General Flory and General Gruenther .
General Clark sent the following message to the Hon. Henry L . Stimson,
Secretary of War , upon his reti.rement:
"With the sincerest appreciation of your remarkable and lengthy
career of Government service I take great pleasure in wishing you
the be st for the future . I take pri de that I have had the o pp:>rt unity to serve under your magnificient leadership dur:ing these
past ciitical years . n .
The follovtlng message was sent by General Clark to the Hon. Robert
P . Patterson, Secretary of War:
"I and all my command are delighted with the announcement of your appointment to Secretary of War . I look forward to continued service
under your magnificient leader shipn
General Clark received the following message from General ffarshall,
Reference No . Willi 65707·
�''The Army Navy Joint Staff College, after completion of the current
course in the near future , will be involved in the establishment of the
college on an entirely different basis from that which has pertained during. the v-.rar
Our view is that the college should be organized on a higher
war college level . General DeWitt is being relieved as commandant by Vice
Admiral Hill of the Navy. This is in compliance with the p:,licy as to retired officeEs and as to alternation of the position of commandant . The
deputy commandant will be an Army off icer. It is a key position in which
should be placed an ·officer of keen menta lity, organizing ability and school
experience . General Gruenther has been highly recommended for this position
by both General DeWitt and General Devers . It would be a marked advantage
to the post war Army and particularly to our post war educational system
if Gruenther could be made available . He should be here by 1 November .
Please consider this matt.er carefully and let me have your views -~
General Clark neplied to the above cable as follows:
11Your W
illi 65707 received . I have carefully considered this matter
and feel it would definitely be a great mistake to remove Gruenther from
his key i:osition as Deputy Commander USFA . His position here corresponds
t o Clay s in Germany. We are making progress in our Allied Council and to
remove him at this time would, in my opinion, be a great error . General
Gruenther concurs in my views . I recommend that he remain on his present
assignment . 11
*
VIENNA.- -SEPrEMBER 20 , 1945 --G,r neral Clark arrived at his office at 0840 and
saw General Gruenther , General HoVvard, General Tate, Col . St.1ariley, Lt . Col .
Halliday and Mr . Erhardt e
The llied Cowmanders-in- Chief met at 1300 and the meeting lasted until 1730. General Clark then had a press conference with Colonel Grogan and
several members of the press .
General Tate , General Saltzman, General Gruenther and Colonel Grogan
were the General 1 s guests for dinner .
*
*
VI NN - - SEP.r.e~Iv1BER 21, 1945--General Clark arrived at his Headquarters 'building ·
at 0900 and immediately conducted a promotion ceremony for 25 officers - 22
being from the Vienna area command. He then conferred with General McChrystal
and then saw Colonel Grogan and war correspondent Pat Frank. General Clark
�left the Headquarters at 1115 to go to General Mccreery s British Headquarters, where General Clark decorated nineteen British officers and
men . After the decoration ceremony GeneraL Clark was guest at General
McCreery1 s Headquarters for luncheon with General Gruenther , General
Tate, General -Flory, General Saltzman and General Winterton. Immediately after lunch General Clark went to the cub strip where he left at
1425 for the Tulln airfield where Mr . and lVirs . Harold Tittmann and
family joined General Clark and flew in a C- 47 to Salzburg.
General Clark and P9,rty arrived at the airport in Salzburg at
1600 hours . The r-arty was met by Captain Luther who escorted ivir . and
l'Jf.rs . Tittmann and family to Berchtesgarden ·and Hitler ' s Eagles Nest .
General Clark went immediately to the Schloss where he rested and await
ed the return of his guests for dinner . At 1800 hours Mr and Mrs .
Tittmann, General Collins , General Reinhart, General Brann, General
Ladue and General McMahon dined with General Clark, and then attended
the performance given by the Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall .
General Clark sent the following congratulatory message to Hon.
Henry L . Stimson, V.ar De:p3.rtment, VJ'a shington:
(
nCongratulations on your 78th birthday . No man in public service
has done more for our Country . Under your stewardship the Tf.ar
Department has conducted successfully the greatest military cam- ·
piign in all history . To your statesmanship, your leadership,
your integrity, we express admiration. For myself and my of- ·
ficers and soldiers I proudly salute a great .American. t1
*
*
*
*
SALZBURG, SEPTEMBER 22, 1945--General Clark arrived at his office at
0930 and immediately conferred with General Brarm . At 1015 General Clark
saw Count Tyszkevics who delivered a message from General Anders, Polish
Commander . The General took care of his correspondence which had accumulated during his absence in Vienna , and at 1100 saw Colonel Nygard concerning a proposed trip to Florence. General Clark had lunch with Colonel Nygard and General Brann at the Schloss and at 1340 hours General Clark dei;arted for the airp:>rt where he was met by General Gruenther and General
Tate who had flown in from Vienna . At 1415 General Clark and party took
off in the Generalt s C- 47 for Florence.
1
*
*
*
*
�(
SALZBURG-- SEFT 'v11BER 2.3 , 1945--General Clark was in Florence and due to
p:>or flying conditions was unable to return to Salzburg.
The following message was received by General Clark from Chief of
Staff, War Department , Reference No . WA.RX 68174, :
H,A,sk you extend to General .Mascarenhas and party War Dept . invitation to visit United States for approximately two weeks beginning
not sooner than 7 October . Request you forward ETA of party in
United States and issue necessary invitational orders for trav
by ATC . "
*
*
*
*
SA.LZBURG-- SEP1 EMBER 24, 1945--General Clark accompanied by General
Gruenther and Colonel Nygard left Florence at 0900 hours by C- 4 7 to
fly to Verona . They departed from Verona at 1045 hours by car driving to Innsbruck where they were met by Captain Luther . The party took
off at the Innsbruck airfield in L- 5 1 s and landed at Salzburg at 1730 .
General Mascarenhas , C-ommander of the B. E,. F .,, General Zenobio , General
Netto , accompanied by nine other Brazilian officers, had arrived at
Salzburg at noon, the three general officers staying at the Schloss with
General Clark o At 1900 hours , General Clark entertained the three Brazil•
ian generals for cocktails and dinner after which the party retired.
1
(
General Clark received the following cabl e from General Marshall in
regard te General Gruenther 1 s release for assignment: (Reference No .
WAR 68509)
.
1Matter of Gruenther 1 s relea·s e for assignment as Assistant Commandant , Army Navy Staff College has been further considered in the light
of your recommendation against removing him from th~ Occu:r:a,tional Forces
in ustria
Admiral Hill , who will be Commandant, has had Pacific experience only and it is most desirable that his Deputy should be a strong
Army man intimately familiar with combat in the European Area . A large
number of candidates for this position have been considered and Gruenther
is believed to be the outstanding man for the :[X)sition. He has been overseas for over 3 years and when the situation is clarified sufficiently and
rotation policy inaugurated would be among the first to be affected. The
circumstances are such that I believe the best interest of the Army will
be served by his assignment to the Staff College which is now in the process of laying the foundation for its Peacetime status . I appreciate that
Gruenther ' s withdrawal wil l be a heavy loss to you but with such experienced personnel as Bra rm and Tate on your staff , his reassignment should
not be irrep3.rable. Please let me have your further views on this mat •
ter at your earliest comrenienc e.
1
*
(
�SALZBURG---SEPrEl~iBER 25 , 1945--General Clark accompanied by the Brazilian
party le.ft the Schloss at 1000 hours to take a trip to Berchtesgarden and
Hitler ' s Eagles Nest . However , because of the snow, the par ty was unable
to take the trip to the =agles Nest . After viewing Hitler • s house, General
Clark left the i:arty in charge of General Ladue, Deputy Chief of Staff , and
returned to the Schloss where he had lunch with General Brann. · After lunch,
General Clark and General Brann held a long conference in General Clark ' s
office at the Schloss after which General Clark rested for a short while ,
and then went fishing in the stream behind the Sc:bJ_oss . At 1900 hours,
General Clark held a reception for General Mascarenbas and the other
Brazilian officers which was followed by dinner given in the main dining
room of the Schloss . Among those present were General Reinhart, General
\jollins , General Brann, General Hume and chief of sections . The dinner
was followed by a movie after which the guests retired.
General Clark received the following cable (action copy) from the
Allied Control Co~mcil , Hungary , Reference No . Z661,:
Marshal Vorosrilov hurriedly summoned me and British Representatives
to meet with him at 1430 hours today . He read a copy of official letter
sent by him to Hungarian Prime Minister this date to the effect that the
Soviet Government recognizes the Hungarian Provisional Government and is
ready to exchange diplomatic representatJves . The letter stated in substance that this recognition of the Hungarian Government was based UJXm
its efforts in defeating Germany and in fulfilling the terms of the Armistice .t greement . Have informed Sbhoenfield . n
11
*
*
*
26, 1945--General Clark reviewed an Honor Guard at
0900 hours at the Schloss in honor of General Nascarenhas and the other
Brszilian officers .
fter the Honor Guard, General Clark bid farewell
to the Brazilian party as they departed by car to Linz and on to Vienna
where General Clark is to join them on the following day. General Clark
arrived at his office at 0930 hours where he took care of all accumulated
correspondence, and after a long conference vdth General Brann, saw C'olonel
D1 0rsa for a short time . Following coionel D1 0rsa , General Clark saw
General McMahon.
SALZBURG--SEP"fE1JiBER
General Clark had lunch with General Brann at the Schloss , and after
resting for a short time, walked into his office from the Schloss where he
again conferred with General Brann for a long time . General 61ark saw
-Captain Clapper of the G-2 Section, Liaison Officer, with King Leopold of
Belgium in regard to a call to be paid on the Belgian King . The King was
not in during the afternoon, consequently , General Clark did not call but
remained at his office until 1800 hours . Th.at evening General Clark had
dinner with Colonel Nygard at the Schloss , and after taking a walk, retired early .
�General Clark sent the following message to General Marsh.all , War
Department , Ref. No . P- 2846 , :
"I have extended to General lfoascarenhas and party War Department' s
invitation to visit United States for approximately two weeks , beginning not sooner than October seven . General 1·1 ascarenhas has accepted. He and his party will depart on or about October seven.
Further details later. "
.
j1J2I'
{
J.Y
~
;it7
~
The following message regarding General Gruenther 1 s release was sent!
by General Clark to General Marshall , ~ar Department., Ref . No . P- 2848,:
"I will accede to your wishes but knovving the imi:ortance of the job
to be done here, with losses of key personnel occurring continuously,
his der,arture will be a se-vere blow . As you know I am scheduled to
be in the United States for the New York Columbus Day affair . It is
absolutely essential that Gruenther remain here during my absence and
for a period of turnover to his successor . .If it meets with your approval, I can release him on or about October twenty . n
*
*
*
*
~ZBUR -. PTEJii1BER 27, 1945- -General Clark arrived: at his Headquarters at
0915 hours where he conferred with General Brann. Immediately after seeing
General Brann, General Clark bid goodbye to coi onel Reagen Houston of the
Secretariat and Major Scott of G-1 , both are leaving for the states very
soon . General Patch saw General Clark for a short time followed by Commander Musmanno concerning a proposed book to be written. General Clark
had planned to fly to Vienna-, but due to bad weather , was forced to drive
to Linz where he was met on the road by Captain Hill , Operations Officer of
the Linz Airfield, and was escorted to the field where he boar ded a B-25 for
the Tulln Airfield. He arrived at Tulln at 1300 hours .
fter flying from
Tu11n in his L- 5 , General Clark arrived at his Vienna Headquarters at 1330
where he immediately had lunch with Colonel Porter . At 14.30 hours, General
Clark met General Mascarenhas and other members of the Brazilian party in
front of his Headquarters where he viewed a Guard of Honor consisting of
a compmy from the 42nd Division .
fter the Guard of Honor, General Clark
accomp:mied by his guests went to his office where they talked for a while .
After a short tour of the Headquarters building, General Mascarenhas and
~rty left to go to their hotel . At 1515 hours, General Clark had a long
conference with General Gruenther who was followed by General 1 ate . Mr .
Erhardt saw General Clark and General Gruenther was called in on the conference.
1
,
At 1600 hours, General Clark and General Tate drove to the theater where
the evening show was to be given , to see about the seating arrangements for
the show, after which, General Clark drove to his villa where he rested. At
1815 hours General Clark accompanied by Captain Luther drove to the Bristol
Hotel whexe General Clark gave a rece·ption and dinner in honor of General
Mascarenhas and Brazilian P3-rty. Marshal Ko:niev, General Winterton, General
/
�Cherriere , General Zheltov , General Gruenther , General Collins, General
Reinhart , General Tate, General Lewis, General Flory and several other
staff officers were present . Following the dinner , the party went to the
thooter where they saw the presentation of the Rockettes of Radio City
Music Hall . After the show , General Clark had the manager a nti several
members of the show to his villa f or cocktails to express his gratitude
for the fine performance the cast had given.
*
*
*
VIENNA- -S PrEMBER 28 , 1945- -General Clark arrived at his office at 0915
where he immediately saw General Tate . Following General Tate , General
Clark conferred with General Gruenther for a long time and called General
Lewis in for the conference • At 1000 General Collins , Commander of the
42nd Division conferred with General Clark and General Gruenther and was
followed by Dr. Richter of the· United states Department of Agriculture .
Dr . R:i.chter is leaving the Headquarters after having completed his job as
Agriculture Advisor . The assistance -given by Dr . Richter was highly valuable .
(
\
General Gruenther again saw General Clark with Mr . Erhardt and a
discussion of the Renner Government followed . After seeing General Tate
for a short time General Clark left for lunch accompanied by General Saltzman and Colonel Sutherland . At 1615 hours General Clark returned to his
Headquarters from his villa and saw General Tate, General Gruenther and
Mr . Erhardt .
General Winterton of the British Command called General Clark to tell
him that General McCreary had arrived and would come to General Clark ' s
Headquarters at 1840 for a conference concerning the Renner Government.
General M.cCreery accompsnied by Mr . Mack, General Clark, General Gruenther
and Mr . Erhardt co:p.ferred until 1900, following which General Clark saw
General Cherriere for a short time . At 1930 hours General Clark le.rt his
headquarters with General Gruenther to go to his villa for dinner .
General Clark sent t he f ollowing cable to General Eisenhower, USFEI',
Ref . No . PV - 7778, :
n.E'ollowing message was rec eived by my Political dviser from Ambassador Yfinant on 27 September: ' Movement of all captured Danube vessels
in US zone as far into German territory as feasible should be arranged at
once. It is suggested that guards be stationed aboard vessels to prevent
than from going down river without prior authority from Department of State
until further instructions . In order to prevent any evasion of restrictions
it i s also recommended that an armed vessel be stationed in river below all
vessels . c
�nsince the vessels referred to a.re under USFET control this
message is referred to you for action . Desire that you confirm that
necessary action will be taken by you . u
*
*
VIENNA--SEPr:EMBE.11 29 , 1945-- General Clark arrived at his office at
0945 and immediately conferred with Mr . Erhardt and General Gruenther .
General Clark then called General Brann and General McChrystal. He
then talked with Colonel Langham and later with General Tate, General
Howard and Colonel Lazar . General Clark received Count Larisch and
his brother Frederick Larisch with whom he conferred at length.
General Clark had lunch with General Tate in the Bank Building.
After dinner Marshal Koniev and General Zheltov visited General
Clark and General Clark called in Mr . Erhardt and General Gruenther for
a conference vr.ith the Russian leaders . Dr . Renner then paid a visit to
General Clark and a discussion of the p:,litical situation of Austr ia
fo l lowed . General Clark then called for General Flory. General Sullivan
then came in to see General Clark . General Sullivan had just returned
from the United States . After a brief discussion with General Tate,
Gener al Clark left t he office for his villa where he had General Tate
and General Sullivan as his dinner guests .
The following message was sent through USFA Headquarters from
General Mascarenhas to General Gois Monteiro, Ministry of War , Rio
De Janeiro, Brazil ;
"I inform your Excellency that the mission was present at Military Ceremonies on the 26th in Salzbur g~ On the 27th in Vienna , presided by General Clark, I reviewed the American troops . The mission
was feted by the Military Governor of Vienna " On the 27th, General
Clark gave a banquet in Vienna attended by the British, French and
Russian Commanders and Allied Diplomatic Representatives . On the 28th,
United States representative in Budapest invited British, American and
Russian generals to a lunch for the mission . I inform your Excell ency
that I note a high and distinguished consideration for Brazilian part
in gr-eat war shown by Allied Military Authorities . ''
General Clark sent the following message to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Ref-erence No . PV- 7803 , :
ttMy views with respect to the extension of the authority of the
Renner Government are as follows :
(
7
\
�n The position taken by the representative of the United States on
the Allied Council for ustria should rest on, (1) the basic interests
of the United States, and ( 2) our international commitments . With re-:
spect to (1) ., our interests reside in the re-establishment of a free
and independent Austria and in making a success of four- power inter•
national cooperation in Austria . With respect to (2) , our internationai
obligations are to be found in the Moscow Declaration, the EAC protocol
on control machinery, and in the Potsdam Communique. Specifically, the
EAC protocol provides that one of the primary tasks of the Allied Council is to secure the establishment as soon as possible of a ce~tral administrative machine , and the Potsdam Communique stated that the Soviets,
· British and the United States agreed to examine the question of the extension of authority of the Austrian provisional government to all of
Austria after the entry of American and British forces into Vienna.
"In my opinion there is no disagreement at this time among the four
occupying powers , with the possible exception of the British, on the proposition that an Austrian central administrative machine is an urgent
necessity. This same view is strongly supported by Austrian public opi nion . The question presented is whether to utilize the Renner government as such a machine .
"In favor of such action it may be stated that:
II (1)
The Renner regime is made up of officials of the Socialist ,
Communist and Peoples Parties, the three democratic political groups in
ustria .
n ( 2)
The concensus of opinion is that it commands the confidence and
symp,.thy of the people to as great an extent as would any other non- elected
gr-oup .
n (.3)
Insofar as can be bejudged from here, it would be as acceptable
to foreign public opinion as any other non-elected group .
n (4)
By and large, it 1s composed of i:e.triotic and able men, several
of whom have demonstrated capacities of leadership and gained national and
provincial reputation prior to the annexation . All are free of any Nazi
taint .
n( 5) Al though hurriedly constituted in April 1945 and of a coalition
character, it has to date maintained admirable unity in its r anks .
n (6)
ith some exceptions , its legislative record isI good and the
vision and force displayed under extremely adverse conditions in planning
for Austrian reconstruction commendable .
�" ( 7) Its friendly relations with the Soviets place it in a favorable
position, more so probably than any Austrian government that could be
formed at this time, in the matter of the re-establishment of historical
and traditional ties of all kinds with Czechoslovakia nd the :canubian area
generally .
"(8) From the first day of its exist ence it openly proclaimed its
intention to submit to modification through consultation with the Western provinces at the earliest practical date .
n( 9
In harmony with No . 8, it has within the :i::ast few days successfully held a laender conference, composed of eight delegates from each of
the nine Austrian provinces . These delegates represented the three demo cratic political parties and the provincial government of each province .
The conference, therefore, as nearly represents an expression of the
peoples' will as could be had without the holding of an election.
"(10) Among the principal · results of the laender conference were the
following.
n (a) •xpress ion in a resol ution of a desire for speedy recognition of the Renner Government .
n ( b)
Of seven new appointees to the cabinet ( two cabinet posts
and five under secretaries) the Peoples Party obtained five, the
ocialists one and the Communists one. This meets, in a way, the
previous complaints of the western prowinces, where the Peoples Party
formerly predominated, that. they should have more representation in
the Government .
"(c) Every province in the U. S., British and French zones is
represented through these new appointments .
"(d) The controversial matter of having the police under a
Connnunist Mmister of Interior was settled through a formula establishing two new agencies . First, a commission will be appointed with
jurisdiction in all questions of public safety composed of two member s of the Peoples Party, Two Socialists, and one Communist " It is
headed by a new under secretary in the Ministry of the Interior fron
the. Peoples Party . The Commission functions in agreement with and under
the Chairmanship of the Minister . of the Interi r (Communist), and its
decisions must be unanimous
Incj_dentally, this latter prov· sion follows the standard practice of the Renner Government which requires
unanimous decisions at cabinet level . The members of the commission
have the right of appeal to the political Cabinet .
�(
nsecond, three-man Advisory Councils will be created with one member
from each of the democratic parties. These councils, of which there will
be nine, will act in an advisory capacity to the security offices (Sicherheitscirektionen) in each of the nine Austrian provinces .
"( e) It suggested November 25 as the date for a national election for
the provincial diets and a nationalrat . . The preparations for and supervision
of such elections are to be entrusted to the previously mentioned five-man
commission acting under the chairmanship of the new Under Secretary in the
Ministry of the Interior (Peoples Party) . Its decisions must be unanimous;
in case of disagreement the Political Cabinet decides .
n
gainst the utilization it may be argued that:
"(1) The Renner Government was formed and has up until the present
.functioned under Soviet control , whether nominal or otherwise . It is suspected of bein g unduly sus~eptible to Soviet influence . However, it did
resist Soviet pressure for an Austro- Soviet oil contract .
n(2) .Although Communist strength in Austria was always negligible and
no Communist ever was appointed or elected to any high office, it contains
three Communists of cabinet rank, two of them holding powerful and important
posts , namely Interior and Education.
·
(
n(3) The rolice being under the. Communist Minister of the Interior has
caused some conc ern and it may be argued that the new commission and the
three- man advisory councils are no guarantee of the removal of such dangers
as. may exist . This question is being given further study. Apropros of the
matter of influencing elections , which is frequently mentioned in connection
w:l th control of the police, there are various ways this could be done in
Austria today without requiring any help whatsoever from the police . For
example, favoritism in such matters as automopiles, gasoline , travel permits,
foor and clothing rations, and glass for shatt ered wi ndow panes .
(4)
The- La.ender Conference only changed the government by adding new
people and new offices to it . None of the old appointees were removed . (The
Minister of Agriculture , a non- controversial figure , resigned on aceount of
ill health and was replaced by a member : of the same party. )
11
n(5) , The Under Secretary counter- signature device was retained . This
has been objected to abroad but , in spite of the Administrative diff i culties
involved, it has wor ked well in Austria , provid:ing as it does effective
intra- party check .
''To sum up, the Renner regime in its comp:>sition and on its record is
probe.bly as satisfactory from all standpoints as any other group that could
be formed . Given the urgent need of an Austr ian central administrative machine
to faci+itate the work of the Allied Commission, it is my considered opinion
�l
that the United States should agree to the extension of the authority of
the Rem1er Government t hroughout Austria providing we can satisfy our selves
that the present police set up will permit free elections to be held . The
United States should couple such agreement with a definite undertaking on
the :p3.rt of the Renner government to hold a national election for a new
government before the end of 1945 . This will insure that vd thin three months
the Austrian people can have a government of their own choosing, and this
very fact renders less im!X)rtant any objections that may be had to the
United States taking an affirmative !X)sition on the utilization of the Renner
regime .
»In a following cable I will set forth the British p:,si tion .
*
*
u
*
VIENNA--SEPrEMBER 30, 1945--General Clark walked to his office and arrived at
0940 . He immediately conferred with General Gxuenther who was followed by
Mr . Erhardt • He also conferred with General Saltzman, Colonel Porter ,
Colonel Sutherland. Colonel Lazar was'called in for a conference and was
foll owed by Mr . Erhardt who conferred with the General for a considerable
time , after which General Clark, accomi:anied by Mr . Erhardt, left at 1220
for the Rockette' ~rty given by General Clark in appreciation of their
splendid performances given in Vienna for his troops . General Clark left
the Rockette picnic at 1540 and returned to his villa . General Clark then
saw General Bethouart at his home at 1800 hours and then went to the Bristol
Hotel where he had dinner with guests . After dinner General Clark returned
to his villa.
General Clark sent the following message to the Joint Chiefs of Staff ,
Washington, Reference No o PV- 7824 , :
"l. Referring to my PV- 7803 , 29 September re extension of authority of
Renner Government , I can now report some local British views:
na . They may be willing to have the Provisional Government as constituted by Laender Conference posses authority throughout Austria , but they
.strongly desire that it be instituted as a Government de novo rather than
an extension of the authority of an existing Government as proposed at
Potsdam .
nb. Accordingly they want Allied Council to review all past legislation
of Renner Government and to decide which laws shall be made valid throughout
Austria .. In the case of laws found acceptable they would like to have them
formally reenacted. All new laws should be submitted to .Allied Council for
approval before promu+gation .
