Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War (RG 107) [The War Department and the Army Records]


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Among the duties of the Assistant Secretary of War were: 1) Supervision of lend-lease policy and the economic phases of military occupation; 2) supervision of civil affairs, that is, the military government of occupied countries; and, 3) coordination of War Department policies and activities with those of the State Department. In this capacity, the Assistant Secretary of War served as a member of the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee. The Assistant Secretary of War also served as chairman of the Combined Civil Affairs Committee, an Anglo-American committee which served under the Combined Chiefs of Staff. It recommended civil affairs policies for enemy and enemy-held areas that were occupied by combined operations and coordinated military and civilian agency interests in such matters.

The position of Assistant Secretary of War was held successively by John J. McCloy (April 1941-November 1945) and Howard Petersen (December 1945-July 1947).

Classified Reference-Subject File 1940-1947 (Name and Title Index to the Formerly  Security-Classified Correspondence 1941-1945) (Entry 179)
   
                This series consists largely of carbon copies of letters and memorandums sent or  received, which serve as a name and title index to McCloy's security-classified  correspondence (see Entry 180). On the right margin of these carbons are the date  of the document and the decimal number under which the original or first carbon  of the document is filed. The records are arranged alphabetically by surname or  title of the writer, of the addressee, or of the person who is the subject of the  correspondence. Correspondence concerning countries is filed under  "geographical" and thereunder alphabetically by name of country or region.
        Boxes 84-88 location: 390/9/32/02

Formerly Security Classified Correspondence of John J. McCloy 1941-1945 (Entry 180)

        At the end of this series are a number of War Department Civil Affairs Division  reports, May 1943-January 1946. There are also 21 letters and memorandums  removed from McCloy's personal papers as official documents. The records are  arranged according to the War Department decimal classification scheme. For a  name and title index see Entry 179.
        Boxes 1-49 location: 390/9/32/03

        Box #  Decimal #  File Title or Subject
        1-3  000.51  War Crimes location: 390/9/32/03
        5  004.7  Strategic Services Unit location: 390/9/32/03
        11  044.2  Federal Bureau of Investigation location: 390/9/32/04
        12  091  Countries location: 390/9/32/04
        16  291.2  Jews
            314.4  Captured German Records location: 390/9/32/05
        19  334.8  Committee of 3 Minutes-Patterson
            334.8  Committee of 3 Minutes
            334.8  State-War-Navy (Committee of 3)
            334.8  State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee
location: 390/9/32/05
        20  336  Foreign and International Affairs
            336.1  Cartels location: 390/9/32/06
        24  370.8  Countries (2 folders)
            370.8  Combined Civilian Affairs Committee (2 folders)
            370.8  Allied Control Commission location: 390/9/32/06
        25  370.8  Austria location: 390/9/32/06
        25-26  370.8  France location: 390/9/32/06
        26-30  370.8  Germany{Note 1} location: 390/9/32/06
        32-33  370.8  Italy location: 390/9/32/07
        38  386.3  Property
            386.3  Funds location: 390/9/33/01
        39  388  Kilgore Committee location: 390/9/33/01
        44  400.38  Jews
            400.38  War Refugee Board (4 folders) location: 390/9/33/02
        46  -  Reports from the Civil Affairs Division 1943-1946
location: 390/9/33/02 
       
Geographic File (Formerly Security Classified Correspondence Relating to Conditions and  Events in Europe, Asia, and Latin America) 1941-1943 (Entry 181)

        This series contains correspondence with the Secretary and Under Secretary of  War, the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department General Staff, the  Department of State, and members of Congress. Among the records are  those relating to the value of Bern and Stockholm as intelligence listening  posts.  Arranged alphabetically by country or region.
        Boxes 82-83  location: 390/9/33/03

Reference-Subject File 1940-1947 (Name and Title Index to the General Correspondence  1941-1945) (Entry 182)

        Carbon copies or summaries of letters and memorandums sent and received, which  serve as a name and title index to McCloy's general correspondence (Entry 183).  On the right margin of these carbons are the date of the document and the decimal  number under which the original of the document or the first carbon is filed. The  records are arranged alphabetically by surname or title of the writer, of the  addressee, or of the person who is the subject of the letter. Correspondence with  the War Department is filed under "War Department" and thereunder  alphabetically by name or office or title of official.
        Boxes 156-175 location: 390/9/33/03

General Correspondence of John J. McCloy 1941-1945 (Entry 183)

        Arranged according to the War Department decimal classification scheme.