�«c They want the Provisional Government to be not only under general
supervision of Allied Council but under detailed control to prevent "free
wheeling" by Government .
"d. They want eight governmental functions to be exercised exclusively
by Allied Commi sion:
( 1)
( 2)
( .3)
(/4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
( 8)
Foreign affairs and diplomatic representation;
Delimitation of frontiers;
Movement of Austrians and foreigners in and out of
Austria.
Displaced persons;
Demilitarization;
Construction, operation and control of all forms of aircraft , equipnent and landing areas;
Settlement of all questions relating to foreign- owned
property;
Approval of members of the central and provincial provisional governments; and of the head officials of the
central and pr-ovincial administrations .
"e. They want certain other functions to be exercised by Provisional
Government only under direction of Allied Commission and with its prior
consent . These include rationing and price control , allocation and distribution of food and. other resources , other economic matters , central banking,
approval of national budget , and settlement of all questions relating to
expropriated Austrian- owned properties .
"f. They will press strongly for a thorough- going reorganization of all
branches of Austrian police, under Allied supervision and direction. They
feel this should be made a condj_tion to the extension of authority of Provisional Government . They have in British element of Allied Commission a
staff of British police experts including a hihg- ranking officer from Scotland Yard . General McCreary has approached me with a view to securing my
consent to placing the Scotland Yard officer in charge of Austrian police.
They will supply the police with some British equipment and transp:>rt .
rrg. They are now willing to have elections held this year , but even
after the elected government takes office they will want to maintain close
supervision over it , arguing that since so many Austrfans are now away a
second election t~;elve to eighteen months hence will be necessary to ensure
establishment of a thoroughly representative Austrian Government .
J
"2. Some of the Bri tish points would, if insisted upon , probably cause
a deadlock in llied Council . They are aware that this would seriously delay Austrian reconstruction and under certain conditions might lead to chaos .
�3 . British are most anxious to have us present united front to Soviets ,
arguing that otherwise oviets can play us off against each other . Russians
on the other hand are extremely sensitive to any appearance of a US- UK bloc.
0
"4 . Soviets are prepared to Recommend recognition repeat recognition
of Provisional Government as broadened by Laender Conference, and have it
function under the guidance and control of Allied Council as supreme authority
in ustria . They have expressed themselves as agreeable to free elections
in near future . On police problem they object to sincrling out for special
Allied scrutiny or control one of the two ministries frnterior) headed by
a Communist . This they say would be a blow to Soviet prestige Accordingly
they propose that reliance be placed on the agreed control bYi the Allied Commission over all ministries , including Interior
n5 • In an hour ' s conversation with Renner yesterday he said he would
be satisfied with extension of his government cs authority although he frankly stated he preferred recognition, because recognition would give the government greater prestige and enable it more effectively to deal with neighboring states . In either case Renner accepts fact that Allied Commission will
r emain supreme authority . He expressed complete confidence in government ' s
ability to hold free and honest elections in 1945 . On the police question
he said the safeguar ds provided by laender conference would effectively curb
possibility of abuse by Honner or Communists .
tt6 .
CUestion of extension of authority of Provisional Go-vernment and ·
related questions are on agenda for tomorrow' s Allied Council meeting . I
discussed these questions privately with both Koniev and Mccreery yesterday
and made some progress toward reconciling these vievm . My own views are
· set forth in PV-7803 . n
*
*
*
I
�VI 1 NN --OCTOB 1 1 , 1945 - - General Clark arrived at his office at 1910 hours
and· immediately conferred with Mr . Erhardt and General Gruenther .
t 0945
hours General Clark pinned Second Lieutenants bars on 2nd Lts . llves> Greenbush , and Gifford, making them commissioned officers, after long and faithful service under General Clark ' s command
He then saw Mr . Thomas Estes
and later General McChrystal and General Flory for a short while .
t 1100 hours General Clark presided at the regular meeting of the
Commanders- in-Chiefs of the llied Council . The meeting lasted until 1300
hours at which time General Clark received the Commanders as his guests for
lunch. fter lunch General Clark conferred with General Gruenther, Ilr • .
Erhardt , and then received eight members of the press for a press conference
t 1430 hours General Clark +eft his Headquarters to go by cub plane to Tulln
airfield where his B 25 was waiting to take him to Rome . General Clark took
off at 1510 in a B-25 and landed in Rome at 1735 hours. ·He went immediately
to the Hassler Hotel where he stayed during his visit to Rome . General Clark
had dinner with General Salt~~an and Colonel Sutherland.
*
VIENKJ - OCTOBE
2, 1945- -General Clark spent most of the morning shopping
in various shops throughout the cit y . He ha d l unc h at the Gr and Hotel with
General Saltzman and Colonel Sutherland and later in the afternoon went
sho pping again with th em . .At 1800 hours Mr and Mrs • Tit tmann gave a cocktail party at their home in honor of General Clark, after which General
Clark had dinner with General Saltzman and Colonel Sutherland at the · xcelsior Hotel .
General Clark sent the follo rdng message to Ambassador Harriman, Amer can ~mbassy, London , Reference No PV- 7033,:
Will be delighted to have yo1;i ct.op at alzburg on October L1- , as
indicated in your September 29 message .to rhardt which reached
1
rhardt only this afternoon . Please advise your expected time
of arrival n
11
VI ii' ..- - OCTOB
3, 1945-- General Clark spent the morning at the =xcelsior
Hotel and after lunch -with General Saltzman, Colonel ~utherland and Captain
Luther, left the hotel at 1425 hours to go to the Palazzo Viminale. At
14L;9 hours, General Clark, after delivering a few words to the assembled
people , decorated 11r . Parri , - Prir•ie ;~'iinister, General Cadonna, ~~r . Piz 2oni,
Mr . Longo , Colonel Palomba , 1~1ajor llattei ., .Major l\Jmrtini and .fajor Argenton.
Im.mediately after the ceremony, General Clark departed with GeneralSa:ltzman, Colonel Sutherland &nd Captain Luther ·for 'the airport where he took
off at 15/40 hours for Udine . General Clark landed at Udine airfield at
1730 hours vmere he was met by Colonel Garver of the 42nd Division and escorted to the train ai ting at the station . Immediately after the party
had boarded, the train departed for Vhmna . Colonel Tully, classmate of
General Clark, was in charge of the train
General Clark had dinner on the
train with his party and retired early
j
�VIENN.t --OcrrOB
4, 1945--General Clark arrived at his office at 0915 hours
He immediately had a long conference with General Gruenther . Following
General Gruenther, the General saw General Tate and then Mr. Erhardt . At
1030 hours, the General conferred with Major Gregory, Officer in Charge,
Southern Branch Edition of Stars and Stri:r:;es. 'The General had lunch at
his villa at 1300 hours a~ter which he rested, returning to his office at
1550 hours e t 1660 hours, General Clark saw General Tate concerning a
rtcurrency" problem and also Colonel 1~ arget on the same subject . Next
General Clark saw Mr . Gray and General Tate who were followed by General
Flory
General Clark left his office at 1830 hours for his villa where he
spent the rest of the evening
*
*
*
*
VIENN - OCTOB
5, 1945--General Clark arrived at his office at 0915 and
immediately saw General Gruenther and General Tate
At 1000 hours ,
Colonel Podhora , Chief of the Czechoslovakia Mission in Italy, decorated
General Clark, General Gruenther, General Tate, General Flory, Colonel
· Sloane, Colonel Porter and Colonel Sutherland with the Czechoslovakian
Milit ary Cro-ss . The presentation was held in General Cl~rk t s office .,
Follow:ing the ceremony, General Clark saw General Lewis and General Tate
who were followed by Mr Erhardt and Colonel Porter
General Clark had
lunch in the Commanding General ' s Mess at Headquarters, and at 1430 hours
left his office and walked with General 5al tzman to his villa . In the
evening, General Clark had dinner with General Gruenther at General
Gruehther ' s villa .
General Clark received the following message from the Joint Chie~of
Staff, Reference No . V1 RX 72736:
''The Secretary of State requests that the following two telegrams ap-
proved by the Council of Foreign Mini~ters for disi:atch to the US, UK, USSR
and F'WJ\JCE Commanders in Chief in Austria be transmitted.
approved 29 September and 30 Sept ember respectively
The telegrams were
"First message.
n1. The following comnn.mication has been sent to the llied Control Commissions in Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary and UJ (;) the Governments of
Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia .
2
The Council of Foreign Ministers has decided to clarify through the
Allied Control Commissions in Hungary, Rtunania and Bulgaria and also with the
Governments of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia whether there are in the above
listed countries surplus of foodstuffs which could be used for supplying
Austria .
0
�113 Therefore by instruction of the Council of Foreign Ministers I
request you to inform me whether blank country ce.n set aside foodstuff for
supplying ustria . In case there are such surpluses the Council of Foreign
Ministers would like to learn in what quantities they can be set aside for
Austria now and from the proceeds of the next harvest .
u4 The Council request that the information in respect to the present
surplus be made available within 1 month and as to the next harvest within
3 months .
n5 . On the b sis of this · information which will be communicated to the
llied Council and on the basis of a study to be mad e by the Allied Council
of the p:>ssibility of obtaining the maximum quantity of food from Austria it
self both at the present time and from the next harvest . The Allied Council
should examine the long term arrangements for food supplies to Austria and rert the result to the Council of Foreign Ministers with such further information on the su.p~ly p,sition in ustria as the Allied Council may deem use
fUJ. .
I
0
Second message
n1 .
I\Jith reference to the question of ration scales and consumption
levels to which the Allied Council in Vienna referred in their reports on
Austria food supplies 'the Council of Foreign Ministers consider that the
ration scales for the deficiency areas in Austria should be based on a per
capita temporary minimum ration of 1550 calories a day for the normal consumer which has been agreed by the Allied Governments for the present time
maintaining the principle of differentiation for the· various groups of the
!X)pulation on the basis of the type of labor performed.
u2 . It is for the Allied Council to estimate both the quantity of food
which can be obtained from local production and the quantity which remaines
to be imp:,rted in order to reach the above standard ..
u3 .
This scale should be increased by the Allied Council to 2000 calories
or' more as more local or imp:>rted supplies become available . n
*
*
VIENNA--0CT0BER 6, 1945- - General Clark, due to a cold, remained at his villa
during the day
Colonel Sutherland spent an hour with him in the afternoon
General Clark also saw General Gruenther for a short while. ~t 1730 General
Clark received six members of the Press for an interview, and after dinner at
his villa, retired early.
�General Clark sent the following cable to General Handy, War De partment, in regard to his proposed trip to the United States
Reference No .
PV 7972
0 Plan take off from Pa.ris 9 P M on the 9th EI'A La Guardia Field some
time during the night 10-llth
Will want to fly to Washington late after...
noon 12th or early morning 13th for necessary conferences
Will you arrange
· air transportatj_on New York to Washington ., Desfre to remain in Washington
only until 14th and take off by air for week in Florida . Will you arrange
air transportation for that trip, n
*
*
VIENNA-··0CT0BER 7, 1945--General Clark arrived at his office at 0845 hours
and immediately conferred with General Gruenther and General Tate . General
Clark then conferred with Major Nadich, Jewish Chaplain from DSFET in regard
to some vital Jewish welfare conditions . General Clark then conferred with
Colonel Sutherland, 'Jlr Adams and Mr . · 'rhardt . At 1100 hours, General Clark
conducted a meeting of the Divisional Commanders . After the meeting, General
Clark further conferred with General Collins and General Reinhart . General
Clark then saw Mr . Rice, member of the Jewish Refugee Committee who had made
some reports on Jewish Displaced Persons and conditions . He then conferred with
General Brann, General Gruenther and Colonel Epes . At 1345 hours , Assistant
Secretary of War , the Honorable John McCloy and party arrived from Frankfurt .
They were immediately brought to General Clark s office where General Clark
welcomed them . 1 hen .Ambassador Harrim~n and P3-rty arrived from Berlin and
were brought to General Clark' s office where he welcomed them , and then, he
took both parties to lunch in the General I s Mess in the Bank Building
1
(
i t 1515 hours an Honor Guard was formed in honor of mbassador Harriman
and Mr McCloy. Then General Clark conferred at great length with Mr . McCloy .
t 1730 hours, General Clark had the visiting parties and Mar.sh.al Koniev,
General McCreary and General Bethouart as his guests for cocktails at the
Bristol Hotel . i,t 1945 hours , the parties including Mr . M'c Cloy, Ambassador
Harriman, Dr . Freeman, I/Ir . Vincent, Lt Summersby, Kathleen Harriman, Mr
Erhardt, General Gruenther, General Brarm, General Tate, Colonel ~therland
were his guests at dinner at the General I s villa . Following the dinner,
General Clark read the citation and I r UlcCloy presented 6olonel Suthe~land
with the awam of the. Bronze Star
The guests depa.rted from the General's
villa at 22.30 nours , and General Clark retired shortly thereafter .
*
*
*
*
�N ~·- 0CT0BEa 8, 19/45 General Clark arrived at his office at 0850
hours and immediately conferred with General Brunn. He then said good
bye to Mr . Beach and then sp:>ke to General vlcMnhon for a few minutes .
The General then received and talked with Count and Countess DuLart for
several minutes . The General was then presented with a rare collection
of old Austrian and over printed German stamps by Lt . Colonel King and
Captain Kraull as a gift from Dr Dworschak , General IJirector of Austrian
PI'l T
t 0950 hours General Clark conferred with General Bethouart and
then Marshal Koniev just prior to the llied Council Committee meeting
at 1000 hours at which Gene.,ral Clark presided. Immediately after the
meetjng v1hich ended at 1310 hours General Clark had a light lunch in his
11office and wms taken to the cub airstrip where he left by cub at 1328 hours
for Tulln Airfield where he was joined by General McMahon and Colonel Ostler .
At 135 5 hours , Creneral Clark took off in a B-25 piloted by Lt . Colonel Moore
for Pe.ris on his first lap of his ·ourney to the states . He arrived at Orly
Field at 17/;.8 hours Vienna time
VI
Upon arrival at Paris General Cl rk wa~ met by Colonel Sutherland and
was taken to the George V hotel where he was to stay while in Paris . Later
in the evening he saw Lt General J C. H. Lee , Co.mrnander of Com Z, and
had several people in for drinks , among whom were Mr .. Robert Berenson, former
Aide de Camp. Later in the evening General Clark accompanied by General
McMahon, Colonel Ostler a.nd Colonel S,utherland went to Madame Schiaparelli ' s
home with Mr ., Berenson for dinner
'I1he General returned to the hotel at
1000 hours and retired for the evening.
(
*
*
OCTOBER 9, 1945- At 1030 hours General Clark accompanied by Colonel
Sutherl- nd , Mr Berenson and Captain Luther called on General Juin, 6hief of
Staff of the FrGnch Army , where General Clark and General -Juin discussed old
times and made plans for feteing the General in Paris on the 27th e After
leaving General Juin I s Hotel Continental Headquarters the pirty visited the
fashion shop of Madame Schiararelli , mother in- law of Mr .. Berenson whereth:e
General v1a.s prese..-rited with perfume for Mrs . Clark.. After leaving the shop
General Clark with Colonel Sutherland walked through the park until 1245 hours
when he returned to the Hotel Continental to hmch with General Juin. At
1430 hours General Clark returned to the Hotel George V and rested for an
hour ~ The General had guests in his suite for cocktails at 1800 hours , among
whom were General Ralph Smith , Mr . Ridgeway Knight , Colonel James Tully , Gen
McMahon, Colonel Ostler and Colonel Sutherland . At 1900 hours General Clark
had dinner at the hotel and left for Orly field at 2030 nours where he de
parted in a c- 54. at 2130 hours for the states .
PAIUS
*
*
�OCTOBE.H. 10, 1945 General Clark spent the day in flight arriving at the
Azores t 0500 .Azores time
He departed from the Azor(?S at 0700 and ar
r ·ved at tevensville at 1 710 hours de:p3.rting at 1830 hours
Gen°ral Cl~rk arrived at LaGuardia Field at 2 15 hours New York time,
where he was met by ii/I.rs
T;J Clr: r}r and Lt . liliiam Clark
;r . l ntonini
Mr . Lovestone of the Italian American Labor Council wer - also present
General Clark , ~Irs Clark and Lt . Jilliam Clark had a private dinner at
the Astor Hotel and w· ited the arrir 1 of Miss nn Clark at 2330 .
l,.t!i'{ YOii .. --OCTOBt:JJ. 11 , 1945• Gener 1 Cl rk had breakfast with Hrs . Clar}'" and
Ann Clark and remained at the hotel during the morning
He saw iJ.r . ptoni li concerning arrangements for that evening and had lunch in the dining
room of the hotel vlith ivi.rs . Clark . In the afternoon he went shopping and
waU:ed in the shoppine sec.iuion of l' ew York and back to the hotel . In the
evening General Clark had Col . and rs Raymonds, Ge..ner·· l and !v1rs foe .ahon,
Mr . and Lrs . Stevens , and Capt . ~rnest, to his hoi el suite for cockt il,:, .,
I:Ie left for dinner at the 11 21 Club" with .r rs . Clark , Lt .. Clark , Colonel
Sutherland , Captain Luther, :iir Antonini , .r Lovestone ' nd Mr . l vik President of r· BC
..fter dinner the party 1iroceeded to the theatre to see the
musical production uon the Town t
*
N''~'v Y . . K , CCTOB ·"1. 12, 1945 - General Cl· rk remaj_ned in his hotel suite in
the morn:ing com sir< his radio s Jeech for that evening . Colonel i.;UtherLnd remained yJith 'iim At llOO he s w Iiir . Antonini, 1,:r . Fovik, rv.r Snyder
· nr! Lr . Lovestone concerning the arrangements for the presentation at the
Hotel Biltm re and the radio broadcast
At 1215 hours he sa" members of
the .Tar Information Office after which the General a.nd Lrs Clark had lunch
with Mr and ivrs . nopfs, returning to the hotel at 1500 hours e ft 1630
General Clark talhed with Mr .. Lowell Thomcts concerning the developing of
winter sports resorts in which u· Thomas is assist mg
Mr . 1;.ntonj ni and
l.lr . Love....,tone arrived at the hotel at 1830 hours to &ccompany General Clark
to the relieption at the Biltmore
'Ihe party arrived at the Hotel at 1930
hours ~,here Genero.l and I rs Cl rk were· l1onor guests t the Italian Labor
Council I s a11nual Four Freedoms ..ward dinner . Amont those present were e:x:
Gove nor and r s . L hman
celebrated guests
Mr. and
.drP ., 1
y:ron C Taylor and several other
.t 2245 hours General Clark spoke to the assembled eight hundred gu.9sts
at which time his sp~ec~ vas bro ... dcast over rBC
After his speech General
Cl rk was presented wit 1 the r',nnual Four Freedoms Awara b-y .~r. ..ntonini
President of the Council
*
*
�WASHINGTON •OCTOBEn 13 1945- General Clark, accompanied by Mrs . Clark,
Miss Ann Clark , nd C. .ipw in Luther, left L 11ut:.rdb Fi ;ld arriving t
•. sh:.._ gton ..., C at 103 .... hours .1: er General Cla_k de,. art~ immea·atel -fc., ...-- th d 1 !lepartment t..nd at lJOO hom·s h9.d lunch a.t his cl.par ,"~•~nt at
the enne ~
.arren " .:.t lL:JO hours eneral Cl.ark conferred with t~~e
Ho ..o able Jc. mes Jtrrnes , Secreta r o:.' [}, t ,
n the ev ning he had Ci.inn
with his mother, ,.LI'S. C .. C c:2rk,
...... . C_ ark nd hie avnt ~r·
__a sh&ll
~.
0
*
i,,~l.,,l __ l~,
T .i., JJ .C . - iALH B.!!i. CH • ....u . .ILA- C OB'-:,~ 11. 21, 194) Gen0ral Clr-1rk
de;c.rted £'rum ,' shi:rJgton, ;.J C air.i:'ort for .,..)alm Beach, Flo ... ida :.~na remained
i Flc ida until Octo er 21, 1945 .
hovJer
The followini::: message Wes sent fl-om Generc.l' Clark to General ~,issn
., the ccasion of hi -- birthdr..y, October 1/T 1945
ir eart:..e t congrahll, .tions today on your birthday .
The y ..,. . r · 1 st
finfahed will be a most memorable one in the istor:-v of the Ameri ·
I
can nd J ll_cd a ·ms
he realization t,hat we have crushed the
enene=.,r anG. estr.iblished p ,.,ace in the western hemisphere under yori·
brilliant le:idership muct be . source of great se.ti sfaction to
yo
i ay this birthday be
most enjoyable o.1e
send my best
1.lishes
for y·ou.1~ h~ppiness i,.11d good fortune in ~:~.e years t con!e u
1,.4
On the 19th of ctober Gener 1 Clark received the follcw.:Lng message
of tlnnks from Gener~l 'isenhower:
1
I
'lhank you for your kind mess( ge on my birthd('.. y "
a lot "
I apr,reciate it
On October 20, 1945, the following mess _ge was se u to the Joint
Chiefs of ,Jt,aff from Gener~l Clark's Headquart9rr in Tienna. Reference
• . V 8372 .
'Refer nee is
1
t'.330 ar..d
8337.
n1 J't Alli ,d Coux1eil meeting this aft er~!1oon Kon:i.ev ar.nounc ed that
the Soviet government a_ proves the extension of th'.J authority of the l rovisional A strian Government to the whole of .ustric.., A m,3mo!'andum will
dispatched by the Allied Council to :...r . .... enncr v:hich confc>rms to the October 1st resolution of the Alliet Coundl
Copy o: this, communication ill
b·· :::ent to ,/ u in a later messaie
· r .. !lenner ,. . s invited to nppear before
the Allied Council ,h ~re he was noti.fied of the action of t 1.0 f ur govern-
me ts .
�11 2.
Koniev: declined to discuss functions of government which are to
·be reserved to the llied Council . This subject was referred to the
xecutive Committee with instructions to submit recomrr. endations to llied
\,;ouncil for October 30th meeting .
l
n3
Con°iderable time was spent in dis eussing the question of currency
conversion in Austria but no agreement was reached ., Koniev mainta ined the
portion outlined in par 2 of our PV 8337 that the conversion should be
made into Austrian national currency in spite of the fact that it cannot be
accomplished prior to l 'ebruary 1946 at the earliest . He con-tended that this
conversion is best for the Austrian Government and would not comment on the
fact tha,t Dr . Renner and all Austrian financial experts favor immediate con
version into llied lvdli tary chillings . British, French and US members
presented the arguments in favor of immediate conversion into Allied Military
Schil lin·g s and emphasized the serious results to Austrian economy if conversion is delayed until Febru~ry e A compromise measure was introduced by
Bethouart that immediate conversion from eichsmark$ be made, into Austrie.n
National currency to the extent that the SUJ.;J>ly of th:?.t currency will p _r mit ( about two billion schil l ings) to be supplemented by Allied Military
bchillings . This prop::,sal has been referred to financial committee for
study . 11
1
t
r
1
I
General Gruenther sent the follovJing cable to General Clark in regard
to the Renner Government . .1. eference No . PV- 8.390:. October 20 , 19/45 .
n1 . Sent mes sage to JCS this afternoon and rep9ated it t you .,
llied
Council recognized Renner although Soviet position was unknown until :honiev
made his announcement at the meeting . However Koniev was tough on the financial conversion matter and would not budge an inch .
}
n2 . Soviet attitude in the meeting was most pleasant . ¥..oniev was
\
.-more poorly briefed than eye have eve~ seen him and Zheltov prompted him ~
continuously . He sent his best regards to you and expressed considerable
interest in your trip . Kisiliev told me that Koniev was very hapJY to
note your complimentary remarks about him in the tates . n
*
*
*
VW..SHINGTON, D. C .- OC7013ili 21 , 1945 --- Gene ral Clar k arrived at the Washington, D. C. airfield where he was met by Captain Luther . He was accompanied
by Mrs .
• W. Clark. He went directly to the Kenndy ·'Jarren and in the evening had dinner with Mrs . C. C. Clark .
On October 21st , General Gruenther, a cting in General Clark ' s absence,
sent the following cable . to the Joint Chiefs of Staff , with an information
copy t o General Clark. Refer ence No . PV 8396 ;
�:~r+~i~~~~f~Y!f~it~it~~t'1t
... :,c:
"Reference is PV 8372 . Following is a copy of the communication
dispatched by llied Council in October 20, 1945 to Dr. Renner. Mes sage
begins:
LLIED COMMISSION FOR AU&TR
J LLIED COtniCIL
emorandum by the Allied Council to Dr . Renner
u1 . The llied Council has considered the memorandum dated 28th
September , 1945 in which Dr . Renner communicated agreed decisions of the
· Austrian Provincial Conference which took place from the 24th to 26th
September, 1945 . The members of the Allied Council have pleasure in
stating that their respective governments have approved their recommenda
tion that the authority of the Provisional ustrian Government , broadened
as a result of ·the Provincial Conference in accordance with the list en_glosed in the above mentioned memo:r·andt1m, should extend to the whole of
Austria subject to the conditions enumerated below .
u2 . The. rrovisional ustrian Government will function under the
guidance and control of t he upreme Authority in Austria- the Allied Council . The control over the ministries and de:p3.rtments of the government will
be exercised through the machinery of the Allied Commi~sion . Certain functions of government will be reserved to the Allied Council and further commum.cations will be made as occasion requires to Dr . Renner setting out
these functions .
(
u3 o One of the main duties of the Provisional Austria.n Governmer:rt.
will be to hold free elections as early as possible and not later than the
31st uecember , 1945 .
n4. The ..t'rov:i.sional Austrian Government is empowered to enact laws
applying to the whole of Austria , provided that they shall first be submitted
for approval to the Allied Council and provided that this shall not ffect the
validity , within the part of Austria occupied by the forces of the Soviet , nion,
of any provision enacted between May 1st , 19115, and the date on which a new
law applying to the whole of Austria is enacted in its place . In this connecticn, the Allied Council takes note that the Provincial Conference decid~d
to examine the provisions referred to above and required that the result of
this study shall be communicated to it for consideration.
5. Nothing in this Memorandun affects the validity of any military .
government legislation now in force or her after to be enacted-. n
0
*
r
�✓
. SHil'J GTON , D .c . --OCTOB:&i'R 22, 1945 -General Clark left his apartment for
the ?entagon Building at 0815 hours and went directly to General iarshall 1 s
off ice where he conferred for an p;our with General larshall. Among the
topics discussed was the possibility of bringing families overseas o General
Clark gave General foarshall his plan of reversing the redeployment system
and brining families over on a high point system .
fter leaving the Chi ef I s
of Staff office, General Cl·rk conferred with / General Hildring concerning
the sh9rtage of personnel in his Austrian Command. General Clark left the
Pentagon Building t 0950 hours and arrived at the airfield at 1000 where
Mrs . M. ro . Clark and Mrs . Marshall were waiting to bid the General goodbye .
General Clark departed from fiashington, D. C. in a C- 54 at 1025 hours accompanied by Mr . Christenberry, manager of the Astor and Ritz Carlton Hotels ,
New York City, Captain Luther .and ·gt . Thomas , arriving at Bermuda at 1455 .
He left Bermuda at 1800 ho~rs and was in flight the rest of the dcy .
1
*
*
PARIS -OCTO
23 , 19/4-5 •-General Clark and µirty arrived at the Azores at
0250 hours and took off at 0430 arriving in Paris at 1135 hours, 1 ew York
time ( 1735 Paris time
He went immediately to the George V hotel where
he stayed while in Paris . In the evening, accompanied by Mr . Christenberry,
Gener 1 a l t.zman and Captain Mattox, he had dinner with General Ralph Smith,
Military ttache Amerj c n: Embassy , Paris .
*
*
P.fl+R S- OCTOBER 24 1945--General Clark spent the morning at the hotel where
he saw General Pritch rd at 1015 . He departed from the hotel at 141,-5 .: and
arrived at the airport at 1510 ·t which time he took off in a C-47 for
London . He arrived in London at 1635 and was met by General Saltzman. In
the evening General Cl&rk had dinner with General Eisenhower and spent the
evening with him
*
*
*
LONDON--OCTCB~:Jt 25, 1945-- General Clark left London with General Eisenhower
at 1015 for O:xrord, arriving at 1200 hours . He was accompanied by General
Saltzman, Mr . berenson and Captain Lampson
He went immediately to Vice
Cnancellor Livingstone's home where they were received by Vice Chancellor
and Lady Livingstone whose son had been wit p the General on the submarine
trip which the General took lifhen on a secret mission in North .Africa . At
1300 hours he attended a luncheon for the decorees and at 1L}30 hours General
Clark at ._,ended the ceremony where he received the honorary degree of Doctor
of Civil Law _from Oxford Unjversity . Among those decorated were Gener~l
Eisenhower, His Excellency John inant, Professor ~~ax Imber , Lt . Gen. Frey
berg, The Hon . Jan Hofmeyer , The Rt . Hon . Earl of Gowrie , Admiral John Trevey,
�Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke , Field 1viarshal Sir Pe:"na rd Montgomery,
and Marshal Arthur Tedder . Immedia tely after the ceremony th e decorees
. and other guests attended a tea given by the Univ~rsity after which
General Clark left Oxford with General EisenhoV'ler to return to London .
In the evehjng General Clark had dinner with General Saltzman, Captain
Lampson and Mr,., Berenson
*
*
*
*
L0ND0N--0C'l'0BER 26 , 1945--General Clark spent the morning in the hotel
and at 1030 hours saw Mr ., Collins, publisher , and at 1230 he left the
hotel accomps.nied b~y General Saltzman, Mr. Christenberry, Captain Luther
and Sgt~ Thomas for the airfield where he departed in a. B 25 for Paris t
at 1400 hours arriving in Paris at 1510. He went to the George V hotel
and in the evening attended a cocktail p:1rty •at th _e American Embassy after
which he had dinner with General Lee at the hotel
*
*
*
PA 1s--OCTOBER 27, 1945-- Genera.l Clark left the hotel at 1039 accompanied
. by General Salt zman and Captain Luther for the Hotel Continental where he
was met by General Juin ' s aide who escorted him to General Juin ' s office .
(
At 1055 General Clark with General Ju.in depg.rt.ed for the Arc de Triomphe
where he was met by General Gentilhomme, Military Governor of Paris . At
1100 General Clark placed a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and
signed the book for distinguished visitors at the Arc de Triomphe . At 1205
General Clark had an audience with General De Gaulle at his Headquarters
and departed with General Juin at 1250 for the Hotel Continental . At 1300
General CJ-ark attended a luncheon given by General Ju.in. J...mong those present
were Admiral Fenard, General 1Jiast, Mr . Ridgeway Knight, General Smith, Gene.,_-,al
Lewis and 1hr . Christenberry o At 1500 hours General Clark visited Les tnvalides
where he was received by General Rodes with a Guard of Honor
After a visit
to the Army Tu~useum , Hall of Fl· gs, Napoleon Room ., Francis I B.oom , War of 19141918 Room , General Clark visited the Tomb of Nap leon and signed the Golden
Book ~
·
At 1700 hou~s aecompanied by General Juin, General Clark attended a
reception at the Hotel de Ville given by the Mayor of Paris , Monsieur Troquet .
~fter the reception the General returned to the hotel and at 1830 hours, Lt .
Clark arrived by air from Le Havre where he had docked earlier in the afternoon . J...fter s :ending some time with Lt . Clark, General Clark· went for a
walk and retireo. early o
*
*
�VIENN
0CT0BE~ 28, 1945 General Clark left Orly Field, Paris, at 1000
hours and arrived in Vienna at 1245
He was met at the airfield by
General Tate and went immediately to his villa . After lunch General
Clark dictated letters to his secretary and then conferred.with General
Gruenther snd General Brarm
He had dinner with his son, Bill, at his
villa and later in the evening werrc to his office for a short while .
*
*
*
VIENN --0C~0B R 29, 1945- General Clark arrived at his of: ice at 0930 hours
accompanied by Lt . Clark. He first saw Colonel Porter concerning a fare
well party for General Gruenther to be held on the 31st of October, and
later saw General Gruenther . Colonel Grogan, Press Relations Officer, was
called in on the conference . At 1030 General Clark saw Colonel Rogers and
made arrangements for his visit to Venice . At 1945 General Hume talked
with General Clark and was followed by Colonel Kirkman who is returning to
the States because of physical disability . General Theron, South African
General, arrived at General Clark's office at 1100 hours where he confer
red with General Clark until 1115 . Captain Jones and Lt . Lane, General
Clark's pilots (C 47) paid the General a farewell visit as they had been
released for redeployment to the s ·tates
General Brann and General Tate
conferred with General Clark on changes in the Headquarters·and discussed
different problems which had arisen during the General ' s absence . Mr .
rhardt then saw the General and discussed State Department }X)licies
General Clark had lunch at his Hea.dquarters at 1300 hours and upon
returning to his office decorated Cdptain Grann with a Bronze Star
Captain
Grann was about to depart for the States . At 1400 General Clark held a
press conference in his office for twelve members of the press . The
General spent the afternoon in his office taking care of accumulated correspondence and departed t 1600 hours for his villa
In the evening he h~d
dinner with General Gruenther .
General Clark received the following cable from General
Reference No
29938·
isenhower ,
tr omination for appointment as I~:ajor General in the Regular Army of
United States has been submitted to ·the Senate by the President for General
Mark Clark. n
*
*
VI "r:NL,,--OCTOB r JO, 1945- General Clark arrived at his office at 0820 hours
and irnmecUately conf:"Tred with Hr .. .8rhardt who was followed by General
Gruenther and Genere.l Brann, on subjects to be discussed at the Allied Council meeting . Colonel k arget was called in on the conference to discuss
currency and financial problems, as well as Colonel Rundell . General Tate
talked with General Cla rk concerning the cocktail party to be held for
Gener~l Gruenther
At 1100 Gen-~ral Clark departed for the llied Council ·
meeting accompanied by General G;cuenther and General Brann
In the evening
he had dinner with General F.10ran, General How~rd, Gener al Sullivan, Colonel
ij!artin, Colonel l,.lmith and Lt. Cl~rk.
*
*
�General Clark sent the following birthday message to Lt. General
Geoffrey Keyes, Commanding General of the Seventh Army, Reference lo .
-4546·
ttI ext end my heartiest congratul3.t ions to you today on your birthday . You can view the year just finished with pride and satisfaction
in your accomplishments, and in the achievements of II Corps whose
gallant efforts w..f!C'e of in ~,spensible aid in our great victory over
the enemy in the Medj_terranea n last May . I send my best wishes. for
your continued health and good fortune, and for the welfare of all
members of yoi.:_r command. rr
*
*
*
VI H~A 0CT0B3]l 31, 1945 - General Clark arrived in his office at 0930
accomp:i.nied by Lt . William Clark . Gener: 1 Clark immediately conferred
with General ·Tate who was followed by General Brann and General Gruenther.
At 1400 hours General Betbouart visited General Clark
At 1430 hours
General Clark called Col. 'ilC,11.1ean to his office to discuss a serious co rt
Martial c se . Comdr . msmanno -conferred with General Cla rk for a few
minutes in regard to a biog-raphy which he is writing about General Clark,
and received the General ' s approval to print several pictures of him in
his book
General Clark left his Headquarters at 1500 hours for his villa where
he rested until 1600 hours at rhich time the General gave a cocktail µ1rty
at the Bristol Hotel for General Gruenther who is leaving Headquarters.
The General left the Bristol Hotel at 1830 hours for his villa where he
had dinner with several members of his staff, and later played poker with
his guests .
@eneral Clark sent the following cable to General Hull, War Department,
Reference No . P 4733
nr
left with you on 13 October radio from Gruenther which I received
in Washington regarding request from General Bethouart for issue of certain components American ration to French troops in Vienna . Hope you
will have favorable word soon as situation is becoming a little embarassing . n
The, following message was sent to the Joint Chiefs of Staff from
General Cla rk in regard to the Allied Council meeting October 30,
Reference No . P 4 752:
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Clark, Mark W. Diaries
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark (1896-1984) was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in World War I and World War II, and was President of The Citadel from 1954 to 1965. <a href="http://www3.citadel.edu/museum/Clark_Inventory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This finding aid describes Clark's archival collection at The Citadel Archives</a>, the bulk of which covers Clark's World War II career and his time as Citadel President.<br /><br />This collection features diary entries from June 1942 to December 1950.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
CP Clark
Relation
A related resource
Mark W. Clark Collection
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/20
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mark W. Clark Diary, August 26 - October 30, 1945
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark's World War II diaries were kept by an aide. These entries are from August 26 - October 30, 1945.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
CP 9
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Relation
A related resource
Mark W. Clark Collection
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https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/1670
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THE CITADEL.
ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM
General Clark sent the following birthday message to Lt. General
Geoffrey Keyes, Commanding General of the Seventh .Army, Reference No .
P-4546:
ttJ extend my heartiest congratulations to you today on your birthday . You can view the year just finished with pride and satisfaction
in your accomplishments, and in the achievements of II Corps whose
gallant efforts WfFe of indi spensible aid in our great victory over
the enemy in the Mediterranean last May . I send my best wishes . for
your continued health and good fortune, and for the welfare of all
members of y01.. r command. 11
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--OCTOBSR 31, 1945--General Clark arrived in his office at 0930
accomp:1.nied by Lt . William Clark . General Clark immediately conferred
with General Tate who was followed by General Brann and General Gruenther.
At 1400 hours General Bethouart visited General Clark. At 1430 hours
General Clark called Col. McJLean to his office to discuss a serious court
Martial case . Comdr . Musmanno conferred with General Clark for a few
minutes in regard to a biography which he is writing about General Clark,
and received the General's approval to print several pictures of him in
his book.
General Clark left his Headquarters at 1500 hours for his villa where
he rested until 1600 hours at which time the General gave a cocktail r,:arty
at the Bristol Hotel for General Gruenther who is leaving Headquarters .
The General left the Bristol Hotel at 1830 hours for his villa where he
had dinner with several members of his staff, and later played poker with
his guests .
General Clark sent the following cable to General Hull, War Department ,
Reference No . P-4733:
11 I left with you on 13 October radio from Gruenther which I received
in Washington regarding request from General Bethouart for issue of certain comrx:,nents American ration to French troops in Vienna . Hope you
will have favorable word soon as situation is becoming a little embarassing.11
The\ following message was sent to the Joint Chiefs of Staff from
General Clark in regard to the Allied Council meeting, October 30,
Reference No . P-4 752:
�1. Little was accomplished in Allied Council meeting 30 October
lthough Koniev 1 s personal r9lations continued to be friendly I had definite impression that he was operating_under instructions from !toscow to be
tough with 7Iestern
lie,s.
11
u2 . Yle made no progress toward settlement of the two most important
items on agenda, namely Reservation of Governmental powers to Allied
Council and Currency Conversion for Austria
n3 . Soviet resolution which was basis for discussion of reservation
of powers was as follows·
(1)
Foreign Aff irs and Diplomatic representation, except in
the case of countries who are members of the Allied Council .
(2)
Demarcation and alteration of frontiers and lines of demarcation .
( 3)
Disp];.eced per.sons and repatriation
(4) Measures
for _demilitarisation on land, water and air
( 5)
Regulation of all questions relating to the property
of f r eigners .
(6)
Tr_ade and financial relations with foreign countries , except those countries which are members of the Allied Council.
11 4.
Cons.i erable discussion took place in connection with points one
and six. My ,r:osition was that those proposals struck at basic policy of
control of Austria by the Allied Council since it would permit unilateral
action on foreign affairs, trade and financial relations . I stated further
that our governments established Allied Council as machinery to contr ol
Au.stria and U S . Govermnent expects to do business through the Allied
Council
British and French supported this position .
u5 .
everal amendments were proposed to make points one and six a.c
ceptable includj ng elimination of words rrexcept those countries which are
members of Allied Council u but Koniev would not accept a_ny modification .
It was agreed to report disagreement to our respective governments . Points
2 , 4 , 4 , and five were agreeable to all but it was decided to suspend communication of any reservations to Austrian Provisional Government until
points one and six are settled . I consider that controversial points are
important to Allied Council Control in nustria and I shall not give in to
Soviet point of view unless instructed b? you to do so .
�n6 . ~y message PV'- 4685 gives Soviet ttitude in Council meeting concerning currency conversion
In my opinion we are going to lose the
battle because the Soviets can stall long enough until their proposal
will be the only logical one . From
standpoint of logic we have defeated them ·at every turn and their attempts to answer our arguments
are indeed feeble . However, they always end up by stubbornly insisting
that their proposal is the only correct one . I introduced the proposal
for a tripartite conversion for the purpose of throwing consternation
into Soviet ranks and it gave them quite a jolt . However I h2ve no hope
that it will have any real effect in forcing a change in their position . n
*
*
*
*
VIEN:t-:JA - NOVJ.i~LBEH 1, 1945- General Clark arrived at his office at 0900 accompanied by Lt . Clark . rt 0930 he presented Hr . MacElligott , Warra.nt Of
fie er , the Legion of h1erit . h'ir . Ilac.r!illigott had been with the General ever
since the days in 2ngland and is now leaving the Headquarters for the States
for discharge . Commander IJ1usmanno conferred with the General on the book
which he is to write o.nd the pictures to be used
With General Gruenther,
General Clark departed from the Cub strip by L-5 at 1200 hours to fly to
Horsching airfield at Linz
Here .at 1300 hours he met General Eisenhower
who was accompanied by General Raymond Moses
The four Generals then rode
to General Clark' s lodge, Dietlgut, in Hinterstoder Valley where they were
to spend a few days hunting
They arrived at the lodge at 1500 and spent
the rest of the afternoon and evening playing cards .
General Clark sent the following message to Lt . General Geoffrey Keyes,
Connnanding General of the Seventh nrmy , Reference No . P 4800:
Many thanks for your thoughtful message on my promotion. I realize
it was made possible by the great help and great help and cooperation of
commanders like you, and fightfag units like II Corps
I send you my best
wishes ., tt
0
*
*
VIE:Nr A Nor lBER 2, 1945- General Clark accompa·n ied by General Eisenhower
General Gru,~nther and General Moses left the hunting lodge at 0830 and spent
the entire morning hunting in Hinterstoder Valley . General Eis enho wer shot
a c hamois, thereby becoming the chief jaeger of Hinterstoder Valley. The
party returned to the lodge at 1300 hours and spent the rest of the day playing c ards and talking .
*
*
*
�VIENN - NOV11:'1BER 3·, 194-5-- Genere.l Clark accompanied by General Eisenhov:er ,
General Gruenther, and General lV:oses left the 1 odge on a hunting trip at
0845 and returned 8.t lJ00 . No game was shot during the morning. After
lunch the party spent the afternoon talking , visiting and playing cerds .
*
*
VIE.r: NJ - NOVEllBE 4, 1945 - General Clark accompanied by General Eisenhcwer ,
General Gruenther and General loses left the lodge at 0900 and drove to .
Horsching airfield at Linz where General Eisenhower departed in his C- 47 at
1100 . General Gruenther accompanied General isenhower to Fr-=nkfurt , beginning h;is return trip to the States . This was the parting of two old friends ,
after having spent three years of continuous service together . General Clark
r eturned to the lodge by L- 5 arriving at 1130 and went hunti.ng in the afterno on with Lieutenant Clark returning to the lodge at 1900 . This time the
General shot his first chamois • • t 1500 in the afternoon General Saltzman ,
Gi:meral Tate and Colonel Grogan arrived a.t the hunting lodge to epend a few
days hunting . In the even:i..ne the party played cards and retired early .
*
VI JN! - NOVEUlB.t.f-:. 5, 1945- General Clark accompG.nied by General Tate a.nd
General Caltzman with Col onel Grogr n left the lodge at 0800 in two sep.Jrate
hu.nting parties . 1'hey spent the entire day hunting, returning to the lodge
at 1700 .. Both Genff·•al Clr.;;.rk and General Tate shot a chamois but neither
G@.neral Saltzman nor Colonel Grogan had any luck
The party again spent
the evening playing cards .
*
*
*
*
VIE1'1:fl--NO\l civ1BER 6, 1945 - General Clark, General Tate , General Saltzm n and
Colonel Grogan dep3.rted from the lodge cub strip at 0910 and arrived at the
Vienna. cub strip at 1025 . Generfal Clark rnnt imr.edit.. tel.,r to his of:"ice where
he took care of accumul2ted. co!'respondence . Later he conferred with Gener 1
B.rarm und General Tate and in the aft ernoon he saw Colonel Lazar
In the
evening he had dinner vdth Lt . Clark at his villa
rn.t..--HOVEIHBI~ 7, 1945--Gener--l Clark arrived at the office at 0915 a.c companied by Lt . Clark . At 1000 he presented Colonel Negroni c.nd Captain
'alvioio , of the Italian lriilitary Mission with the Bronze Star hledal
At
1030 Genera l Clark was interviewed by Desmond Tighe , Reut9rs , British Corresi:ondent , who desired to obtain muter ia l for an article on Gsncral Cl· rk as
the most successful General in .. ustria , sholving how a fighter became a dip~oat. 1 t 1100 General Clark was intervi~wed by ' Jillia.m E . T .ylor of the Stars
and Ctripes . Doctor ~ch'.':artz, Chairman of the· Joint Distribution Committee
( Je·iish) for surope , had a conference with General Cbrk at 1130 on the subject of Jewish Displaced ?er sons
General Clark left his office after having
VI.c
�lunch, returning to his villa . . t 1615 he left the villa for Hofburg
Palace to attend ltarshal Koniev s reception in honor of the 28th Anniversary of the Red Revolution
General Clark returned to his v illa at 2300 .
General Clark sent the following message to General Eisenhower
Reference No . P 5201
Today on the third a0niversary of our North frican invasion
I off e ~ ·my congratulations and sincere best vdshes and those of my assoc
iates here at USFA to you , the leader of that great enterprise . All Americans, especially those of us who made the landings under your inspiring
leadership, will always recall vlith pride and satisfaction that first vital
step in our carrying the war to the enemy . Ve shall ever be indebted to
your guidance which insur9d the success of that operation , and which led us
to the finaly victory last May . u
0
NA- NOV '.IBE!R 8, 1945- -General Clark arrived at his office accompanied
by Lt Clark.at 1000 . He immediately saw General Brann and also Colonel
Grogan on publications ., He next saw General Tate vrho was followed by Iv1r
VI
Christenberry who arr.ived from Frankfurt last evening . 11r . Christenberry
is on a $pecial mission to Austria for the purpose of organizing winter
sports resorts and rest centers .. General Clark later conferred vJith Genera.1
Brann and General Sulli:v. n and at 1230 left the office accompanied by General
Sullivan, ir . Christenberry and Lieutenant Clark to have lunch at his villa .
Later in the afternoon he hiked with Lt . Clark and- in the evening had dinner
in his s1-;ite at the Hotel Bristol
He returned to his villa at 2200 hours
and retired .
General Clark received the following message from General "'isenhower ,
Reference No '- 30795 :.
"Th· nk you very much for your telegram sent me on the anniversary
of our North Jifrican invasion . That was the first battle test for the
llied Command and marked the begirming of a development in llied cooperation that attained an unparalled success resulting primarily from the
selflessness and devotion to duty of all members of the team . I remember
that arudous night of 3 years ago that you and and our associates spent
in the Gibr altar tunnels , and the great erllaration the following morning
when it vms definitely proved that the Allies were upon the march and that
the beginning of the beginning of the end was there
I shall always owe
you personally a great debt of' gratitude for the wonderful support and
assistc nee you rendered me during that period. n
·
*
*
*
�VIENN --NOV ~:~B R 9 , 1945--General Ch,rk arrived at his off foe in Headquarters
at 0900 . He immediately saw Gener~l S(. ltzrnan who was follov,ed at 0930 by
ColonP.1 Joe Starnes who is making
tour of Europe to get an over - all pict1.1re
of the economic sitwtion
He t lked with General Clark concerning the outlook in ustria
~t 1000 Gene·--9.l Cl'Jrk snw Colonel Mo.rget concerning the
monetary conversion problem and s:iortly thereafter talked v.rith Lt . ,col.