        Boxes 1-67 location: 390/9/33/06
        Box #  Decimal #  File Title or Subject
        1  000.51  War Crimes (5 folders) location: 390/9/33/06
        2  0004.7  Strategic Services Unit
            004.7  UNRRA
            007  Fine Arts location: 390/9/33/06
        35  291.2  Jews-Palestine
            291.2  Jews location: 390/9/34/04
        45  334.8  State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee
location: 390/9/34/05
        46  336  International Affairs
            336.6  Potsdam Conference
            336.7  Displaced Persons location: 390/9/34/05
        55  370.8  Countries
            370.8  France
            370.8  Committees (Alphabetical)
            370.8  Allied Control Commission
            370.8  General
            370.8  Allied Military Government location: 390/9/34/07
        55-56  370.8  Germany location: 390/9/34/07
        58  370.8  Italy location: 390/9/34/07
        61  383.8  Commercial Firms, Blacklists, Enemy Trading
            386  Property Rights Involved in War (Germany)
            386.7  German Assets location: 390/9/35/01
        62  400.38  Countries A-B
            400.38  Countries C,D,E,F
            400.38  Countries G-H
            400.38  Countries J-Z
            400.38  Europe and Europe, Northwest
            400.38  Country-Germany
            400.38  Country-France
            400.38  Country-Italy
            400.38  War Refugee Board
            400.38  Jews

Formerly Top Secret Correspondence 1945-1947 (Entry 184)

        Among the subjects in this series are conditions in and U.S. policy towards  Argentina (decimal 091). The records are arranged according the War Department  decimal classification scheme. Boxes 1-2 location: 390/9/35/02

Cross Indexes 1946-1947 (Cross-Reference Sheets to the Formerly Security-Classified  Correspondence) (Entry 185)

        Sheets give the decimal number under which the document is filed, decimals  in this series under which identical index sheets are filed, date and subject of  document, name of writer and addressee, summary of document's content, and  disposition made of document. Duplicates of sheets in this series are filed with the  correspondence in Entry 186. Arranged according to the War Department decimal  classification scheme. Boxes 1-13 location: 390/9/35/02

Formerly Security-Classified Correspondence of Howard Petersen December 1945-  August 1947 (Entry 186)

  This series includes both Petersen's classified and unclassified correspondence for  the period December 1945-August 1947 and his top secret correspondence from  December 1945 through August 1946. Much of the correspondence is with the  Department of State, Civil Affairs Division of the War Department Special Staff,  Office of Military Government for Germany (U.S.), and Supreme Commander for  the Allied Powers (SCAP). Among the subject covered are the revival of the  economies of Germany and Austria (decimal 091.31) and the care, evacuation,  and resettlement of Jews and other displaced persons and refugees (decimal 291.2  and 383.7). Arranged according to the War Department decimal classification  scheme. Boxes 1-39 location: 390/9/35/04
        Box #  Decimal #  Subject
        1-2  000.5  War Criminals location: 390/9/35/04
        7  091  Austria location: 390/9/35/04
        7-8  091  Germany location: 390/9/35/05
        9-11  091.31  Commerce location: 390/9/35/05
        13  123.7  Foreign Exchange Control (2 folders) location: 390/9/35/05
        20  291.2  Race, including Jews location: 390/9/35/06
        21  291.2  Jews. Includes a 103 pp. printed study entitled "Tentative List  of Jewish Cultural Treasures in Axis-Occupied Countries,"  published by the Commission on European Jewish Cultural  Reconstruction in 1946. location: 390/9/35/07
        30-31  383.7  Displaced Persons location: 390/10/1/01
        31  386  Swiss Negotiations, Reparation Settlements
            386.3  Looted Property location: 390/10/1/01
        32  387  Reparations (4 folders) location: 390/10/1/01

Formerly Security-Classified Office File of Howard Petersen (Entry 187)

        Among the records are those relating to Petersen's trip to Germany in October  1946 to examine the economy of and the military government for Germany and the  problem of displaced persons. The records are arranged alphabetically by subject.  Boxes 1-2 location: 390/10/1/02


Footnotes

{1}Return to text Proposal by Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau for controlling postwar Germany by converting the concentration of heavy industry to agriculture, to prevent Germany from being able to start World War III. His plan printed as the first few pages of Henry Morgenthau, Jr., Germany Is Our Problem (New York and London: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1945).


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