Halloran , 1i:PC , represent.r-i_tive from SHAa\ , Colonel Hallor--n {1esired information from General Clark concerning the advisability of keeping the · JACS
as a permanent pa.rt of the army , making th em reserves , or fully disbandine
them . General Clark has always been well pleased with the WACS . At 1100 hours
General Clark attended a decoration and promotion ceremony of the officers at
USFA which was held in front of the Headquarters building .. A comrany from
t.he 4?nd Dhrision made up the Honor Guard . Among those decorated was General
Flory , Head of US,,,CA , who was awc:...rded the Legion of Merit by General Clark
Imrnedi~.tely 3_fter the ceremony 1hr Erhardt , rolitice.l advisor, conferred wi.th
Gene-rs.1 Clark and at 1230 General McCreery , Commander-in-Chief of the Bri-Lish
troops arrived with Mr . r.·ack, British politicRl advisor for a conference . At
1/4.00 they had luncheon in the Command1-ng General ' s mess in Headqt.arters , and
shortly after General Mccreery and Hr . Mack left for British Headq_uarters .
0
I
(
At 1500 Mr . Joseph Zielich presented General Clark with a statu ette
of George 1 'ashington which is a replica of the statue v1hich ustr:i.a presented
to the Jnited Sta.tes in 1932 in commemor'1tion of the two hundr edthbirthda:T
of the first President of the United States ., General Clark left his lier d
quarters and 1rialked to his villa at 1550 hours and in th.e evening im.-j_ted
Count Larisch and his two sons, a.nd daughter- in- law to his villa for dinner .
*
*
*
7IErn.TA NOVEiiiBER 10, 1945 Gen9r 1 Clark arrived at his offic e at 0830 and
immediately conferred witb Gen8Y'Bl Rrann anr~ Mr . Erhe.rdt on the forthcoming
Allied Council I':eetjng. All the topics on the agenda for the me9ting wer9
discussed . Colonel MBrget was called in for the conference when the problem
of monetary c>orivers:ion was discvssed . Gen~ral Hov1a.rd saw Gc~n8ral Clark at
1000 and at 1045 Gener"'l ClHrk left his Headc1'Larters with General Brann to
'-' ttend th9 "llied Council keeting :vhich bsted until 1545 . Immediately after
the meetj_ng Gener:- 1 Clark returned to his Fet1dqParters wh1?,re he held a press
conference and shortly thercqfter General Clad: l,gft his Headquarters for •
his villa . In the e1 r1::mine- at 1845 hours Gener&l Clark gave a bvff et supper
nd a n1L::ten in" on the A•rmy ...·Notre-Dame game, for forty - eight members of his
Headquarters . The score of the game was M5-0, rmy, Colonel Sarnot:ce ,nd
Colonel OstlPr splittin1s th9 pot .
1
0
¥
General Chrk µent the follo"Ting message to General George S. lati.on, tTr.,
Commarn·1ing Genera] of th~ 15th ;~rmy .
(
�9l
Today on your birthday I offer you my he 1.rtiest congro.tul:::ttions ,
and those of my l \..FA associ tes .. Your brillic..nt armored thrusts spearhe dingmanr of our •urope-n attacks , nd your superlative record es one
of the out standing b ttle leaders of this v,zr r , shv.11 '?Ver be renembered in
American )ilitary History
J1"c y this armiversary be a mo::t enjoyable one for
you . I send best wishes for your continued health and happiness in the years
ahe,n.d . n
11
0
*
VIEH TA--NOVl:'.d'.BER 11 , 1945 -Gener' 1 Clark left hL villa at 0700 hours to go
to Sal ,burg . After driving to Linz he took a .. 25 from Horschine airfield
which was piloted by Lt . Colonel Eartjn , Base Commnnder , c.nd landed at Salz
burg, at 10/15 hours . The Gen8-c.l was met by General Harry Collins , Cor:rrnander
of the 42nd Di v:i sion anc 1---.ter dcC'orated him with th9 Silver Stqr and the
Distinguished Service iTedal. Later in the day Gene,--al CJ..~rk drove to Im1sr ck where he was received by Generr-1 ethouart who vJill be the General I s
host for the next fevv days
Gen-3ral ei, rk ;:1.nd General Bethouart had · planned
a s. tort hunting trip .
General Clerk sent the following message to the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
,'ITa shir gton, D .. C. (Report to the Secretary of State) , J.eference No . P- 5538:
(
01 .
J' llied Counc_· 1 me <1t ing held 10 November . General relations good .
vi dent Russio.ns O!"}err:t5 ng under !.:oscow orders on currency conYersion and
resorv'3.tion of governmental powers . On b .sis of conversation tods.y with
Koniev I fee more hopeful of satisfactory agreement on ci.::rrency conversion .
Koniev expressed hope I was not serious abot1t conversion by zones . I assured
him I vms unless he vmuld be reasomhle . Koniev will report 0 1..r conversion
to his governrnent and hopes for fa.voroble instructions by middle of next week .
Koniev e:xr,ressed personal agreBment in general \7ith follovr:i.ng principles
insisted upon by U,j , ritish and French elements and accepted by Austrians .,
a.
Conversfon
of Reichcm~_rk enrl _.i.ff
Schilling notes a bove
5 schillings into l\.ustrian national schillings to be[:in 10 Dec ember .
b
! llocation o f 2500 million schillings for civilian needs at
outset of comrersion, to be supplemented by proi:ortion o· cur~·· ent note pro
ductfon in weeks irnmedi tely folloriing until totc.l of 3300 million schilJ :tngs
for ci.vilirm needs is r9ached ..
c . r::ili-!::a.ry needs to be taken from baln.nce of estimrited stock of
L:500 million schillin~s expected to be available in December of allocation
among four :r;owers to be on rei13onabl9 ha.sis
d . If 4000 million not then available, allocation for civilian
needs 1vill not be reduced below initial 2500 mil lion consj_dered minimum necessr.ry for ,.uPtriR.n eco nomy .
�e
In deciding an amount and 11ature of blockin3 necessary ,
we should take a.dvice of 1-tu:=:trian~ and in any case inc]ude a clatse
gi ring .P Uf' · rians discretj o:n. in rel e!J si nr; strj ngency of blocking me(. surcs .
rt2 .
On question of governmental po,·rers reserved by Allied Council
ea.ch member stated he had consulted his government and stj_ll ma.int-:i.ined
the position he had t,.k9n at 30 October rrt8'=tj ns, rAported in my P4 752, i e
Koniev insisted on points one and six a.s they st nd in para 2 tb~rein,
other pov1ers would not accept either of them with exception clauses there
in
"3 .
s1,.ed l~oniev wheth r I ,Aras to unrlerst nd he wanted 1.milat r-al
a ction on im}X)rtant things like trade and financial rel- tions with which
.utl.C agreement ch rges Allied Council
He ::lrgued his formulr:... did not do
this s·7~n-=, Co tncil had recognized EennAr Government def--icto f nd r '2R had
don,:) so dejure-. I pointed out this me~mt recogni 17 ing supreme · authority in
Renn -,r Government rather than in Cou.ncL . He merely ref erred to 20 October
letter to Renner .
11
4
I
0
In discussion of proctic, 1 effects of vnilateral versus joint
actj_on be digresse to Potsdam greement "by v1hich Soviet Governmsmt was
g:jven ri ht to all Germon ~ssets in ...,astern .Austrian , saying thu.t any differences abcut its me, . ning .ere for set-i-lemgnt between Governments and not by
Allied Council .
"5 . I pointed out I wa discl ssing methods not substc.nce end uggested
Political Advisors withdraw to try to record proposal..
ihen they were unable to agree I sugf·ested we may have be'3n mist::i.lrnn in ➔.,rying to list specifi c
powers to be reserved and that we had perhaps better drop the attempt and
try a new eppro"ch based UiJOn fact · 11ied Councj_l i., supreme authority and
specific reservations therefore unnecessary . 'Ihis threw constern-:. tion into
So~rir➔t gro1 p which then
egan pre·ssing for immediate adoption of thAir first
five t:oints leaving sixth to later consi · eratj on .
tt6 .
e decided to let politic· 1 advisors reconsider whol1:; .__ uestion for
specfal r.1eeting of Council on Frj_day next .
u7. Before adjotming I announ ed thqt my Government vdll designate
Erh .rot as !X)litical rBpresent.o.tive to the Atistrian Government 3.nd receive
a political repret1entati ve of it in Jashington . IvlcOre,:,ry made similar statement ': bo -1 l' 1 ack . rnfortvrntely Koniev seized this opportunlty to say our
action paralleled theirµ an< t.h re rrJus, therefcre , no longer any reason not.
to @"J.~ee with their formula for repr 0 eentation . I stressed t:e~t this Wt?.S
in no \'1ay to circumvent Council , that Erhardt would continue t o sit beside
me as my !X)litical hdv:i sor anf th- , Austro rrArican aff irs would continue
to e h;:1ndle . throu h the Council as err.:>tofore .
0
11 8 .
In addition Allied Council approved : (1) one hundred nineteen decrees of Renner Government found nobjectionable by all powers and five
�93
decrees with cert2in amendments (2) Disposal of war material ccor ding
to Berl:tn agreement (3)
adripartite censorship of civilian communications
in Vienna (4) Acceptance of military missions from Czechoslovakia and
Yugoslavia under Article 12 1 C agreement ( 5) sking respective Governments to make representa.tions to Yugoslovin, Hungr~ry :md Czechoslovakia
concerning expelling Germans into /.usttia. and l tter to German Control
Counc_l on repatriation Reichsdeutsche and disposal of Sud et.ens and other
Volksdeutsche n
0
*
VIEI:iTA NOVt~ rn R 12 1945 General Clark was away from Headquarters and
the guest of General Bethouart in Innsbruck
*
VI 1_ 1NA- NOV~,1BER 13 1945
of General Bethouart .
*
*
*
*
General Clark visiting in Innsbruck as guest
*
*
*
VIENN1 - NOVE:EBER 14, 1945 General Clark arrived in Salzburg at 1100 hours
and h d lunch with General Collins, leaving for Vienna shortly thereafter .
He arrived by car at his villa in Vienna at 1930 hours and hnd dinner . The
General retired after dinner .
*
*
*
VIENNA N0Vrnv1BER 15 , 1945 General [lark arrived at his office at 1000 hours
and imrriediately saw General Brann . At UOO he was inter11iewed by John Dos
Passes , writer for Life Magazine , who is on his way to the trials in Frankfurt . Colonel Grogan accompanied Mr . Pas sos . At 1130 hours Liiss Jane Kemon ,
granddaughter of Mrs . Kimb9.ll resident of the Kennedy 1Narren Apartments in
Washington, D
saw the General
She is now working in the Air Division ,
l SFA . Shortly thereafter John La.risch , son of Count Lnrisch, talked with
General Clark for a short time
General Clark had lunch at · 1300 hours
follo 1 dng which he saw Colonel Hieb , Medical officer . At 2015 Lt . Colonel
Charles ;i . Thayer , who has acted as the General ' s Russian interpreter, was
presented with the Legion of Merit, after which General Bethouart conferred
with General Clark in his office . Upon General Bethou.art 1 s deplrture,
General Clark dictated letters for Mrs M. W. Clark and Miss Ann Clark. After
conferr:ing with Mr . :ili-hardt , General Clark walked to his villa with General
McMahon . In the evening he had dinner with friends at the Bristol Hotel
c.,
1
General Clsrk sent the following congratulatory message to The Hon .
John J . McCloy , Asst . Secretary of Vvar, Reference No P- 5816:
�.(
"Congratul tions upon your splendid perform,ince of duty an~ effective
support of our fifhtfog armies in the rreat3st war in history . Your tire
less energy, dynamic force , great intelligence and backg;round of combat
service :in ;orld ~"Jar I were of immense aid to the men who did the fighting in Italy and throughout the world . May you after a vrell e~1rned rest
resume your activity in our nntion 1 s interest . My officers and men bid
you Godspeed and good luck n
General Clark wa:=.: unable to ttend the openj ng session of the Intern, tional Military Tribunal in Nur nberg, and sent the follovling message
to the Hon . Robert H Jackson , U .s . Chief of Counsel , Nu.rnberg, Germany ,
Reference No . P- 5813:
''I regret that a meeting of the 1'.llied Council schedvled for Tuesday
November 20 in Vienna , prevents my accepting your invitation to attend
the openjnf sessi n of the Internc.tionr-ll j..Iilitary Tribunal in Nurnberg .
I apprecir:>te your thoughtfulness i.n inviting 1r,e a.nd in making billeting
arrangements for my stRy there had I been able to attend . I send my
sincere best wishes , and those of my ssociPter; Rt SFA, for your success
in brino-ing to full ~nd speedy ,justj ce all those guilty of war crimes in
Germany . rt
*
VIENl - NCV · tBER 16 , 1945- General Chrk arrived at his office at 0900
hours where he sp,ke shortly with Colonel Nygo. d . The Gener-~l then
talked with General Salt zman
General Brann and Colonel Tu~arget conferred
with General Clark on the forthcoming Allied Council meeting . r~r . Erhardt
~lso joined the conf9rence which lasted until 1030 hours . General Clark
left immediately for his off ice in the Inter- Allied Col'T'miss:..on and at
1100 hours attefided the Allied Council meeting which lasted until 1800
hours that evening . _ Currenc~r convers:i.on was the. main topic for disc1::ssion , and a favorable decision was rendered . General Cle_rl: had
nress conference :3t 1815 hours and after entcrtaininf the press in the
. Commandj ng Qeneral ' s Iv1ess left for his villa and retired .
General Clar}· received the following message from USFEr , signed
by General Patton
"Prior to his depirture from the Theater, Gen9rc=-.l ~isenhovl/er directed
t,r,~t the following messag~ be read to all memberG o: your comrn~nd:
u 1 On Novewber the 22nd , Americans all over the vorld will together
celebrate Thanskgi,dng Day ., This year more than any for m::my years :past
we h nve truA ca.use for full gr, t ·tude; this y ar has brouf)it the r" entry
of neace and freedom j_nto the civilized worlc.
Let us, therefore , offer
our· earnest Hnd h Rrtfelt thanks for the great vfotory th D.t has been given
us , and for the right we now hold to continue o T l•=1bor-s towards last· ng
world peace ..
0
�0ur work is not yet finishcde .ve must no➔ allow ou::·sel ves on this
de y, in turning our tho -e;hts to t.he µ1st, to fail to give serious thought
to the . uturc
. e have assided in the rebirth of a free world; we must
now ss:i.st in its bnsic education that it may evolve into one forerer
free . Our weaf.X)ns in this ne'"l to.sk must be ourselves --- our gviding
example and .ttitudee, an our earing in he mjdst of others .
11
n:,!e ar over'"'.~ s -- way from home , helpine: to rule nd form the
minds of a misled people, as the representatives of a gre,. + democracy
a democracy :,hie 1 '."e rrve dedicated to th8 true est8.blishment of the welfare and dimity f ma 01 enrth . Ot..r former enemy, whose country we
or cupy -,ust look to us for guidance and example . The obligations Ne have
, 1us imposed ·cror.. ourselves are at once obvious and j_mmenso; we c. n meet
them only by remembering our basic rec.sens for f~_ghting th.ls war and comforting ourselves "'Ccordjngly ..
1
"l'..e
can edvcate only as we 101.d . In ·.heir past blindness these people
have len+ themseb0s Jo the purposes of tyrar.inical dict~torship; it is
only through ed· cation ovm· ' long period that le can uilrl . n + hem the
enlighte:oen spirit ..,hich will f' itself breed futur .:. :::eacc . to rr::iGt ,
-:here.fore , exc t ov.r f:3Very ef!'ort +o se-: -:lvyays an example of fairness · nd
correctness, e.nd of firmness tempered with justice not only in our dealing
with those we now go-·ern, but in ..,.11 our actions amongst them. 1 'e mus moet
th'7 s ch~llenge ·iith tho s~rre st0--1dfrstn0Gs of purpose n_ ich has made it !=OS
sj_,J~e for t~~) -tc '., th"'nkful for the e-,; ents of' the rnct ;{t;'.rs . n
*
~r:I:r:U~ Jry~:r1~.. Bli 1. 1 7, 191,5 -Gener:-1
'1.r:: ~.:-rived 9.t tis office · t 1000 hours
and conferred .rith General Brann and G~neral 'l'ate for qvite sometime. Lr.
Christ enberr-y talked vrith General Cl-~rk for c. short time
G13ne::-n:t_ lark
then conferred with Colonel Porter concerning pl~ns for later in the day
,. fter wr j ch General Cl rk saw Colonel Grogan a_nd Mr. Dem<J.roe 1=>ecs .. Mr . Bess
is a war corres);:ondent who had been 11i th the General pre-riously . /.t 1230
Gener!'11 ClP rl~ left his office vd th olonel fort er ..,nd r~t :irned "'.t 2000 hov._rs
1
or a s.ort w~le .
General Cl rk sent the fol] O\"ing me"·sace to the Jo:_r:c. C,hiefs of Staff,
:--ishington, D C , (R~rort · o Secret ry of State), R. f;:;rence No . -- -5949:
1.
lli'3d Council hel ~ extraordin ::'j~ meeting lf rovember, princi:p3.l
subject, currency conversion .
_greer.ient re·-cted a..fter prolonged discussion
on conversion oi' Reichsmarks ape l.llied I1i.litary SchilJj_nzs ir:.to Au ... trian
Na ion 1 fch·n..J..ings .
11
• Det .ils of the conversion plan fellow pen9rall~:1 the lines
in "'icated in P~ragraph 1 of P 5538, ·vith minor morlifjcctions as follows:
(1)
( 2)
(
Date of cor..version 13 to 20 Decem,..)or 191..5 .
Each ind::_7ic:v 11 to r8ceive in cash no more th n 150
schil l jn ~s in return for Reichsmarks r:nd ~llied Military
chil • in ~s turned in . ':'h,, r~,...t will be blocl~ed or re
stri.cted ·t-1. rr.ounts to be decided b~r the ·Auctrian authcri-
�ties ,. orkinv on " wmeral basis of 6& blocked . . t,strian
~,1thori ti Js _ma._r ,-..,1 x ere en _,n. ze of lo~1dngs as necessary,
when nd ~.s .L ur· lier !fationul Schillings are printed .
( 3)
b.
~
l'ot es printed subsequent to con'rersion to be al2..ot ed fiveeights fo civilian requirements nnd three-eights for mili
tary pur ses until J·ustrian authorities h'-1.ve received 800
million schillings in PPropr .. 'lte denomin'-1.tions ovAr ·:i.nc1
above 2500 million assi:sned for civil:i.[;._n requirementa at
beginning of conv'3rs~.on
ost serious difi'icuLies in securing agreenent resulted fror.i
_ ssi n r f :i.se 1 to permit ccor,limtion by 'llit.;d Council of dem<1nds of indiviclu'll
powers for curr'3ncy for milik.ry pt,1rposes .
t Council meeting _oniBv refused
to ccnsider even inforrr..al consuF•·;tion betv,een Comnr.nders-in Chief before e ch
power t:vould mf-lke its demands on /1.ustrian governn'3nt . Later in private confer
ence however, I indl,ced him to cons9nt to such onsu1tr. . tion . Result w ~ de
cision to llot out of on mil1 ard f5.ve hundred rpillion for conversion of rnili
tary hol~ings n.nd one month ' s military expenditure two hundred millions 03.Ch to
u.~ , British , an~ ~rench and nine hundred millions to USSR . Similar informal
consuli"ations will be held on f'uture allocations amonr four po iverc, .
0
1
n2 . Political P.dYisers having been un· ble to reac'1 ['_greemi:=mt 011 question of
reserved powers, the Chairman put before the Council a French compromise proposal
I refused t.o accept it ecause it contained same features to which I
had objected in Soviet proposal reported in P- 4 752 October 31
)
"3 . .cCreery then proposed following resolution , which w,... s adopted: "Since
rticle 14 of the London · ~weement of July 4, 19,~5 provides that the nature and
extent of llll:i.ed direction and 3uidance will be considered after the recognition
by the four powers of a freely elected Austrian eovernm0nt , the Council decides
to Wi:\it the fulfillment of th13 conditions lldd down in th-9 aforesaid Article
bafore resuming the discussion of the e;uestion of reserved powers . The ,_llied
Council instructs he Executive Committee to Prepare n study of this question
now . In addition f rther important questions will r:.rise from the r9cognit.ion
by the :'our powers of c drly elected Austrian government . rihe Allied Council
instructs the Executive Committee to study c.lso these furthsr major problems.
1
"4. Bethouart announced French Government had decided to accredit his r:o. litical advisor also as political representative to Austrian Government ~md to
accept a political representative from latter . He stressed that this in no way
affects the authority of the Council . n
�VIENNA--Nain:vrnE,. 18, 1945-•General Cle.rk arrived at his office at 1000
and immediately saw General Br nn and General Tate . Genernl Corbin of
the C:uarterma.ster General ' s office , 'fa shi.ngt,on, D.. C., conferred with
General Clark at 1030 on the use of surplus supplies and the suwly
situation in generd . At 1045 Mr . and Mrs McCormick of the New York
Times interviev1ed Gen-JrGl Cl:.rk • General Clark theii left his office for
Ms villa to spend the rE,mainder of the day .
1
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*
TI HNJ ·mv_, P}•.rrl 19 , 19.l5 Ge1"0r 1
at his of ice , t. 0915 ,,nd
im'lle~.'ritely s 'l :en·r-1 Howard concerni..1rr .c &ecur:tt.r of _j_s 1 de;e ar;l -.hen
conferred ~1ith G .,nsr 1 Brani.'1 r nc Gen9f'..-;i.l T te . Gener;l Cbrk r1ext Gavi I:r .
:..r~- r ~
n · hen took cnre cf a.ccunn:l ed corre&1.x,~1dence . 3e .. d h::nc ..
wit . . r.~.,. , _ rl1'"'.._"c1t Gen~ cl °Rr[:rn rmi:7 .lenerril ']>;·~ G r-nd rctu :ier~ to hls office
where he worked unt il 1/430 hours nnd then left f' or ~-1is vill for t 113 _,_. .y .
Gener q_ C'larl,. r 0 r ei ec1 t,._e
0nc~ Jo . ~c- s112,
~ 011 'N •
.lg
F
e::::c:!.ce :'rc.,r: Gcner--..1
J::.
a;:-1-~ff,Yor ,
a,.,f ~r
n_h2..,}· :;rou for your kine. messace on my birthday
*
(
*
irf;SR ?O , .. 9L,'3- ,.,,~ri~r ,..J. Clark ar~ivea ~t his off'ce c.t 0900 and
pinned Solonel •·s c?.gles on Col .
erhrrd Deutsch, Col. J ~rL c Rundell , rol.
:..')..1 L .n;r· n --i_nd Col . ~red crick Stephens
At 0930 he gr-:nted interviews to
a group of r ?-:::Orters ~;ho --re on 3. tour of the :8uropean T e ter • ".t 0<]45
~-<~mir· l Lo, r-;ry --nd Capt:2..:.n ··:i11te1·b.lr-r , he'"'.a of ·,._l v~l Di vision , tqlked ', 1.th
Gener~l C'. •1 rk
J...drnirr1 Low,--ry i& the Comr~-:nd:ing ff~_cer cf rbc ~1 av·.. l Divjsion
j_n :.,.::'F"_,':' . ..L_.,''"l~Y''"'-1 Clar~~ , 1.ccomp-nied bJ t:r .. ..cobert Ch:risJ;:,enberry , 8:e113ral
C1.11J..ir n ·rnr-1 Colonel Sr.ii-th , dep'"'rter1 .., T mc·-:,or :'or the ;•'1.<:: ..,,..11 1 G lodge "t 1 00
hours
Gen°---'"'
lark r ::. ;-Ad c.t his hunt in,: lc<:.c:e a . . cc.t 100 lwurf:. and spent
h9 r -nuinc:er of th8 ~renj nc at is lodge . After dinner he took a walk nd
retired early .
~e"'--rnl CI,. rlr recisived ,he follo".!in: message from 'Lhe Eon
Ref AI'81'1C e I-To . -,:cL ?1942 •
John .IcCloy ,
ttThank you _01.. cur very warming tolsgr. 11 . Cor;-d_ilg froi:i •: Comr.ci.nder of
uc_ d::_stinct,ion ou c2n '· e s ·re I 'v.:.11 .1-re st1re it . 11
21 , 19Lt-5 .eDPra C a~c!r : ccomrnni..,d , y Mr ChristenberTy
left -t·he lodge about 0830 and spent
e d[{y in,. the h.:_lls lmn ~in,_ chamois~. How
f!ver this w s not his luc::,., c1 •
n-1 ~ returned t th lor ge ·· out 1730 emptyh0.nded
He h d dinner and retired e rly
VI ·1 . . .
t
T
,.
1
�Gener"',l Glnrk sent th3 fo}Jovlin€; message to · ·,10 Joint Chiefs of Staff
regard:i.ng th0 critical food si ·uat ion which exists in th~ Russian occupied
( reca of Lower \ustrL , Reference No ., P 6211 .,
1 . Jmdr0as Korb Secretary of State for Fcod in the· l-rovision:11
Aus '., rian rJcnrernrric,nt on 10 November 19L,.5 submi ,ted c; i"ritten report to the
/JtJJ.drJ.p.rti·.,e Foo 1 Committee of the .Allied Council outlining the critic•:.l
food situation e:xj sting in th~ RtJ::oian Or'.'r>Ffied Lrea of Loner \t ::3tria . The
rep:>r· str-tes thrihe estc 1Jliohed ration for the normal consumer in Lower
.· ustria is 801 celor:ies per d ..y, nnd that due to non,.. ava-H a bHity of food
normal consuri19rs in mo.ny areas actun.lly raceive no more thrin 700 calr;ries
per ~-->y; that the RuPsians n.re importing no food into the aret1 .. tLat expected
1 VJ •wa:ne.bili ;;r of indigenous supplies during the conjnr· wint er vril.l cause
the situ'>tion to 9'.et worse, and that a major disaster is threatened tinless
considerable quantities of food - r c.> imported to lower fmstri • Conditions
reported in t.hL., r'3port have been corroborated from other sources. The report re01.1es s the id llied Nations to furnish suffic:i..ent food to LmYer
stria
to pe:rm··t. m·1.intenance of r 2tion scales comparable to those of Vienna
0
1
0
(
"2. In inf rma.l convr::.rsations with m3m1x~rs of m,.T staff Tfarr Korb recentl r s , ted th t the Russians have never imr,orted food to Lower Austri•. 8nd
t. ".:it dur:5.ng th 9 ear:{.y months of their occupa+ion the Russia ns used conslderable qurntities of Lower Austria ts lncU.genous food for subsi ctence of their
troops , but in recent months this has been discontinued with respect to wheat
~.nd other major items although the P.us si8.n li.rmy cont..in,: es to consume local
milk , vegeta )le and similar foodstu :.'='f's
Korb stB.tes th- t serious malnutrition
is <;i.lrea~y in evidence , a.eaths h2.ve occurred from malnutrition and that frequent demons rati ns of unrest have occurred in Wienernsustadt due to food
conditions .
u3 . The Ritssians s.re reslSL2.ng strenuously the placing of Herr Korb ' s
rerort before the 11__lU.ed Council efor ,., elections . The--J neither admit nor
... erw the facts stated in Kerb ' s re:i:ort .
N+• If conrlitjons do not improve in Lower i\ustrir. it is possible -:hav
after the elections +,o be held 25 November the Austrian Crl:lvernment under
Russian guid.r;i.nce may attempt to force the other powers to reduce ration scal es
in other parts of Austria includj ng Vienna and use food imports so saved to
alleviate conditions in Lower Austria; or m y request other rowers to make up
deficjts in Lovier Austri a · In my opinion ration scales now in effect in Vienna.
and the US ?;ones are tho mirrl.mum necessary to µcevent disease and unrest and
I will resist ny efforts to reduce them
Fu-rther I do n. t recorrime.nd increas"'
ing our imports for use in Lower Austrit. as the feeding of that area is a
definite Russian resp:msibility . Recent ir.i.formation reveals that Ru::-,si::.ns
are br:ingj.ng c , 1 dition, 1 troops to Austria from Czechoslowkis. vrho in turn will
live largely off the land ~ A critic 1 situa tion exists throughout the entire
Rur:,sians area of •*ustria ,nd this sitv.Ptj on will be ag 0:r v ted if Rus sians fail
to fu .fill th:dr obl_igations to provide food for their area . n
0
-*
�l r1.-.r
91 ,
: m:--½ • , lod 0 c .... t 070
returned
· s having shot
• He
e r_;_1h .nk2gh·i::··~ith Gene:., 1
nc fo'.hon .,. (',,
l f, 1 ·, zrr 711 ?;-1'he1.. n
C
0n r:-r'
an' (;o~_Ol el
G:::·ogn.n, Colo nsl E.riith, Colonel Jy
d
• r: r
rry · t ~.is
lo~ ~.3 .
~ a·· n11e1
1:: Gener'"'
jr
y.
G
·1'?.....
s ,
-r-
1
'V') '"':~..,
.1..
_ -h
~
Qr-,n~-~ 1 Cl rk ::::?'.+
ni ed States Forces , Austri a :
ttQn Thank sgiving Days of th e past , our f orefather s offered their
11~ve
thanks for the freed.om they h .d found in our Ameri.ca
You nd
;just "1dcC: our co ·n'·.rymen j__ -:
r':!:J T .... t.:.011 .. · -L-Lt f' · ,,cuo:n , --.~1d in
J. L
1.: be .. t,_j_o 1 ~ -1- :.~ o:)rrocse ~ pecp.. C::::' o: ·12~ ror1 ~ .
L~
•
... ~m ~h .1~rful tcc'"'y f
,:; n,'11'1nder
.. your coc·
:itl..cut r:.·rn ·e cou ... d
r vevot·on to
ce,
JOl:J....
LC~
1.1~.ve
v: n
spiri-- , ... JOH). .:i-Lb you on t ·us Th·1.:nks,;;i ving r y o
1945 in ·ex···rcs:::. · g he~.rt±.' 1t .t· ·r c:.""'t~ en for · 1e ld.vine '"'tl. ic. _ee -::1hich
led ·,1s to -i-.½_,, suceessfv C' m.t-•·... e·jon of th t missjon
.:;_q!'e your fer
10nt t!'1rnt -1',.. 1 , 1{ . ..1.h t. a· ''"'. ne gt;i,..~,..,:
me "".rl
..,sta ·lish
world where
'311 o~· all n 4 :.c":s ·:.L.
ive tcwet.h ,r in tranquil pro,...perity fore,r .r n
:r. . . un...,le
c-,
J
~
3 , 19,45- 18:i:1ernl
for ,;, ,
e,:1 · '.: ....
'.::",!':. rnmained at his lodge duri'1g t e
lk ·_n ·,he !lf'ternoor..
e , p·2;n1· t._1,:; ~a:.,. r ~::::-tir:g
*
*
*
iTJ 1A l.0V:" 2R 2L , l 9li5 G--1nar"l Sbr_{ left his 1- ,nt:.inf lodge :::i.t 1000
ours no. trent t'
~· :r _r.. th~ 11·1 s of :inderstod,'.;;;:::-· , =e.LuTn:.ng
. out
730 hourc h~v:ng shot four chJ~1ois ch;r::nr;' · ne d . y .
�w
,rry
ing he
·'rmn_
er
a
...aner 1 Clark l&'ft his hun '· jng lod.;;e t
.lo .. icnn'"' b. c r
e '"'rr:hr~d i1 1 Ti ,r-~~ ,.,t 1.4 5
y ·o
--i J_
;1,re 1e · h~d J ,l"'ch rrj
r. C ~r, 4 en
1
al rested or n v. bil
n t e evend early .
d•
••
rr1vec'. !lt his
n,.,
,11.D
·n re fe,J. o Jr-.c. ' r·r ._ ~rh _ t .
J --.. c,_nn
.c' -:- _i_'t~ C-::-•--,,_.,_~ ... 1 r".lrir}:, :Zor a short time . Lt ~
Grieorious , Ordnance, Speci l Project officer- , saw the General concerning
telescopic s:.:..r;:JtE; for ~1::..G '!'~ ~-,., f:: ~n . . ,r ,. C"rr.~al :f "ie f ~ ~ ~tate D ,t,J...u:·~mant at Chserta · opi~-..d in t
say 1&Jl
,.,_t' noon, 1 t t.er
short confe .. erce ~irith Gene:r 1 To.ta , General Clark
lunch .
0
J
Immedi.:,tely after lunch Gen1=rnl fifol;ahon and General Tate conferred
v1i h th8 General concernjng rranp-ements for a State De;_--,"3rtment cockt il
party to b,3 g:tve:ri at 1800 hours in the evening . At 1430 General Flory
s w Generc. l Clark to brief him on the Jewish Displaced . . ersons sitrn.tfon,
and was followed at 11+30 hours by five me. mbers of the .Tmvish Committee of
America, who a.r"= tourin •·~urope in order to see the condition of tTe!vish
Displaced Persons cam s . At 1450 hours Gen9r,r.il Mel hon conferred ·dth
QqnerAJ. Cl~rk nd was followed by C lonel rrogan t 1500
After ceeing
~i:mer 1 Tate for a short tim~ , Genera_ Cl ..rrl,. left hio off:.tce at 1530 W'>lk:i.ng wi- h G,:,neral Saltzm n to bis villa
At 1800 hours General CJ.qrk guve
a cockt.·:Ll party for forty members of the State Department and other m3mb0r s of he, .dq-Darters
At 2000 hours the Gen0r,..1 had dinn.;r nith several
m".3mbers of his staff ~nd later pl~y'9d
ker
*
*
*
�l O,i, ,
(
Gene al Clark sent the following mes ... ge to Genl'.3rn.l of the Army
George C flfarshall , 1rrar Dcr,st. ent , efereYJC8 ro . P- 6554:
"In bj doing you this fonrl est f rewell on the erminntion of your
br1.l i~.nt ten re of office ., I wish I v1°re t 1ere in ·1ash: ngton today to
exnress to you the full me"" Sl1re of my personql congratul:1.tions nnd sincere th nks , as we 1 as t ose of 11 ranks h9re ,.,t USF.A
Th, world 'vell
!mows , , nd shall ever remember , the monument.al task rhich you so magnificen _,ly completed in supervising the victory ·of the l0rgest and
e test
armies to ever defend li. erty in the history of mankind . Time · shall not
dim , nor sh 11 merica forget , the maenit de of your works • . Retirement
from official office was never mo-re hiP."hly des9rved than yours
I shall
alt-';ays c e:rish the opportunH,y and privelege I had to serve under your
r:.ble command
re all most heartily gree ~ith the $entiments of Fresi•
dent Trurr,cn ' s rec en-. statement of vour w rth, r:.nd in n rting we reg-..cetfully
·but prou.dly s lute trThe Greatest Soldj er the orld has ever known . 11
*
*
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*
TI ,., ·A--lJCJ.r,..~•,·q,_R 27 191.5- General Clqrk arrived at his office at 1000 hours
and tmmedi tely saw Co onel 1-'orter concernj ng arr ngements for a trip to
It.aly in th near future . He next saw Gener-1.l Brann who was fallowed by
Colon~J Pesek core ernj ng press cony to be delivered to t 1e Gener al each
·rno 1.!nft at 1050 hours .. Gener'1.l Howard saw Ger1Pral. Clar 1: and at 1120 M:r . lu.cCormac and Ttir . Foe or , rc3porters , inter-vier ed Gener-Jl Clark. Gener'l.1 Tate
tf")lked i.v:i.th h~ Gene; .... nJ_ for
s~1ort time t, noon nd 1tvas followed b:r Co onel
Th :ver who discrs sed the S • 1 fter 1 un ' the General took care of all
a c cumula · ed corresponde,nce and at 1430 hours left his of .ic
We Udng t o
his villa
0
0
,
Gene ~,.1 Clark 1ssu8d the follow.1np; statement on Tuesday, the 27th, after
the elections h2.d taken place i 1 Vienna:
''The TTnited States and the other Allied Occupation pov.rers have given to
Aust ri something that is precious to all free men and vorvm: the right of
free '31.ect:: rns ,
privile~e h~t hltler took a1~1a.y from them .
his is one of tl e •. o~_;t important steps in +he . llies program of
help~_no- Austria to become a free independent and democratic nation .
t
" stria ' s futvre is progrecsivel~r be -:i n ~ pl .;;. c ed J_n h~r orm hands . A
free elect.ion vipes out another trace of Na.ziism and P-ives to the people
Democratic government of :,heir ovm choice
tt~:i nee the forces of th~ nj_ted S+ tes and the other Allies ent ,red
A .strin , +h0re have been outstqnd~ng evidences of cooperation by 11 hustrians ,
an tho proP.;rPSS a.lready made to. ·r.ird the restorat:ion of A1-1stria as an indeendent democratic n.-..tion has be3n steady nd enccur ·~ng .
n He rdll al
*
do our part to help Austria and its people .
*
*
*w
rt
�VIEl'L A- ..: . BI.. ER 28 , 19/45- Ge~eral Cl rk !)rrived t _..is office b.t 0930 and
sn~ G ,ner· l 'Ctr"nm .
t 09L5 Gener2l Howc..r 1, }r.:iner ,l Tate ?!r:d Colon,. . l Faxon
:rtr:.fec +he GAneral on c3.·,.., r reconn" is'1nc,-?. uni-1..s t
.t 1000 Gen':~ral ,... eibert
of C 2 . . -SFTT'T talked with General Clark on the G 2 se up, '".nc1_ :rns fol.lowed
;r Gen..,!.' .l Flory •;ho discussed t'19 ·~c "'t ~~ly repor' i::hich '· 1e ~ Hitary Comrdssj oner s 1 ;-;1jt,s . Gener .1 Rram1 a ain saw Gen9ral Clark and le.ter I r .
r:,u_een ,. nr1 Fr
~; ed0n of the Eer?ld. Tri -iune , '~arc s -rlith our local P.t0 ,
interv..i e're the Go:ne1-- ... l . l~ ..,_jor ~J rm , lied.ical officer from the 110th StD
tion Lospitnl tr~,,..,,ted Ge:ne:.~a1 Clar}- for an infection in his eye o.t 1200 .
General Tate , S-e11eral , rnnn ··nd I1r c grhard conferred witL Gr.mer01l Ghrk
· nt.il lunch .. :?ollov ing lune'. J~neral Brr:-r.n, Gener--:.1 Tete and rtr . Erhardt
again conferred •.Ji th G'=nerr- 1 Ci ... rk nd. q..._ • c1· !1.ki .. i~ care of · cc-c11nuL t.ed
cor:esp9nt~enc 0 , ~ h0: Gene~ al left h.:.r~ office for the d1y .
1
T. e Gener2.l sent .I.he fol owing mess .~e to S.eneral (.;osenh T .. lfoNe.rn;:y ,
0o."Jno.nr1:ng G01~c:-c.l , F ., e, Forceo · uro e"'n fv~ t~r , Reference . . lfo .. •-6711-1-:
"Dear t!oe·
*
Glac
o renev1 the fine associ'ition Tle started ::.n Italy.
*
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tt
*
VI11, n~29 , 1945- General Cl~.rk arriyed 01 t Ms of:'ice at 0o35 . He
i. ec-ia.tely s .w Grmer 1 Brnnn co 1cern2.ng the i:iaV·ers t be discussed w~.th
! 11 rohal Kon:t..;;V l· ter in the day . Geney-al C'l.srk talked vd_t:1 General G ltzman
a.t 0900 concerning the t:r-ip to be tak0n to Italy and was follm1ecl by Colon .1
HyIT3.rd . C-oj.onel areet v1a.s cal ed in to c~iscus.,;, the currency probl em r.i..nd. at
0930 Genei--r.1 . ark 19ft his office to go to Baden to hrve 1.n informe.l conference with Marsh::ll Konie,r. He re ,urned to hj_s headc.J..1&rters
3l:.5 ho·vrs and
fter lunch discussed the results of the confe,..,ence with Gen2r. l Brcu1 . The
General le . his of· ice at 1500 hcurs for the day "
ing
GenAr.:-.1 Cl "rk sent the followinf: message to Jeneral ~isenhower regarddisc1 ssion which he lm.d. '.!:1..th r~a:rshal Rom ev e1trl:i er in the da;j .
! have jvst had a long pe ·sonal conversation with Koni~:N at his Head
:rters in Buden . T ch foor1 resultec:i rom our conference
One subject
wMch he djscussed rAl•··tes to his c ·ncern cf adverse criticism in the ~meri
can press of the ,... ovie ~nion po:.icies . I ri.ra convinced thnt _he rends only
the deroga ory state111ents and fails ,o see- th,~ many f vorable reports which
emanate :i:'roM the _1.r1 ericr.n press . ,~ould it not be a good idea if your Bure!.l.U
o Pu lie Relations collec·:.ed and ser.:t, -to m8 o.nd to Mclfarney the many favor•
, able artkles on Sov1et- er:n8riC'nn r:3 '1tions? These, men sutmitted to our .
r3srec ive Soviet orros:i.~ es would r.roduce much good . n
11
q
{
�lo3
VIEilJKA--NOVF.J-1BER 30,, 1945--General Cla.rk ~rrived in his office at 0900
a.nd immediately s 1'1 General Tate and Genere.l Brann
At 1 00 the General
presented Colonel Grogan, Public Relations Officer, and Sargent Trent,
the General 1 s Mess Sargent , with the ronze Star Medal for meritorious
..service . Both Colonel Grogan and Sgt. rent a re returnit1g to the StPtes
for Christmas .
A picture of the Commanding General , Deputy Commanrring General
and Chief of Staff , ana Section heads• was taken a.t 1015 and immea.iately
following the General left for the Alljed Council meeting which began
at 1100 hours
At 1430 hours General Clark returned to hi~ office from
the meeting and immediately held a. press conference f) Upon completion of
the conference General Cls,rk left his office for his villa where he ma.de
prepara tions for le aving on a trip to Italy. At 1715 hours General Clark
left his villa to go to Mehl.ling tation where he boarded hie private
train .. Among the General I s guest who accompanied him on his trip to
Italy were Maj . Gen. Harry J Collins, General S ltzman, General Sullivan,
Colonel Porter, Lt . Col. Nygard , Mr Christenberry and General Clark ' s
aide Lt . Traugott
Gene:re.l Cl a rk sent the following mesrnge to Ron., Herbert H. Lehman, .
UNRRA e Wa shington, D.C
Reference No. P-6946:
Director General
11 C'oncerning
(
my conversation , i th you a.t the Columbus Dey Dinner in
New York. I greatly apDreci?.te what you are doi n g with your organization
in Austria .
11 Seven
members of your Supply Working Party renorted here on 28
November in r .e sponse to re quest from the Allied Counci to stu-,y the
problem of UNRRA aid for ustria
PreliminA.ry discussions •ri th this group
were held on 29 ~fovember ~ which inr1. icat es t will be several months b.efore
any aid beyond tha.t now sup:pli ed ,Ji 11 be forthcora i r.. g "
"I am gre Ptly concerned over conritions in Lo,.,e AustriP. Due to
circu.mst~nces 'beyonc1. our control there is a. ureat shortage of f ood in thzt
r~ rea , hich conc.i tion if al . . . owecl to continue, may cause many serious cases
of malnutritjon this ~inter. Although this is in the area of responsibility
of the Red Army the co1ditions there may reflect on conditions in the America.n Zone eno. in Vienna due to posdble necessity of divert fog our food and
supplies to Lovrer Austria under emereency cono.i t ions .
11 ! feel we must forget the conditions 1hich created this situation
c:ind a.pproach the problem as it exists today . I discussed this matter with
Marshal Konev today and he would welcome any help UNRRA can give
The longrange program envisaged by the Supply Working Pe.rty now here r ill not rneet
the immediate emergency facing lo i er Austria.
�1
I hope you can focus your attention on Austria where we nre making
progress in creti ting an independent a.nd democratic nation of great importance
to the United States and its Allies .
11 For
ree.sons which you will unctersta.nd, the contents of this message
must be considered confidential and no publicity whatsoever given to this
message .
11 Hope
to see you over here soon . n
I'T.A.LY--DECEMEER 1 , 1945--General Clark , accompenied by Mr .. Christenberry ,
Maj. Gen. Collins , Generc.l Salt:zman 11 Col . Nygard ana_ Lt. Traugott arrived
in Udine at 0945 hours . The party immediately left the train to continue
to Pisa by C-47 where the were met by General OXX of the PBS . The party
then took off for Florence by ca,r and arrived at the Angl~-American Hotel
at two o'clock in the afternoon . A light lunch was served in the Gener~l's
suite and at 2000 hours the pBrty had dinner with friends of the Genere.1 1s
in Florence .
(
I~ALY--D~CEI\JffiER 2, 1945--At 1100 hours General Clark, General Collins ,
General Saltzman ancl Mr. Christenberry a.ttencled mass at t he Santissima
Annunziata Church in Florence. Lunch was served aboRrd the Genere,1 1 s train
which had arrived from Udine at 1000 hours on Sunday morning . In the afternoon General Clark took a walk through the streets of Florence, and at night
the General and. some of his guests dinerl out with friends of the General .
I TALY--DECEMBER 3, 1945--Genera,l Cl qrk e.nd members of his pt?.rty with the
exception of Colonel Nygard e.nd General Sullivan who remained in Florence ,
left for Rome by car , arriving s.t the Excelsior Hotel in Rome at 1600 hours .
'11he General and his guests had a 1::Jte lunch at the hotel and at night General
Clark , Mr . Christenberry, General Collins , Generd Saltiman and Colonel Porter
had dinner with General Brady.
ITALY--DECEMBER 4, 1945--General Clark and General Saltzman went for a.
stroll in the morning and after lunch at the hotel, the General, accompanied
by Mr . Christenberry and General Collins took the cAr for a drive to Anzio ..
At 1830 hours the party went to the home of Ambassador Kirk for cocktails
and retunned to the hotel for dinner . La.ter in the evening General Clark and.
Mr .. Chrir-; tenberry went to the show at the Excelsior Hotel night club .
�to5
ITALY--DECEMBER 5, 1945--General Clark dictatea_ e letter to Mrs .. C_ark
in the morning . At 1000 Mr . Christenberry left Rome for the United States .
After a short walk the General received Mr . Tittm:mn who took General
- Clfark , General Collins , General Saltzman anaColonel Porter to the Vatican
for an audience with the Pope A,t 1145. The General and his pa.rty attended
a luncheon at 1330 given in Generf-11 Clark 1 s honor by Lt . Gen RidgePs.y . At
1845 hours General Clark , Gem-ral Collins , General Saltzman, Colonel Porter
and Lt . Traugott went for cocktRils to the home o-P Gener?,l B,..aa_y to meet
Crown Prince Umberto ~ after which the General c..nc_ his guests h a.d dinner with
Mr. and Mrs. Tittmann.
B'ALY--DECEMBER 6 , 1945--General Cl~rk and his party left Rome by pla,ne at
1030 hours and arrived in Florence at 1120 . Continuing on to Udine that
same afternoon the plane was forced to return to Florence on account of bad
weather and. the party remained in Florence overnight •
•
ITALY--DECEMEER 7 , 1945- •- Genera,l Clark and party left Florence on a :B-25
anc. arrived at Udine at 1115 where the group 1las met by General Moore of
the 88th Division. Leaving Udine airfield at 1145 , the Generals plane continued on to Vienna , arr iving there at 2:15 o 1 clock . Gener~-1 Clark aJ1d General
Collins went to the villa for lunch where they were met by General Brann .
Gen .. Collins returned to Sal tzburg that same night on the 11 Mozart 11 train .
ITALY--DECE!<BER 8 ~ 1945-- General Clark arrived at his office at 0930 hours .
After dictating some letters he saw Colonel Pesek ho w21s followed by Mr .
Joseph Gray of the Political Division . Colonel Jack Nygard tal1t ed with the
General for a. short time a.nd let er GenE·ral Tate with General OXX saw the ·
General . At 1115 General Clark conferred with Mr c Billy Rose of New York
City concerning the entertainment facilities for office~s end enlisted men
and also conditions for Jewish Displa.c ed Persons .
At noon General Cb.rk promoted Ma.jor Snow and Ma,,jor McCracken to the
grade of Lt . Colonel. He again saw Mr., Gray end Colonel Pesek . At 1300 the
General had lunch '"ith F.Jembers of his stp_ff A.nd Mr . :Billy Rose . After lunch
General Clark conferred with General Tate and e.t 1415 hours saw Mr . Figl , the
new Austrian Chancellor who presented the Genera.l with a list of the new
members of the Austrian Government . Shortly after theGeneral left for his
villa where he spent the remainder of the e.vening .
�General Cla.rk sent the following message to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
i n Washington . Reference No . P-7627:
11 1 .
At meeting Executive Committee 4 December discussion on reply
to Renner i s appeal of 5 November for economic as dstance developed cleerly
ns,tional position on food supply . US positions outlined in WAR 8589 of
292237Z •• British position generally in agreement with U. S .
n2 . French stated they had agreed to supply th~ir area in Vienna
on 1 , 650 basis but not repeat not in their zone outside Vienna, where ca.lory
scale is now about 1, 200 , of which two third.s is supplied by French , remainc.er from indigenous resources . Soviets stated their underste.nding that
four powers had accepted responsibility for supplying Vienna on basis of
1 , 550 but that there was no agreed responsibility to provide food for zones
outside of Vienna , and that deficiencies in zones must be supplied by Austria
from her own resources
"3.
All agree aid from UNRRA. essential on emergency basis and at
earliest possible moment and. directed ce..b le be prepared to UNRRA setting forth
situation and urgency and asking emergency a.ssistnnce with food to start
before 1 February if possible . On US insistence agreed if UNRBA came in
it would have free access to areas where it distributed supplies .
4 . On broad question Food Supplies Soviets submitted draft resolution
critical of Austr i a government ' s e}ploitation Ano distribution of indigenous
resources and directing implementation of food_ progress . This resolution
al so included statement that Allied Council considers Austrian popul,:,,t ion
can and must be fed out of its own resources until 1 March 1946 . British
&nd US refused to accept resolution ana it was sent to Economic Directorate
11
for reconsidere.tion and redra.fting.
5 . Obvious from this meeting and subcommittee cHscussion thPt future
French food imports except for Vien~a unlikely and that Russians will not
supply in future except for Vienna..
11
"6 . Promnt a.ssist ence from uNRP.A a-1nePrs best solution to -orevious
serious shortages Lower Austria . rt
General 012.rk also sent the following messa,€'"e to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff rega.rding the new Austrian Cabinet members . Reference !fo . -P-7661 .
"Ens;ineer Leopold Figl personally ca.Ilea_ on me this afternoon anc_ gave
me the list of the new Austrian Cabinet A.greec upon by lesders of the three
pe.rt ies which he he.s likewise sent to the Allied Council through channels .
List follol-rs:
�Chancellor and Foreign Minister; Figl - People ' s Party
Vice Chancellor; Adc,lf Scha.erf Socialist
Minister without Portfolio in ChA.r ge of Foreign Af i:'a irs; Gruber People's Party
Minister without Portfolio; Lois Weinberger - People ' s Pa.rty .
Interior: Oskar Helmer - Socialist
;
Education and Worship . Feliz Hurdes - Peo-ple 1 s Party
Justice : Geroe - Non-Party
Agricul mre: Kr a.us - Peop le I s Pe.rty
Finance: , Zimmermann - Non-party
Commerce e.na Building : Raab - People ' s P$.rty
Communications : Vincenz Uebleis - Socialist
Power and Electrification: Ke,rl Altmann - Communist .
Food~ Korp - Socialist.
Socia.l Ad.ministration: Boehm - Socialist
Property and Economic Planning. Schumy - People ' s Party.
Under the Ministry of the Interior there is a People t s Party State
Secretary Ferdinand Graf (who is to handle publi.c security matters) e.nd under
the Property Ministry is a Socialist State Secretar y Karl Wa.ldbrunner .
(
Figl told me confidentially that Renner wa.s . to be President and thq+
he would accept . He likewise said the.t the Oa.binet had been a.greed on by the
leaders of all three pci,rties . He hopes that the Allied Council at its meeti.ng
on December 10 will approve the cabinet and. I told him that I woula. do everything I could to bring this about and. would also end.eavor to get the Council
to agree to recommend th8 t the respective Governments of the occupying po'A·ers
should. grant recognition . I t olcl him this would. take some time but I hoped
the Council would see fit to a.u thorize him to proceed with the calling together of tle Nationalrat ana. Bundesrat . the election of the president , etc .. •
so that the new government cou'ld be formally esta.blished and operating before
Christmas.
VIEN.NA--DECErrnER 9 11 1945--General Clark reme.ined at his villa in the morning
taking care of accumulated correspondence ana. papers . General Clark saw
Colonel Smith of the Labor Division at 1215 hours A.nd received messages from
various people in the Wa.r Department which Collnel Smith had brought upon his
recent return from the States .
General 01;.irk held a. conference with Mr . Doc Mathews , GenerA-1 Brann ,
· Mr . Erhardt and Mr .. Gra,y at 0100 hours . After resting a while in the afternoon he saw General Howa.rd. and Colonel Coburn C.. Smith who are lea.ving for
the General .
In the evening Countess Olivia Larisch ha.d dinner with the
General .
�LoZ
(
General Cla.rk sent the follo ring message to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff . Reference No P-7673 :
11 Referring to WARX 86274 , conditions in Vienna. are suffi.ciently known
to warrant rea.sonalJly correct estimate of number of troops necessary here for
each power .. Outside ViennA, conditions are influenced by factors such as
numbers of DP 1 s, PWs , refugees. fuel. food , andother economic conditions ,
severity of winter , health and security conditions , destruction caused by
·ar and situation in neighboring countries, which are imposeible to forecast accurately
Such factors in Rus dan zone lea.st known to us of e.11
zones as less infonnation avail able . Additionally capabilities of transport
· to move Soviet forces elsewhere and to house and feed in other localities
and possible density of mov€m e nt not sufficj_ently known . With our different
military organizations difficult to give valid estimate as to wh, t rEic.uction
can be ma.de in troop basis of other powers by use of mobile type police force .
11
In computing US requirements, necessary make following assumptions as
to US Forces .
First , that forces are available only for occupationpl duties
and a.re consequently not immediately F.tVa.ilable for use in a comt)at role else\>'here in Europe; second , thP..t conditions mentioned first paragraph improve
after this winter so that troop requirements for controlling or supervising
progr€ssively decrease . These assumptions are not all necessarily applicable
other powers because of different condi t j ons· in and ne~r their zones .
11 As
to topics A, B, end C, estimate present needs of Vienna t includ fog
a.djacent Vien.,_"1& a.irfield garrison, for ee.ch po ,rer as 9 , 000 . These inclucl.e
comb~.t Bnd service t ·roops , mili tnry and Allied Council 1 headqua.rters "?ersonnel
and a small air component . Use of mobile police-type forces will not affect
requirements in Vienna , Progres~ively , requirements in Vienna can be reduced
to 5, 000 per power by 1 November 1946 ,
11 0ut
side Vienna present US reouirements are about 31 , 000 normal type troo-ps
which can progres~ively be reduced to about 16 , 000 by 1 July 1946, and 12 , 500
by 1 November 1946 . The employment of mobile police-type units of cav2,lry
and military police could probably further reduce this figure to 12 , 500 by
l July 1946 and_ to 10 , 000 by 1 November . At present time outside Vienna French
requirements are slightly less than our O'ltm. British and Soviet minimum re~uirements outside Vienna are presently greater than our because of locat i on ,
extent , and cha!'$.cter their zones , particularly frontier responsibility . Estimate tha.t British minimum requirements N"Ould currently be a.bout 50 , 000 and
60 , 000 . (This purely a guess , -oerticularly with regards to Soviets . Use of
mobile type police forces by other po-i;.1:ers might result in small saving if
they he.d equipment availa1)le . Progressively British and. Soviet forces could
be reduced to parity ,,rith US but only vihen conditions have stabilized by
elimina.tion present major troop 9roblems caused by factors enur.1era.ted beginning
of message . Recommend this scaling down to parity be spread over period of
time . Specifically, recommend that ea.ch power be asked to agree to follov,ing.
�l69
(
"I . To reduce progressively , beginning at once, the size of the
occupying forces in Austria.
ti
II.
To phase the reduct ion so thAt
a ..
The mazimum forces of each power in Vienna and adjacent
Vienna airports ~ill be limited as follows
By 1 July 1946, 8 , 000
By l November 1946 , 5 . 000
b.
The mazimum forces of each power in their zones outside of
Vienna will be limited is follows :
By 1 July 1946 , 16 , 000 for French r 16 , 000 for US ,
30, 000 for British and 40 , 000 for Soviet .
By 1 November 1946 , 18 . 500 for French, 12 , 500 for US , ,
20 , 000 for British , 28 , 010 for Sovi•t ~
ttIII . To effect a progressive further reduction after 1 November
1946 in order to arrive at ~Arity i n the size of the forces of each power .
IV . Tha.t in order to reduce the size of the occupying forces , eP..ch
po,,rer will wher e pra,ct icA.h le use to the maximum in the zones outside Vienna
mobiile police-type forces or other organizations and equi-pment that i••i l l
reduce needs of manpower .
11
Tha.t in specifying thf7 size of the occupying forces , the f i gures
include officers and men of land , air , and sea forces .
V.
"VI . 'nhat the figures as to s i ze are mazimum figures and that each
of the occupying powers may in their discretion maintain garrisons of lesser
strength .
":NEW SUBJECT: It must be borne in mi nd that the above figures are
educated guesses , particularl y for Soviets and to a lesser extent for French
and :British . Whereas US proposed reductions are probably fl}ore accurate they
must de:pend on coordinated action by other powers .
11 Referring
Topic D, I offer following 'comments .
fl{l) Generd . General policiew and major obj ecitives outlined in
State Dep~s 299 are fully supported here .
I
"(2) Powers and functions of Allie<l a.uthori ties in Austria. in immediate future . It is suggested that after new Austrian Govt . formed as result
of elections has been recognized by the four powers , the Allied authorities
in Austria should no longer exercise supreme authority in all matters affecting country as a whole . Instead they should (a) retain responsibility for
�uo
handling certain specified matters themselves, (b) retain control or sunervisory power (including veto power) over certain other , but (c) exercise
only guidance or advisory functions regarding most l~rger long term problems .
These three categories may be indicated as follows:
tt (a)
Matters to be handled by Allied authorities themselves . These
include United Nations DPs and PWs ~ United Nat ions property , Allied rep_ rri.tions
claims to German property in Austria , enforcement of German surrender terms
so fer as Austrie. is affected , demobiliz tion , separc:tion and disentanglement from Germany , importation of essential relief and rehabilitation supplies , and , when requested by Austrian Govt. Patrol of international frontiers
and assi stc,nce in maintena.nce of internA-1 order .. Except for le.st three iteme
these are matte.rs in which Allied powers h&ve major interPst of their O'rn .
11
(b} Matters on ,r•hich Allied authorities ,~·ould retain control or supervisory po 1.~ ers ( incluc_ing veto po,,,er) ·~ These are matters ,,rhich have importai."lt
be8ring on preservation of peace , 8nd incluae the conclusion of political
and military treaties bet ,reen new Austrian Govt and forei.gn Govts, maintenance
of an Austrian military estt:1blishment 901.:;session and development of industries useful only for war purposes ,. foreign trade and economic relations
,,,1th oth&r countries ( inclua.ing regional economic arrangements) , denazificet ion
( t, 1hich can now best be handled by Austrians under Allied su:r,-ervision) , and
preservetion of freedom of speech . freedom of press, ~nd other civil liberties .
(There should be no Allied censorshin . )
u (c) Matt ers on which Allied authorities would furnish guidronce and
ad.vice to new Austrian Gov~ . .,,\11 remaining matters 1:·ould fall in this c~tegory . The political matters inc lude question of holrli:"lg ne\1 nr-tional elections
within t1 elve months if found desirable to a.o so , relations bet •een Federal
.,.na_ provincial govermnent, constitutional powers of the president , and relations behreen State and Church
The economic ma.tters include rehabili tetion,
and labor pnd social questions .
0(3)
Organizatiqnal setup and methods of operation of Allied authorities .
It is hoped that a new agreement can be entered into among the four Governments
ir!. nec1-- future vesting que.dripr:-..rti te Allied Commission with powers _nd functions
some ·:h[-~t as suggested above . I suggest that 1 t might be left to the discretion
of ea.ch Govt to decide whether its highest rer,resentn.tive should be military
or civiliAn c=ind ~hether its element of Allied Commission staff should be military , civilian, or mixed . In this connection my recent private talk rith
Koniev indicated he strcnty favored retention of military control . The Divisions of Allied Commission should be adjusted. to conform with ministrtes of
new Austrian Govt . The agreement should provide that the three categories of
of m2.t ters mentioned in per a 2 a.bove should be dealt with through proceti.ures
somewhat A8 follows :
(
�lll
(
"(a) Matters to be ha.n dled by Allied authorities themselves . Agreement as to all policies should be reached. , on basis of unanimity• in Allied
Commission . Execution of the policies could be entrusted in some cases to
Qµadripa:i::-tite egencies a nn. in others to forces of the various powers , as
agreed in Allied. Commtssion. Aue +,rhm Govt . should collabort:i te an~~ be called
upon for assista.nce to extent found advisPble .
0
(b) Matters on which Allied authorities would retain control or
supervisory powers (incluci.ng veto po'ltrer) •· Decisions should be reached on
all these matters by Al lied Commission on basis of unanimity . However proposed acts of Aus t ri?'1 Govt should be a.llowed to go forward or to t ::ike effect
a.u tomPt ica.lly in absence of exnress notification of veto within ap"9ropriat e
short periods . In all these mRtters , any necessary rork would be carried
on by Austrian Govt . Investigation of Austrian ~onroliPnce "".rith AC rulings
should. be made by quadrip artite committees or agencies .
"(c) Matters on which All'ied authorities would furnish guidance and
Pdvice to new Austrian Govt . !n these mA.tters the four Allied pouers should
urefer &bly act through Allied Commission, on basis of discussion and unanimous
agreement . I f one or more powers should insist on extending gui dance or
advice on particula.r ma tters unilaterally through diplomatic renresentatives ,
there would seem to be no way of preventing it . However , agreed quadrip artite
guidance and advice would sometj_mes carry greater weight ..
0
(4) Zones of occup Btion. Troops of the various powers should be assigned
to specified present localities and their movemEnts should be restricted but
zonal deme,rcation lines should be elimin3.ted so far as adrninirtration of
Austrian affairs is concerned . Allied authorities should not restrict the
moveme nt of Austrian citi.zens or Austrian commerce . Allied authorities should
address all instructions a.nd advice to Federal Govt . except in ma.t ters of exclusively local concern .
n(5)
Future Changes in Powers and Functions of Allied Authorities .
Function of im:9orting essential relief and rehP..bilitation supplies
should be turned over progressively to UNRRA as l.s,tter becomes able to Rssume
the burden . Grn.dUA.l. revival of Aus t rian foreign trade should also contribute
to tapering off of quadrip r. rt i te responsibility for ci""1ilian supplies .
"The new four-po ,rer a.greement should provide that highest representatives
of four powers in Allied Oomriission may agree on behalf of their Govts from
time to time , on basis of unanimity , to :relinquish control or supervisory powers
(includj ng veto power) over any matters indicated in para 3 b above .
0
It ap"Dea.rs from numbered para 3 in Sta. -'- e Dept ' s 299 that St te Dent
contempl tes incorporating in proposed new four :po•.'-• er Eigre ement provisions
governing ultim11te liouidation of Allied Control and tr nnsfer of full sovereign
rights to Austrian Govt .. Sovi e t representa.tives heve recently indicst ed the.t
they consider signine of a peace treaty the act ~Thich will finally terminate
four pO\.rer control ~ guia.ance of Austria
"
*
*
*
*
�lt2
VIENNA-...DECEMBER 10, 1945---Gene:r-al Clark arrived at his office at 0830 and
immediately saw General Brann. Colonel Sloan was called in to the office
and shortly thereafter Maj or Betz saw the General. Both General Bratm and
General Tate walked with the General for a long while.
At 09.30 hours Mr. Erhardt conferred with General Clark and later Mr.
Doc Matthews, Director of European Division of the State Department, was
also called in · on the conference. After seeing General Brann again for a
short time the General left with Mr. Erhardt, Mr. Matthews and General
Brann for the Allied Council Meeting which began at 1100. The General
returned to his Headquarters at 1500 hours and at 1515 held a press conference which was attended by Mr. M. W. Fodor of the Chicago Stm; Mr. Seymour
Friedin of the New York Herald Tribune; Mr. Lynn Heinzerling of the Associ•
ated Press; Mr. John MacCormac of the New York Times; Mr. Panos Morphopoulos
of Newsweek; Mr. Harold Queen of the United Press and Mr. Fred Wackernagel
of ISB-USFA. After the conference General Clark talked with General Brann
and General Tate, leaving his Headquarters for his villa at 1615. In the
evening he had dinner with General Sullivan, Colonel Porter and Colonel
Martin.
General Clark sent the following message to Field Marshal the Honorable Sir Har old R. L.B. Alexander, Governor General, Dominion of Canada,
Personal Clark to Alexander. Reference No. P•7176:
"I offer heartiest congratulations to you today on your birthday.
Your indispensable contribution to our allied victory during the past year
must today be a source of great pride and satisfaction for you. Your many
friends here in the U. s. Forces in Austria join with me in trusting that
you will enjoy that same outstanding success in the fulfillment of your
new responsibilities. I send my personal best wishes for your continued
health and good fortune in the years to come."
*
*
*
*
VIEl~NA-•DECEMBER 11, 1945--General Clark arrived at his office at 0930 hours
where he immediately saw General Tate and General Brann. At 1010 General
Bethouart, French Commander, conferred with General Clark and at 1030 the
General saw Colonel Porter. Dr. Gruber of the ' Austrian Government had a
conference with General Clark concerning recognition of the new government
and immediately following, General Brann and General Tate again saw the
General.
Mr. MacCormac and Mr. Fodor, news correspondents, talked with the
General shortly before lunch and after lunch the General conferred with
Mr. Erhardt and then General McMahon and General Tate. At 1400 hours Mr.
Figl, Chancellor of the new Austrian Government, saw General Clark concerning the recognition of members of the new government. The Russian government is objecting to the new government as first submitted and General Cl ark
is acting as arbitrator. At 1500 hours General Clark saw General Brann and
General Tate, and then Colonel Rich, Medical Officer, concerning the medical
setup in Austria. After seeing Mr. Erhardt concerning the Austrian government
General Clark left for his villa.
�\ l3
"Allied Council approved (1) reply to paragraph in Dr. Renner 1s letter
of 30 November dealing with his objection to the size of occupation forces;
(2) Invitations to Yugoslav and Swiss governments re telephone service
between their countries which passes through Austria;
( 3) Aclmowledgment receipt of copy of Yugoslav note verbale re ele·c tion
in Carinthia;
(4)
Report on Austrian elections;
(5) Directive to Austrian government prohibiting military activities in
accordance with Potsdam agreement;
(6)
Telegram to UNRRA requesting emergency relief;
(7)
Belgian Military Mission under Article 12, EAC agreement
(8) Disposal of 31 Renner government laws, twenty without change, five
with amendments, five abrogated by approval of conversion law, and ordered
submission of a concise constitutional law to cover provisions needed to
organize new parliamentary goy0rn~ent and a complete draft of a provisional
constitution later.
*
*
*
*
VIENMA--DECEMBER 12, 1945•-General Clark arrived in his office at 1000 hours
and immediately saw General Hume, G-5. He later saw General Brann and
Colonel Marget concerning the new currency conversion. Mr. Erhardt talked
with General Clark on the most recent developments of the recognition of
the new government and shortly afterwards General Tate saw General Clark.
Later Golonel McLean talked with General Clark on several court martial
cases which were pending, after which General Clark again saw General Brann
and Mr. Erhardt. After lunch at 1300 hours, General Cl ark took care of
accumulated correspondence and left his headquarters for his villa. At
1700 hours in tµe afternoon, accompanied by General Brann, General Saltzm~
and Lt. 'I'raugott, General Cl ark had tea with Countess Olivia Larisch. In
the evening he had dinner at his villa and retired early.
General Clark sent the following message to Brig. General l~evins, USFET,
Reference No. P-7898:
"Per phone request from Colonel Balmer your office following is text
USFA reply ·to WARX 86274 and W.ARX 87430. Begin text.
"Referring to WAHX 86274, conditions in VIENNA are sufficiently lmown
to warrant reasonably correct estimate of number of troops necessary here
for each power. Outside Vienna, conditions are influenced by fact6rs sµch
as numbers of DP's, "PWs, refugees, fuel, food and other economic conditions,
•
�severity or winter, health and security conditions, destruction caused by
war and situation in neighboring countries, which are impossible to forecast accurately. Such factors in Russian zone least known to us of all
zones as less information available. Additional ly capabilities of transport to move Soviet forces elsewhere and to house and feed in other localities and possible density of movement not sufficiently known. With
our different military organizations difficult to give valid estimate as
to what reduction can be made in troop basis of other powers by use of
mobile type police force. -·
"In computing US requirements, necessary make following assumptions as to
US Forces. First, that forces are available only for occupational duties
and are consequently not immediately available for use in a combat role
elsewhere in Europe; second, that conditions mentioned first paragraph
improve after this winter so that troop requirements for controlling or
supervising progressively decrease. These assumptions are not all necessarily- applicable other powers because of different conditions in and near
their zones.
(
"As to topics A,B, and C, estimate present needs of Vienna, incl uding
adjacement Vienna airfield garrison, for each power as 9,000. Those include combat and service troops, .military and Allied Council Headquarters
personnel, and small air component. Use of mobile police-type forces will
not effect requirements in Vienna. Progressively, requirements in Vienna
ean be reduced to 5,000 per power by 1 November 1946.
"Outside Vienna present US requirements are about 31,000 normal type
troops which can progress ively be reduced to about 16 1 000 by l July 1946, and
12,500 by 1 November 1946. The employment of mobile police-type units of
cavalry and military police could probably further reduce this figure to
12,500 by 1 July 1946 and 10 1 000 by 1 November. At present time outside
Vienna French requirements ate presently greater than ours because of location, extent, and character their zones, particularly frontier respon•
sibility. Estimate that British minimum requirements would currently be
about 60,000 and Soviet 60,000. (This is purely a guess, particularly with
regards to Soviets). Use of mobile type police force by other powers might
result in small saving if they had equipment available. Progressively British
and Soviet forces could be reduced to parity with US but only when conditions
have st~bilized by elimination present major troop problems caused by factors
enumerated beginning of message. Recommend this scaling down to parity be
spread over period of time. Specifically, recommend that each power be asked
to agree to following:
I. To reduce progressively, beginning at once, the size of the occupying
forces in Austria.
II.
To phase the reduction so that
a. The maximum forces of each power :in Vienna and adjacement Vienna
airports will be limited as foll ows:
�(
f
(
By 1 July 1946, 8,000
By 1 November 1946, 5,000
b. The maximum forces of each power in their zones outside of
Vienna will be limited as follows:
July 1946, 16,000 for Frencp, 16,000 for us,
30,000 for British and 40,000 for Soviet
By 1 November 1946., 12,500 f'or French, 12,500 for US,
20,000 for British, 28,000 for Soviet
By l
1
III. To effect a progressive further reduction after 1 November 1946
in order to arrive at parity in the size of the forces 0£ each power.
IT. That in order to reduce the size of the occupying forces, each
power will where practicable use to the maxirnum ,in the zones outside Vienna
mobile police-type forces or other organizations and equipment that will
reduce needs of manpower.
V. That in specifying the size of the occupying forces,, the figures
incl ude officers and men of l and, air, and sea forces.
VI. That the figures as to size are maximum figures and that each of
the occupying powers may in their discretion maintain garrisons of lesser
strength.
It must be borne in mind that the above figures are educated guesses,
particularly for Soviets and to a lesser extent for French and British.
Whereas US proposed reductions are probably more accurate they must depend
on coordinated action by other powers."
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEMBER 13, 1945•-General Clark arrived at his office at 0845 hours
and immediately saw General Brann~ 1The remainder of the morning he spent
in conference with Mr. Erhardt, Ma-Jor Kretzman, Mr. Figl and Mr. Natirbov,
concerning the recognition of the new government. Later he saw Colonel Sloan
and Colonel Nygard . After seeing Colonel Cole who wished to thank the General
for his picture t aken during a recent decoration ceremony, General Clark again
saw General Tate. General Clark had lunch at 1300 hours and after conferring
with Mr. Erhardt and General Brann, he left his office walking to his villa
where he spent the rema~aer of the day working on correspondence.
�General Clark sent the fol lowing message to General Patton who was
seriously injured in an automobile accident in Mannheim, Germany:
"Dear George: I and my entire command are praying for your speedy
and complete recovery. MARK. n
The following is a summary of the conversation between General Clark
and Chancellor Designate Ing. Leopold Figl, and subsequent conversation
between the Honorabl e John G. Erhardt, Political Adviser,and the Chancellor
Designate.
General Clark began the conversation by pointing out to Mr. Figl that
he was interested in helping the Austrians to establish a government of their
own as rapidly as possible. In view of the Soviet objections to the inclusion
of some of the proposed members of the government the decision of the Allied
Council has been referred to the meeting of the Executive Committee on the
14th of December, but General Clark was interested in mediating the difficulties
before that meeting if it were possible to do so.
General Clark asked Mr. Figl whether he had had an opportunity to discuss
the subject matter of the conference with Dr. Gruber, and was assured that Mr.
Figl had been informed of the conversation with Dr. Gruber.
To General Clark's direct question as to whether he were willing to
sacrifice the four individuals in question, Graf, Schumy, Korp, and Raab, in
the interest of getting the new government established, recognized and functioning, Mr. Figl launched into an attempted defense of the Soviet allegations
against the four individuals. General Clark pointed out that it was not a
question of lack of confidence in these people, against whom we had no objections, but purely a question of circumventing the Soviet abil ity to indefinitely postpone the recognition of the Austrian Government by yielding
on this point. Mr. Figl was apprehensive that if he yielded at this juncture
further Ministers might be removed at Soviet request at a later time. General
Clark pointed out that while, at present, the objections of one of the four
powers could prevent the recognition of the new government, that after such
recognition had taken piace any one of the four powers could prevent an attempted removal of an individual because it would continue to require unamimous decision.
Mr. Figl f'el t that if he had to alter his government by substituting
four or even three different individuals for those objected to he would lose
the confidence of his party and of the Austrian people, besides the fact that
he would be accused of pursuing personal advantage by sacrificing his friends
and associates. When pressed for a direct statement, Mr. Figl insisted that
he would feel compelled to resign and relinquish the formation of the government to some other individual . General Clark pointed out that this would not
present a solution to the problem and that Mr. Figl, as the leader of his
party, had a mandate from his constituency to form a government. On the
�question of sacrificing his friends, General Clark pointed out that this
decision should be made in conj unction with the friends in the interests
of Austria as a whole.
When pressed as to a possible compromise solution/Mr. Figl indicated
that he would be willing to sacrifice Schumy and Korp if he would be allowed
to retain Raab and Graf, although he was reluctant to yield on~ of these
people. At this point, Mr. Figl proposed that he again at tempt to negotiat
with Mr. Kisilev and .Marshal Koniev and suggested that the way had been left
open for that by an invitation from .Mr. Kisilev to discuss these matters with
him on Wednesday. He assured General Clark of his gratitude for the United
States interest in attempting to untie the Gordian knot, and that he would
report back by Wednesday evening on the results of further negotiations
with the Russians.
(
In a subsequent conversation with Mr. Erhardt, Mr. Figl took the same
position. He was assured by Mr. Erhardt that the u.s. position was that
Austrians who had been freely elected were entitled to sit in the government
unless some definite evidence of a security nature was involved. Mr. Erhardt
explained to Mr. Figl that he thought this was an attempt on the part of the
Russians to save face in view of the loss of prestige they had suffered through
the overwhelming Communist defeat in the recent election. He also informed
Mr. Figl that he believed Marshal Koniev to be under instructions from Moscow
to att.empt to reassert Russian influence in Austria through these moves. Mr.
Erhardt suggested to Mr. Figl that he re-examine his cabinet and discuss the
matter further with the Russians in order to see if a compromise solution
might be reached before the meeting of December 14.
General Clark sent the following message to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
regarding the results of the Allied Council meeting of 10 December 1945.
Reference No. P-7811:
"Allied Council meeting 10 December was speedy. Most important point
was Koniev statement he was not repeat not ready to discuss composition of
Figl's new cabinet because of lack of time to study membership and because
Figl had submitted no }:rogram. This was first time question of program was
raised. Koniev attaep.ed great importance to program because this government
must work under Allied Council. Suggestion adopted ·· to refer both matters to
Executive liommittee meeting ].4. December . If that committee can agree Allied
Council will act on 20 December. If they disagree, Allied Comcil will hold
extraordinary meeting. I consider it vitally important that Fig1 1s government be recognized as soon as possible. Believe Koniev will stall if pos•
sible. After Allied Council meeting he asked me in his office and stated
that the Soviet objected to four members of suggested cabinet. Stated that
if these four members were removed he would recommend that his government
recognize Figl cabinet. My position is that the issue is more important than
the individuais and I will do my utmost to get agreement in the new cabinet
so that the"··government can receive early recommendation.
�(
General Clark sent the following message to Gen. Eurico Gaspar Dutra,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reference No. P-7960:
"All members of the United States Forces in Austria who campaigned
wi·t;h the magnificent Brazilian Expeditionary Forces in Italy join with me
today in wishing you success in the important role you will play in Brazil's
destiny. We shall never forget Brazil's great contribution to our final
victory in the Mediterranean last May. I offer my sincere best wishes for
the continuing welfare of your great _nation. 11
The following message was received from Chief of Staff , War Department,
Washington, D. c. Reference No. WARX-88278:
"REURAD USFA, P-7673 dated 9 December 1945, CITE PASGS relayed to CG
USFET, MAIN WAR DEF ARTMENT. War Department proposed reply to State De•
partment letter quoted in WARX 86274, 30 November 1945 partiall y as follows.
"A. Agreement should be sought among the 4 Powers to reduce progressively
occupation forces to these maximum figures on the dates indicated.
(1) In Vienna for each power - 9000 on 1 February 1946, 8,000 on 1 July
1946, 5,000 on 1 November 1946.
(2)
(
Outside Vienna; Power United States 1 February 1946 31,000; 1 July
1946 16,000; 1 November 1946 12,500.
Power France; 1 February 1946, 28,000; 1 July 1946, 16,000; 1 November 1946 12,500.
Power, UK; 1 February 1946, 50,000; 1 July 1946, 30,000; 1 November
1946, 20,000,
Power, USSR; l February 1946, 60,000; 1 July 1946, 40,000; l No•
vember 1946, 28,000.
11 B.
If State Department deems principle of establishing equalized Occupation Force figures important, figures for USSR should be used. In either
case, proviso must be made that figures are maximum and need not be maintained
but are to include all ranks of ground, air, and sea forces.
Particularly in view of first assumption of para 2 ·of P-76~3, request
your concurrence in or comment on the preceding paragraph this message.
It should be pointed out that United States figures will not constitute approved troop strength, but will be subject to reduction by use of
Police-type Unit and by other factors. 11
*
l
f
*
*
�VIENNA••PECEMBER 14, 1945•-General Clark arrived at his headquarters at 0910
hours and immediately conferred with General Brann. At 1100 General Tate
and General McMahon saw General Clark and were immediately followed by
General Flory. Mr. Erhardt and :Mr. Mellen of the State Department conferred with General Clark on UNRRA and later Major Betz of PRO was called
in to see the General.
General McChrystal who had just come from the States called on the
General later in the morning and was followed by Nir. Fodor whom General
Clark asked to see. General Tate, General McMahon and Colonel Pesek talked
with General Clark on Headquarters organization and were followed by Mr.
Erhardt and Mr. Shaaf, of UNiffiA. The purpose of Mr. Shaaf •s visit was to
give the General a clear picture of UNP..RA and its work. The General had
lunch at 1330.
At 1415 the General conferred shortly with General Tate and immediately following the General left his headquarters for his -villa where he
remained for the rest of the day.
General Clark sent the following message to General McNarney 1 USFET 1
Reference No. P-8050:
I. I feel I must call to your attention the serious personnel situation developing in Austria. Our personnel requirements were recently
furnished your G-3 in a detailed summary of personnel dispositions. I consider
this summary as representing the minimum forces required to accomplish the
tasks of winter occupation. Any material reduction in strength before spring
will seriously interfere with border security, affect administration of displaced persons camps, reduce our ability to work and guard disarmed enemy
forces, and curtail, if not eliminate, wood cutting for fuel to meet minimum
needs in our zone, including Vienna, and to adequately administer military
government.
11
(
2. At present both the 42nd and 83rd Divisions are at approximate
T/0 strength. Based on latest information concerning eligibility for rede•
ployment, percentages of T/0 strength are estimated on dates indicated:
42nd Division, Jan 15 - 92; Feb 1 - 90; Feb 15 - 80; Marl - 80; Mar 15 70. 83rd Division Jan 15 - 64; Feb 1 - 64; Feb 15 - 50; Mar 1 - 50; Mar
15 - 45; Average of other combat units Jan 15 - 73; Feb 1 - 73; Feb 15 59; Marl - 59; Mar 15 - 46. Overall position for all troops, including
service elements, Jan 15 - 76; Feb 1 - 76; Feb 15 - 63; Mar 1 - 63; Mar 15 50. As an example the 4th Cavalry Group of two squadrons, which arrived in
Austria from Western Military District on November 27, arrived with 1,067 high
or medium point score enlisted personnel out of an enlisted T/0 strength of'
1,463. These men will be redeployed, 500 by 10 January and the balance by
1 March.
11
�l;2o
u3. To correct the above deficiencies there should be furnished
balanced reinforcements to cover our current requisitions and future
requisitions to be submitted in accordance with personnel procedures,
as follows: During early January 8,000 of which up to 4,000 may contain
enlisted men with point scores in appropriate brackets for return to US with
the 83rd Division in April; on 1 February 3,000 on 1 March 2,000. Informal advice from your G-1 indicates we may be allotted 4,300 replacements for arrival in January. If this becomes a firm allotment the above
requirement for January is reduced accordingly. I desire to emphasize
however that these 4,300 replacements should arrive early in January to
give relief we need.
4. I realize the difficulties you are havi ng in obtaining personnel replacements and I recognize the pressure you are under as to redeployment. I feel however, that unless the strength of my small force
is kept near T/0 strength t his winter our ability to cope with the problems with which I am charged by the Joint Chi.ef of Staff, will be critically taxed and I vdll be forced to eliminate many essential · ·tasks. I
am particularly concerned over the displaced persons problems. Any relaxing of administration of our displaced persons camps is apt to cause wrest among camp occupants and develop repercussions detrimental to our
national interests. Furthermore we rely to a great extent upon disarmed
enemy troops for performing many of our service tasks • 'l1his places a
heavy demand upon our troops for guards.
11
5. I have just received. word that my command is being asked to
furnish 26 officers and 396 enlisted men to Theater Service Forces as a
cadre for a Graves Registration Regiment. As detailed above the personnel
situation in Austria is now so critical that I must strongly request reconsideration.
11
6. I shall appreciate anything you can do to keep my units at approximate T/0 Strength. 8
11
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEiviBER 15, 1945•-General Clark walked to his office from his
villa arriving at 1000 hours. After his arrival he drew the four prizewinning names in the War Bond contest all of which went to enlisted men.
After seeing Mr. Erhardt for a long conference the General again saw
General Tate and Colonel Pesek and left his headquarters at 1215 and walked
with Mr. Erhardt and General Saltzman down through the business section of
the city in order to get a close view of the people . He then preceded to
the Bristol Hotel where he looked over the recreational facilities which
the hotel offered. He arrived at his villa around 1430 hours in the afternoon.
00Q hours General Clark had dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Erhardt,
ount Larisch:and other guests at the Bristol Hotel and later saw the floor
s~
ristol Room.
,(
I
, ~ :{ fa
\s IP' f f\l -I £
HJf ,J1 f DJ
lt;..(
I
u. '
8
&
f
�General Clark received the following message from Field Marshal
Alexander:
"Tank you so very much for your kind birthday greetings. I am
very touched that you should have remembered it. Remember me to any of
my old friends and my best personal wishes to you. I shall look forward to
seeing you when I go to Canada in March."
Maj. Gen. Leven c. Allen, Hq, 15th u.s. Army, sent the following message to General Clark from General Patton.
"Your kind telegram received and read to General Patton. He and Mrs.
Patton much appreciate your thoughtfulness."
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEI\IIBER 16, 1945-•General Clark remained at his villa during the
day spending most of the morning walking with General Saltzman. Again in
the afternoon he went for a long walk and in the evening had dinner with
Colonel Martin and other guests .
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEMBER 17, 1945--General Clark walked to his office arriving at
0930. He conferred with General Tate who was followed by General Brann.
After a short conference with General Tate, General Clark saw General Brann,
General Sullivan and General F~ory and Colonel Rundell on the pressing
economic proglems to be considered in the forthcoming Allied Council meeting. Shortly thereafter the General conferred with General Lewis, General
Tate, Col. Knudsen and Colonel Eberhard on the food and fuel problem. At
1300 hours the General had lunch and immediately after conferred with General
Brann and 1\/Ir. Erhardt. After seeing General Tate, General Clark left his
headquarters and walked with General Brann and General Sullivan to his vill a
where he spent the evening. He had a few members of his staff for dinner,
Colonel D1 0rsa and Colonel Lazar among those invited, and later the General
and his guests played poker.
General Clark sent · the following message to the Chief of Staff, War
Department (pass to Secretary of State). Reference No. P-8227:
n1. Responsible Austrian officials state that Austrian Government
has no present intention of protesting Soviet control of ex-German Oil
Companies and Soviet refining program. (Ref War 87409). They point out
that Soviet-Austrian relations in regard to oil became strained during
SANAFTA (Soviet-Austrian State Oil Company) negotiations, and during the
present unconfirmed status of the Austrian Government only increase of
tension would result if Austrian authorities reopened discussions on oil.
�tJ 2.
Details of Soviet refinery program will be forwarded as soon as
assembled. Soviet program aims at maximum gasoline production, of which
product Austrian crude yields about 5 per cent. Former German refineries
which Soviets regard as their property are .favored in allocating crude oil
for treatment.
3. We are advised by the British that they have no present intention
of protesting to the Soviets to obtain more Austrian oil for the benefit
of Austria. They point out that such protest should originate with the
Austrian Government when firmly constituted after which they might support
it in the Control Council. They consider it tactically inadvisable for one
member of the Council to originate this protest toward another member on behalf of Austria. The British further indicate that within their zone t~EL-Y
control the production and determine the disposition of Austrian resources
and this is similar to the control of oil being exercised by the Soviets in
the Soviet zone. The British suggest that effective pooling of Austrian
resources may not be achieved until the occupation zones are abolished.
(The British view here reflected was obtained from E.A. Berthoud, Economic
Advisor to General McCreary.)
11
4. We are planning action along the, lines of para 3 of your 87409.
It may be desirable, however, that action be deferred until recognition of
an Austrian Government is complete if this is not unduly delayed. Details
of the oil situation here and of our proposed actions will be forwarded as
soon as they are organized."
11
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECE1W3ER 18, 1945-- General Clark arrived at his office at 0845 and
immediately conferred with General Tate. General Brann with Colonel Deutsch
was called in to discuss the agenda for the Allied Council meeting and later
Colonel Rundell was also cal led in on the conference. Mr. Erhardt talked
with the General shortly after 1000 and at 1040 General Clark, Mr . Erhardt
and General Brann left the Headquarters for the Allied Council meeting. The
General returned to his headquarters at 1500 and held a press conference at
1515 which was attended by M. W. Fodor, Chicago Sun; Seymour Friedin, New
York Herald Tribune; Lynn Heinzerling, Associated f'ress; John MacCormac, New
York Times; Maurice Moran , Associated Press; Panos Morphopoulos, Newsweek;
Harold Queen, United Press; After the press conference the General left his
office for his villa where he spent the remainder of the day.
*
*
*
*
�VIENNA- -DECEMBER 19, 1945- -General Clark arrived in his office at 0900 and
immediately conferred with General Brann and General Tate, leaving his
office for the opening of Parliament at 0950 . He attended the opening of
the Austrian Parliament at 1000 along with the three Allied Commanders , returning to his office at 1200 where he promoted 12 officers and decorated
one with the Bronze Star. He then conferred with Colonel Pesek who was
followed by General Tate .
At 1315 the General had lunch and after conferring with General
Brann, left his headquarters at 1440 for the Hofburg Palace where the USFA
art exhibit was to be held. The General presided at the opening of the
exhibition which marked the returning of the art master pieces of Austria
to the Austrian people . As representative of this , General Clark presented in a short speech the pieces of art to Mr. Figl, head of the new
Austrian Government . Included among the guests were officers of the four
Allied Powers and members of the Austrian government and Austrian circles .
The General left the Palace at 1700 hours returning to his villa where he
had dinner with General Tate .
At 2100 hours General Clark left his villa for the Franz Joseph
Bonhofe where he boarded his private train for Hinter stoder. The General
will spend three or four days at his hunting lodge . Colonel Ostler and
Colonel Martin accompanied the General on his trip.
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEJ.i.ffiER 20 1945--Tbe General and his party detrained for the lodge
at 0900 hours, :.and lunched at 1500 ~t the lodge. Immediately following lunch.,
General Clark and Col. Martin went hunting but saw no deer during the entire
afternoon.
The following message was sent to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Reference number P- 8565:
The Council also approved: 1) a telegram to UNRRA asking for stated
amounts emergency supplies during first two months 1946; 2) recrnnmendations
of Legal Division on various laws of Renner government including those necessary to establish new governments; 3) directive to Reparations Division to
develop general plan for handling United Nations property in Austria; 4) plan
for supervising review of alleged election irregularities and prosecution of
election law violations; 5) clarification of censorship civilian telecommunication and post (such services to open 27 December if technically possible);
6) prohibition of wearing German military uniforms after 15 January and instruction to Austrian government to pass necessary law to enforce; 7) Tone of
meeting good and business transacted speedily.u
11
*
*
*
*
�VIENNA--DECEMBER 21, 1945--The General went out hunting at 0900 hours and
returned in the late afternoon with a 10-point deer and a doe.
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEMBER 22, 1945--Lt. Clark arrived at the hunting lodge from
Salzburg at 0930 hours. Shortly after his arrival, General Clark and Lt.
Clark went hunting. The day proved unsuccessful owing to the fact that
the snow had melted to a large extent and the dear had retreated to the
tops of the mountains.
General Clark sent the following to Mrs . George S. Patton, upon
news that General Patton had passed away as a result of an automobile
accident.
"My deepest sympathies. The world has lost a great soldier. 11
-*
*
*
*
VIENNA-- DECEMBER 23, 1945--General Clark left his hunting lodge and
boarded his train at Hinterstoder station at 1000 hours and arr ived in
Vienna at 1730 hours . During the trip the General played bridge with
Colonel Martin, Colonel Ostler and Lt . Traugott . General Clark was met
by Captain Luther at the Franz Josef Station and was escorted to his villa
where he had dinner with General Saltzman, Captain Luther, Lt . Traugott ,
Lt . Clark, Lt . Gruenther and Lt. Broughton. Lt. Clark and Lt. Broughton
arrived Sunday morning to spend the holiday with Ge~eral Clark in Vienna.
After dinner the General retired early.
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEMBER 24, 1945--General Clark arrived at his office at 0930 and
immediately talked with Colonel Pesek concerning the arrangements being made
for his "At Homen on Christmas evening. At 11 o'clock General Clark saw
Judge Rifkind, who just arrived from Frankfurt. Judge Rifkind is investigating the conditions of Jewish DP.a. At 1130 General Clark decorated and
promoted 29 officers at a ceremony held in the Conference Room in the Bank
Building. With General Brann and General Saltzman, General Clark visited
the opening of the ISB Propaganda Exhibit at 1215 . Upon leaving the exhibition the General went to his vil l a where he had lunch with General
Saltzman and Lt. Cl ark. The General rested a short time in the afternoon
and at 1600 had 135 of the children who live in the vicinity of his villa
into his house for a Christmas party. General Clark spent the rest of the evening
at his house.
*
*
*
*
�VIENNA--DECEivIBER 25, 1945--General Clark spent the morning at his villa
with Lt. Clark. At 1600 in the afternoon General Clark entertained 300
members of his headquarters , Austrian Government, War Correspondents and
friends at an Egg Nog Party at his vi ll&. The last guests left at 2000.
At 2100 the General , with General Saltzman, Captain Luther, Lt. Clark,
Lt. Traugott, Lt . Gruenther and Lt. Broughton had Christmas Dinner at
his villa. He retired shortly thereafter .
The following message was received from the Chief of Staff, War
Department, Washington, D. C. Reference No. WAR 90032:
"State Department advises that United States government approves
recognition of new Austrian govt . It is suggested that you consult
other representatives of Allied Council to seek simultaneous announcement
of recognition. 11
The following is General Clark's Christmas message to the Austrian
people:
nThis year Christmas brings new joy and hope to the people of Austri_a
as they observe the birth of the Christ Child .
"Liberated from the yoke of Hitl erism, free once again to practice
the religion of their choice, and regaining many of the bl essings they
formerly enjoyed , Austrians will have a Christmas enriched over the previous
war-torn years . The Allied Forces are helping Austria obtain these blessings,
and shall continue to do so until the country is fully re-established as a
free and independent nation.
u·wn.ile much of the festive spirit of the holidays may be l acking this
season as an after math of the war, you may find a great measure of comfort
and joy in the lmowledge that the promise of peace and good will to all mankind has been fulfil l ed .
"As Commanding General of the United States Troops in Austria, I
wish you, on behalf of my forces, a blessed and Merry Christmas, as well as a
Happy New Year. 11
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO UNITED STATES FORCES, AUSTRIA
0n this first peace-time Christmas Day in four long years, we can
once again be thankful and merry. The victory is won; the peace restored
throughout the world. No longer do our l oved ones hold that fear which they
held for our safety while the battle r aged . Today they await our homecoming.
11
nThey realize, however, that we are presently in Austria to secure the
peace to future generations , to the lasting benefit of our America and of all
nations . They lmow, as we do, that we cannot leave our tasks here until we
complete our individual contributions to the success of that high mission .
�')
Today as you and I recall the Christmas Days of
of those which we shall again know in the years to come,
measure of comfort and joy in the knowledge th~t we have
this year that first Christmas promise of peace and good
11
noo.
the past and dream
we find a great
helped fulfill
will to all man-
·
"With humble gratitude for your continuing efforts here, and with
full confidence in our determination to advance the cause of liberty and
peace, I, as your commander, offer you my thanks and my sincere wishes for
a happy holiday season. I trust that next Christmas will find many of us
united once more with our families at home.
.
"A Merry Christmas to each and every one of you, and a Happy,
Successful New Year."
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEMBER 26, 1945--General Clark remained at his villa until 1000
hours, at which time he walked to his headquarters. After seeing General
Brann, and General Tate for short conferences, he spoke to Mr. Erhardt and
after taking care of accumulated correspondence, he left his headquarters for
his villa. Lt. Clark accompanied him. The General spent the remainder of
the afternoon and evening at his villa.
*
*
*
*
VIEN.NA--DECEMBER 27, 1945--General Clark arrived at his headquarters at
1000 hours. He immediately saw General Tate, who was followed by General
Sullivan. After a second conference with General Tate, the General left his
headquarters for his villa, walking with Lt. Clark. In the eveni ng the General
had guests in, to play poker.
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEMBER 28, 1945--General Clark arrived at his headquarters at 0930
hours. Immediatel~ he conferred with General Tate and then had a long conference with General S'al tzman. After seeing General Tate a second time, he conferred with Mr. Gray. The General took care of al l accumulated business and
left shortly after ward to have lunch at his villa. He spent the remainder of
the day at his residence, taking a long walk in the afternoon.
*
*
*
�VIENNA-DECEi\IBER 29, 1945-- General Clark arrived at his office at 1030 hours .
At 1045 hours he conferred with Mr. Mosley of the British Government, Mr.
Erhardt and Mr . Thompson of the American Embassy at London. At 1145 hours
General Clark was interviewed by Joseph Israel and Seymour Friedin, war
correspondents . General Haynes introduced his cousin, Colonel Benford, at
1212 hours and immediately afterward Mr . Erhardt and General T~te talked
with General Clark. At 1300 hours General Clakk received a call from
General Collins, Commander of the 42nd Divisioh, who announced the sad
news that General Donald W. Brann, Deputy Commanding General, had fallen
while on a hunting trip and had been killed. This was a sudden and sad
blow to General Clark and the entire headquarters . The General immediately
conferred with General Tate and General McMahon on the course to be followed and at 1400 left his headquarters for his villa. During the afternoon
he talked with General Saltzman and General McMahon, also General Tate, on
the plans for General Brann 1 s funeral . At 1700 General Saltzman and Captain
Luther left Vienna to go to Salzburg to bring back General Brann•s body.
General Clark remained at his villa the remainder of the night .
General Clark sent the following message to General Eisenhower.
Reference No .
I
''Supplementary details accident are that hunting party consisted
of Generals Brann and Burress with local guides and ass istant guides , all
equipped for hunting in .Austrian Tyrolean mountains near Kitzbuhel. During morning 29 December they moved up precipitious mountain on good path
to hunt chamois . General Brann with guide took highest position in hunting
station. Below him and out of sight at another station was ~eneral Burress
and guide . According to reports of guides with General Brann he fired from
sitting position at chamois located to his front and below his location. He
then rose to fire from standing position when he slipped and fell forward down
the cliff s i de . Time accident estimated at 1130 hours . Location of fall not
readily accessible to guides so rescue party with doctor was organized and
reached his location some time later . Doctor promounced him dead and indications
were that he died instantaneously from the fall .
HFuneral will be at Vienna at 1000 hours, 31 December with interment
at Castlefiorentino Military Cemetery in Italy on January 2, 1946 . 11
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--DECEMBER 30, 1945--General Clark arrived at his office at 0930 hours. He
conferred with General Tate and General McMahon on the arrangements for receiving General B·rann' s body that evening, and for the arrangements to be made for
the trip to Italy where General Brann will be buried. The General left his office
at 1200 hours and spent the afternoon at his villa . At 1700 he went to the 110th
Gen. Hospital, where he met the entourage which was bringing General Brann's
body back to Vienna. He witnessed the placing of the casket in the chapel of
the hospital and immediately thereafter returned to his villa . It was indeed
a sad blow to General Clark, for he not only lost a fellow officer, but a sincere
friend of long standing.
*
*
*
*
�VIENNA--DECEMBER 31, 1945--General Cl ark arrived at his office at 0900 hours.
He immediately saw General Tate, who brought him up-to-date on the final
arr angements for the ceremonies for General Brann. At 0910 hours he saw
General Collins, and Gen. Burress, who had been with General Brann when he
was kil l ed. General Macon, Commander of the 83d Division and General
Montahue, Artillery Commander, 83d Division., saw General Clark at 0915,
along with Colonel Marvin, and Colonel Ladue, personal representatives of
General Truscott. At 0940, General Zhe1tov, Soviet Deputy Commander came
to General Clark to pay his and Marshal Koniev•s condolences. At 1000 hours
General Cl ark went to the chapel in the Allianz Building where the funeral
services for General Brann were to be held. General Clark, Wir. Erhardt, General
Tate, General Saltzman, General Sullivan and General Lewis acted as honorary
pall-bearers. After a very short and simple ceremony, Gener al Brann' s body
was pl.aced upon a half-track at the head of the funeral procession which was
escorted by members of the Military Police Battalion, while the honor guard
of the 42d Division presented arms. The funeral procession pulled out at
1015 hours for the Meidling station, where the train departed for Italy at
1130 hours.
General Clark's train bearing the body of Maj. Gen. Donald W. Brann
left Vienna for F'lorence, Italy, at 1130 hours. Among the passengers were
Brig . Generals Moran, Lewis, Sullivan and Saltzman; Colonels Lazar, Porter
and Paxson_; Lt. Col. McGrory, Capt. Jordan and Lt. Traugott. The casket
bearing the remains was placed in the officers lounge and was surrounded by
wreaths which had been sent by the Al lied Commanders and the vari ous USFA
Divisions and Sections.
*
*
*
FLOPENCE, ITALY--JANUARY 1, 1946-•.Arriving in Florence at 1700 hours the
train was met by Lt. Col. Dresser. General Clark and some of the officers
proceeded to the Excelsior. Hotel while the rest remained abroad for final
arrangements for the burial. That night everyone ate dinner at the Excelsior
Hotel with the exception of Gen. Clark and General Sal tzman who dined out
with some friends.
*
FLOI-iENCE, ITALY--JJ.NUARY 2, 1946--At 1030 hours General Clark arrived at the
cemetery near Castel Fiorentino, for the burial services of Maj. Gen. Brann.
Among those present besides the General and his officers .we~e Lt. Gen. Sir
John Harding and Brig. Gen. O:xx. The services began at the graveside with
the sermon delivered by Chaplain (Col.) Brown, at the conclusion of which the
American flag was taken from the casket and given to Lt. Col. McCrory, sonin-}aw, of Major Gen. Brann. The firing party consisting of eight men from
the 202 MP Bn, fired three volleys, followed by the sounding of taps which
concl uded the services. Before leaving the cemetefy- the General exchanged
a few words with General Harding and General Chae who had arrived just after
the services had begun, and visited the grave of Lt. Col. John T. Walker.
After lunch the General went to the china factory to see the dishes
�which are being made for theGeneral . Back in Florence l ater that afternoon
the General took a walk and in the evening called on Mr. Berenson , . The
Gener al had dinner with friends in Florence .
*
*
*
*
FLORENCE, ITALY--J.ANUARY 3, 19/4h--At 2345 hours the General's train left
Florence for Vienna and was en route during the day. The train arrived at
Meidl ing Station at 0330 on January 4 .
*
*
*
*
VIENNA-- JANUARY 4, 1946-- The passengers detrained at 0730 after breakfast
on the train. General Clark went immediately to his villa where he spent
the remainder of the day . He took care of accumuJ.ated correspondence during
the morning and had lunch with Lt . Clark and General Tate . General Tate
f'r
apent the larger part of the afternoon conferring with General Clark an~
t:"f~ f
later the General went for a walk. In the evening Mr. and Mrs . Denby--"W'ere!
J)•l '
guests for dinner . Later in the evening General Clark learned that the
~l
.tiussian authorities had recognized the new Austrian Government and that
Marshal Koniev had sent written and verQal messages to Mr . Figl, Chancellor
of Austria , upon this subject. This caused great concern to -General Clark
and General Tate because of the previous agreement by the Four Powers to
make a Four Power announcement of the recognition of the Austrian Government.
Lt . Col . Kretzman, the General ' s interpreter, was sent to talk with Mr . Figl
on this subject and both General Cherriere and General Packard were consulted
by telephone .
*
*
*
*
VIENN A--JANUARY 5, 1946--General Clark arrived at his office at 0945 hours. He
immediately conferred with General McMahon and then with General Tate upon
subjects to be taken up at the Executive Committee meeting to be held later
in the day . Col . McCaffrey was cal led in on the conference. Later General
Clark conferred with Mr . Gray who is in charge of the Political Division in
Mr . Erhardt 1 s absence . The General discussed the recognition of the new government with Mr. Gray and during the discussion Col . Kretzman came with a message
from i1r . Figl concerning the recognition . Later Mr. Gray, Major Betz and Col .
Pesek discussed the publicity angle and the sending of mes ages to the War. Department on the same subject . After conferring with General McMahon, General
Clark saw Mr . Fodor and Mr. MacCormac, war correspondents. General Moran saw
the General at 1240 concerning his departure for the States, and at 1300 hours
General Clark saw General McMahon again. The General left his office at 1300
and spent the remainder of the day at his home .
(
�General Clark sent the following message to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Reference No. P-0271:
"Reference my P-0234 and P-9244 have secured agreement t hat four
occupying powers and Austrian Government will announce simultaneously
recognition of new Austrian Government at 1200 hours Vienna time Monday
January 7th. I will make announcement to United States press here accordingly and assume that release will be made at same time in United
States."
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--JAl.~UARY 6, 1946--GeneraJ Clark arrived at his office at 1000 hours
and conferred with Lt. Col. De Wald on the annovncement of the returning of the
crovm jewels to the Austrian people. This announcement will be made in the
General's speech at the ceremony at the founding of the Austro-American Society
at 1100. General Clark conferred with Lt. Col. Kretaman on the subject to
be discussed in his speech and at 1055 dep~rted with General Tate and General
McMahon for the Music Hall where the ceremony was to be held. The General was
met by a commi ttee and escorted to the reception room where he met Dr. Kauders,
President of the Austro•American Society. Dr. Kauders escorted the Generail
to his box at which time the concert began. After the Mozart Symphony, Dr.
Kauders gave a fifteen minute address and was followed by General Cl ark who
gave a ten-minute speech. The reception of the speech by the Austrian audience was tremendous. The announcement of the return of the crown jewels to
the Austrian people was accepted with tremendous ovatioD• Genera l Clark l eft
the concert immediately after this speech, returning to his villa where he
had lunch with General Tate and General McMahon. At 1730 General Cl ark went
to a cocktail party given by Mr. and Mrs. Denby. Leaving the Denby 1 s the
General returned to his residence, accompanaed by Gener al Saltzman and later
had dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Denby, Mr. Ware Adams, General Saltzman, Miss
/ensen and Lt. Col. Kretzman.
*
*
*
*
VIENNA--J.ANUARY 7, 1946--General Cl ark arrived at his office at 0945 after
having walked from his villa. He immedi ately conferred with General McMahon,
Chief of Staff, and later saw General Tate. At 1030 General Cl ark conferred
with the committee which had been appointed to investigate the conditions
surrounding the bringng of families overseas. The committee consisted of
General Ladue, Colonel Martin, Col. Lazar, Col. DJOrsa and General McMahon
sitting in on the conference.
After t he conference General McMahon and General Tate remained and
at 1100 hours General McMahon brought Col. Pesek into see General Clark concerning the arr angements for a party to be held on the 20th. At 11:15 General
Clark conferred again with General Tate, and after taking care of al l accumulated correspondence, left with General Sullivan and General Saltzman with
whom he had lunch. General Cl ark walked to his vill a where he stayed the
rest of the day. In the evening General Cl.ark invited General McChrysta.l,
meneral Lewis, General Saltzman, Colonel D'Orsa, and Colonel Lazar for dinner
and poker.
*
*
*
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Clark, Mark W. Diaries
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark (1896-1984) was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in World War I and World War II, and was President of The Citadel from 1954 to 1965. <a href="http://www3.citadel.edu/museum/Clark_Inventory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This finding aid describes Clark's archival collection at The Citadel Archives</a>, the bulk of which covers Clark's World War II career and his time as Citadel President.<br /><br />This collection features diary entries from June 1942 to December 1950.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
CP Clark
Relation
A related resource
Mark W. Clark Collection
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/collections/show/20
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mark W. Clark Diary, October 31, 1945 - January 7, 1946
Subject
The topic of the resource
Clark, Mark W. (Mark Wayne), 1896-1984.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Military campaigns.
United States—History, Military—20th century.
Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Description
An account of the resource
Mark W. Clark's World War II diaries were kept by an aide. These entries are from October 31, 1945 - January 7, 1946.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
CP 9
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
1946
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Relation
A related resource
Mark W. Clark Collection
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/1671
-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/3790e6c45a04b5e7b0050d990938ea74.pdf?Expires=1792627200&Signature=YN114fkC-TAYsDPPlhp750aWeZNRvGGQz76aNNf1S6lEl7KMHfjBHH07EIP8D0ldXj7dcR1IT6V5rfj40gCLMXCWL6NyVTPXenygT4h-aLihUDVWeDVKrbsMR32yD8leIa-bGo0QIvnBxuVXBMq7cYuRqm0rKklvgCaXT%7Eh7bXSVX8gsQUy9WHD7Ju%7EyTTQDPeEmybs3O8UbfciKEXYN6QGQruXEKqnyJDP7g-2JtAQohSZnE7c3UgQo6jDocQ6cCKoq19BMu7OTcwbUS8P2nDiWWtombt-cmGu-5MGY11LVLD7E2HyXsbhoZVqIQZFPcQB7EO2YklfmCIF2STxPiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
3178b4b40bf7b70c44b61e982f333871
PDF Text
Text
THE CITADEL.
ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM
ANNUAL REPORT
r
OF THE
BOARD OF VISITORS
-
OF
THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF
SOUTH CAROLINA
FOR THE YEAR
1944-45
PRINTED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE
JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING
GENERAL AsSEMBLY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
�,.
,t,;
'
.
(.
J;
�ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
BOARD OF VISITORS
OF
THE CITADEL
THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF
SOUTH CAROLI NA
FOR THE YEAR
1944-45
PRINTED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE
JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
��THE CITADEL
THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
CHARLESTON
November 15, 1945.
To the State Superintendent of Education, Columbia, South
Carolina:
Dear Sir:
I have the honor to submit the following annual report of The
Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, for transmission to the General Assembly.
The enrolment for the year ending June 9, 1945 was 483. Registration by classes was as follows: First Class 15, Second ,Class
43, Third Class 88, Fourth Class 337. Cadets from South Carolina numbered 234. They were distributed among the var10us
counties as follows:
Abbeville ..............................................................
Aiken ....................................................................
Allendale ..............................................................
Anderson ..............................................................
Bamberg ..............................................................
Barn·well ..............................................................
Beaufort ..............................................................
Berkeley ..............................................................
Calhoun ................................................................
Charleston ..........................................................
Cherokee ..............................................................
Chester .................... ,............................................
Chesterfield ........................................................
Clarendon ............................................................
Colleton ................... ,............................................
Darlington ..........................................................
Dillon .............. :....................................................
Dorchester ...........................................................
Edgefield ...................·..........................................
Fairfield ..............................................................
Florence ...............................................................
Georgetown .........................................................
Greenville ............................................................
1
7
2
3
2
1
4
0
0
53
3
1
0
0
6·
0
5
3
2
6
9
6
9
�4
Greenwood ----------------------------------------------------------- 10
Hampton --------------·---------------------------------------------- 3
1:;:r .-__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _:_ _ _ _ _:~--~- - - - - - - --- - - - -
Kershaw -------------------------------------------------------------Lancaster -----------------------------------------------------------Laurens ---------------------------------------------------------------Lee -----------------------------------------------------------------------Lexington -----------------------------------------------------------McCormick ---------------------------------------------------------Marion ________________________________ '.__________________________________
1
~
2
4
1
0
5
0
2
I
Marlboro ---------------------------------------------------------,---- 1
Newberry ----------------------------------------,------------------- 0
Oconee __ -_______ :___________________ :__·__________________________________ · 0
Orangeburg ---------------------------·------------·----------------- 11 ·
Pickens ----------------·------------------------------------------------ 0
Richland · -------------------------------------------------------------- · 24
Saluda ----------·----------.----------------------------------------~__ :_ 0
Spartanb1.1rg ·---·---·---------------------------------------------- 10
Sumter ----------------------·------------------------------------------ 11
Union ------------·------------------------------------------------------ . 3
Williamsburg ------------------------------------------------------ 7
York _______________ ;____ . ___________________ ,____________________________ 7
Total ------------------------------------------------------------234
Other states had the following representation:
1\_labama -------------------------------------------------------------- ~2
Arizona ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1
Arkansas _______________________________ :______________________________ 2
California ___________________________________ :________________________ 4
Connecticut --------------------------------·------------------------ 3
Dela ware --------------------------•------------------------------- ___ 1
District 0£ Columbia ---------------------------------------- 2
Florida ---------------------------------------------------------------- 21
Georgia ______________________________ :_________________________________ 39
Illinois ------------------------,----------------------------------------- 10
Indiana _____________________________ :__________________________________ 1
Kansas ----------------------------------------------------------,-----"- 1
l{entucky --------------------·---------------------------------··----- -·2
1
�5
Maryland .• ..............................· ..............................
Massachusetts .....................................................
Michigan ............·...............................................·..
Mississippi ...........................................................
New •Jersey ..................................................... :....
New York ............................................................
North Carolina ..................................................
Ohio ......................................................................
Okl~homa ............................................................
Pennsylvania ···················.···································
Tennessee .......................................................... '..
Texas ....................................................................
Virginia ................ :...............................:..............
West Virginia ....................................................
Wisconsin ....................................... '.....................
Puerto Rico ....................... :................................
Bermuda ..............................................................
5
1
3
2
4
15
64
1
1
3
7
10
7
3
1
12
1
Total ................ ,............................................ 249
The reduced attendance from the previous year is, of course,
due to the draft of boys eighteen years of age.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The City of Charleston supports six scholarships of the value
of $250.00 per an)rnm each.
The Crouch Scholarship has a value of $150.00 annually and
the William States Lee Scholarship of $150.00 per year.
The Fifth Field Artillery and the First Field Artillery Brigade Scholarships have a value of $833.50 each, or full payment
of all fees. They are donated by Colonel Robert R. McCormick
and are limited to the State of Illinois.
Mrs. Jesse H. Metcalf, of PrQvidence, R. I., donates three
scholarships for cadets from South Carolina, which are full paid,
or have a value of $693.50 each.
Mrs. Anne Jones Geary, of New York, donates two full-paid
scholarships for South Carolina cadets with a value of $693.50
each.
�6
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
The instructional staff for the year 1944-1945 numbered 36,
distributed as follows:
Professors ______________________________________________ 13
Associate professors ____________________________ 10
Assistant professors ____________________________ 13
The administrative staff numbered 13, two of them being also
on the instructional staff.
A report of the receipts and · expenditures for the fiscal year
1944-1945 is appended hereto.
Aside from the greatly reduced enrolment due to the draft,
the College has functioned normally.
The College is still very much handicapped by the reduction of
the student body due to the draft. However, General Charles P.
Summerall, the President, is to be commended for his success in
renting unoccupied buildings, thereby giving the College additional revenue with which to operate. This has enabled him to
retain the principal members of his faculty as a nucleus to build
on as soon as the operation of the College can be normal again.
I would again call your attention to the fine record of Citadel
men in the service of their country, which is one of which all
South Carolinians may be proud.
Respectfully submitted,
·
JOHN P. THOMAS,
Chairman.
�7
THE CITADEL
REPORT OF RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS
JULY 1, 1944 TO JUNE 30, 1945
Receipts
'
.Balance July 1, 1944 ................................... .
State Appropriation ................................... .
U.S. Training Programs ............................. .
Pay Fund ....................................................... .
$277,899.93
101;000.00
15~,451.06
301,486.04
Scholarships :
Charleston City ......................................... .
William States Lee ................................. .
James R. Crouch ....................................... .
Mrs. Jesse H. Metcalf ..............................
First F. A. Brigade ................................. .
Fifth F. A. Brigade ............................... .
Augustus Horatio iones ......................... .
Anne Jones Geary ............................ .'...... .
1,249.95
· 112.10
171.30
~,168:41.
1,506.13
1,307.29
653.50
108.20
7,336.88
U. S. Uniform Commutation ................... .
Whitehall Rent ........................................... .
Cash Rental ................................................... .
Barracks Rent ............................................... .
Col. Clark Williams Fund ......................... .
6,327.00
3,600.00
36,208.18
51,000.00
12.50
Other Items :
Faculty Rent .............................................. 13,249.50
Miscellaneous .............................................. 23,622.45
36,871.95
Total Receipts ............................... ,.
$981,193.54
Disbursements
Administration:
A. Personal Service:
A-1. Salaries (inc. rent) .......................... $46,069.95
A-3. Special Payments
Chapel Exercises .......... $ 530.00
Emergency Help ............ 2,573.98
3,103.98
49,173.93
�8
B. Contractual Services:
B-2. Travel ...................................... :...........
B-3. Telegraph and Telephone ..............
B-5. Printing and Advertising ..............
1,492.68
1,347.61
2,315.80
5,156.09
C. Supplies:
C-4. Office Supplies, ................................. .
3,929.55
D. Fixed Charges & Contributions:
D-1. Rent ........... ,.-........................................
3.60
D-2. Insurance ............................................
103.93
D-3. Contributions ....................................
267.00
D-10. Withholding Tax .......................... 32,707.66
33,082.19
G. Equipment:
G-1. Office Equipment ........................... .
111.41
Total Administration ................... .
$ 91,453.17
Instruction:
A. Personal Service:
A-1. Salaries (inc. rent) ....................... .
...
113,500.98
C. Supplies:
C-7. Educational Supplies ..................... .
96.00
G. Equipment:
G-7. Educational Equipment ...... .. ......... .
692.14
Total Instruction ......................... .
$114,289.12
Library:
A. Personal Service:
A-1. Salaries (iric. rent) '······················:
6,124.20
�9
C. Supplies:
1,412.31
C-7. Educational Supplies ................ :.... .
G. Equipment:
G-7. Educational Equipment ............... .
10,617_.21
Total Library ............................... .
$ 18,153.72
Infirmary:
A. Personal Service:
.A-1. Salaries ( inc. rent) ..........................
A-2. ·Wages .................................................
7,615.63
1,968.73
9,584.36
568.05
423.98
992.03
U. Supplies:
C-6. Medical Supplies ........·......................
C-10. Dry Goods .......................................
Total Infirmary ............................ .
$ 10,576.39
Siib'si.stence :
A. Personal Service:
A-1. Salaries (inc. rent) ....................... . 6,463.89
A-2. Wages ........................................ '. ....... 44,956.88
51,420.77
B. Contractual Services :
B-3. Telegraph and Telephone ...............
93.78,_
B-4. Repairs ............................................. .
931.77
1B-5. Water -................................................. .
359.74 ·
Light and ·Power ............................. .
810.60
Qas .................................................. :... · 794.82 ,,
Laundry
5,059.29
C. Supplies:
C-1. Food .................................................... 81,280.77
C-2. Fuel ... ,......................................,....... :. 1,448.00
' 8,050.00
�10
438.12
998.50
84,165.39
G-3. Household Equipment ................... . 1,888.45
78.26
G--8. Other Equipment ........................... .
1,966.71
C-10. Dry Goods ....................................... .
C-11. Other Supplies ................................ .
G. Equipment:
$145,602.87 .
Total Subsistence ......................... .
Laundry:
A. Personal Service:
A-2. Wages ................................................. .
9,467.91
C. Supplies:
1,220.34
C-5. Laundry Supplies
G. Equipment:
G-3. Household Equipment ..................... .
1,865.98
Total Laundry ........................................... .
$ 12,554.23
General Plant ExperWse:
A . .Personal Service:
A-1. Salaries (inc. rent) .......................... 19,860.89
A-2. W~ges ................................................. 65,864.23
85,725.12
B. Contractual Services:
B-4. Repairs ................................................
B-6. Water ..................................................
Light and Power ..............................
Gas ......................................................
61,593.55
2,132.58
7,998.60
2,400.56
C. Supplies:
C-2. Fuel Supplies .................................... 35,084.961
C-8. Motor Vehicle Supplies .................. 1,019.42
74,125.29
�11
C-10. Dry Goods -------------------------------------170.06
C-11. Other Supplies --------------------·----------- 4,956.82
41,231.26
D. Fixed Charges & Contributions:
18,648.28
D-2. Insurance
G. Equipment:
G-3. Household Equipment --------··---------·
G-4. Motor Vehicles & Equipment ·----G-8. Other Equipment ----------------------------
2,009.98
79.50
418.82
Total General Plant Expense _____ _
2,508.30
$222,238.25
Store Room:
A. Personal Service:
2,699.30
A-1. Salaries
C. Supplies:
C-7. Educational Supplies ______________________ 13,283.67
C-10. Clothing and Dry Goods ______________ 55,459.99
Total Store Room --------------------------
68,743.66
$ 71,442.96
Student Activities:
t
Athletic ---------------------------------------------Y.M.C.A. --------·------------------------·-·--·---Class Fund ------·----------------------------------·
Publications -------------------------------------Dance Fees ----------------------------------------
18,263.75
1,301.25
5,546.73
4,119.44
475.04
Total Student Activities _____________ _
Faculty Defense Bond Fund ---------------------1Whitehall Account ---------------------------------------Bond Interest --------•----------------------------------------
$ 29,706.21
3,656.25
3,600.00
81.90
Total All Activities ·--·-----------------Balance --------·----------·--------------·-·
$723,355.07
$257,838.47
�12
Balance Distributed:
j
Reserve Fund -----------------------------------------------Cadet Fees -----------------------------------------------------Unfilled Orders ---------------------------------------------, _
Uol. Clark Williams' Fund _______________________ ,__
C_ C_ Pinckney Award -------------------------------Total
•
..
~
180,000.00
54,519.03
'23,054.44
215.00
50.00
$257,838.47
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Annual Reports of the Board of Visitors
Description
An account of the resource
Annual reports for the Board of Visitors from 1885 -
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Annual Report of the Board of Visitors, 1944-1945
Subject
The topic of the resource
The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Annual report
Description
An account of the resource
Annual report of the Board of Visitors, 1944-1945
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Citadel Archives & Museum
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/1797