RG 84: Germany
State Department and Foreign Affairs Records
Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State (RG 84)
Germany
Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party came to power in Germany in January 1933, as the head of a coalition government. But on March 23, 1933, the Reichstag passed an Enabling Act giving him permanent emergency powers, freeing him from the limitations imposed by a parliamentary system. In August 1934, following the death of President von Hindenburg, Hitler merged the office of Chancellor and President together and required to armed forces to swear an oath of loyalty him. In February 1938 Hitler became Supreme Commander of the armed forces, and replaced the war ministry with a Supreme Headquarters (OKW).
Following the Reichstag fire of February 1933, a state of emergency was declared on a permanent basis. It allowed the police to take political prisoners into "protective custody." The first concentration camp was opened in Germany, at Dachau, for political opponents of the Nazi regime. Herman Goering initiated a new secret police to root our opponents of the Nazi regime in Bavaria. In April 1933, it was named the Gestapo (Secret Police Office). Other political police were organized throughout Germany. They were gradually centralized under Heinrich Himmler and his deputy Reinhard Heydrich. In June 1936 Himmler was appointed Chief of German Police, with extraordinary powers. In September 1939 the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA) was established to bring together the whole security apparatus of the State and the Nazi Party. Between 1933 and 1939 well over 200,000 Germans were imprisoned for political crimes. In the latter year over 150,000 Germans were in "protective custody" without trial.
Hitler and the Nazis also set a course over the next half decade to systematically plunder the Jewish wealth of Germany. The process began on April 1, 1933, when the Nazi leaders undertook a nationwide boycott of Jewish-owned businesses and on April 7, 1933, with the enactment of a law excluding "non-Aryans" from government employment. In September 1935 the so-called Nuremberg laws were adopted placing restrictions not only on Jews but also the Sinti and Roma (gypsies). During the next four years Jews were gradually excluded from German life, in hopes they would emigrate from Germany. To emphasize the desire for them to leave, on the night of November 9, 1938, Nazis destroyed 177 synagogues and some 7,500 Jewish shops were destroyed. About half of the Jews did leave Germany between 1933 and 1939.
Besides wanting to rid Germany of its Jews Hitler and Nazis desired to increase Germany's living space, by war if necessary. This would mean taking action against the League of Nations and the Disarmament Conference at Geneva. In October 1933 Hitler pulled Germany out of these organizations and set about planning German expansion, both geographically and militarily. In March 1935 Hitler, disregarding the Versailles Treaty, formally announced the re-establishment of Germany's armed forces and German rearmament. In March 1936 Hitler successfully sent military forces into the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland and occupied the territory. That summer Hitler established a Four-Year plan to secretly prepare the Germany economy and military for war in 1940.
Hitler placed Hermann Goering in charge of the Four-Year Plan and instructed him to develop a "blockade-free" economy where vital war materials would be produced in Germany instead of imported. During the 1936-1938 period Goering initiated expensive investments programs in basic chemicals, synthetic fuel oil and rubber, aluminum and iron-ore extraction, as well as initiating an improved agricultural program. Between 1936 and 1939 almost two-thirds of all industrial investment was devoted to the implementation of the Four-Year Plan. Along with this economic strategy, Hitler greatly increased military expenditures.
Hitler then set his sights on Czechoslovakia and Austria. In March 1938, Hitler forced Austrian into the Reich and by the Munich agreement of September 29, 1938, Germany was given the Sudetenland. Six months later Hitler sent his troops to occupy the rest of Czechoslovakia.
As the 1930s ended, Hitler and Nazi Germany began to exert considerable international influence, particularly in trade. Trade agreements were made with Hungary, which possessed large oil and bauxite deposits; Yugoslavia, which possessed vital minerals; and Rumania, which possessed oil and grain.
After signing a nonaggression pact with Soviet Russia in late August 1939, Germany proceeded to invade Poland on September 1, 1939.
In the spring of 1940 Germany invaded and defeated Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and France. The next spring Germany invaded North Africa, Yugoslavia, and Greece, and in June 1941, the Soviet Union. On December 11, 1941, Germany declared war on the United States.
German and Austrian Jews began being deported to ghettos in eastern Europe in the fall of 1941. Extermination of the Jews began at the Chelmno death camp in occupied Poland on December 8, 1941. On January 20, 1945 a group of 15 Nazi leaders met at Wannsee (section of Berlin) to discuss the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question." During the year Nazi death camps in occupied Poland at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Sobibor, Belzec, and Majdanek-Lublin, began the mass murder of the Jews and others.
During 1943 and 1944 the tide began to turn against Nazi Germany and its Axis powers. In June 1944, the Allies landed in France and began pushing towards Berlin. Meanwhile, the Soviets pushed the Germans out of the Soviet Union and continued on to Berlin. By the spring of 1945, Germany, although still holding on to vast amount of territory, was weakened to the point of being able to coordinate a resistance to the Allied advances. With Berlin surrounded Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945.
Until Germany surrendered in May 1945, it had acquired vast amounts of territory, property, and financial wealth, and Hitler's plans for "Final Solution of the Jewish Question," resulted in the death of over six million Jews and countless other millions. (68)
On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. On June 5, 1945, a four- nation Allied Control Council became the de facto government of Germany. For purposes of control, Germany was divided into four national occupational zones, each headed by a Military Governor. On March 28, 1948, the Soviet Union walked out of the Allied Control Council. The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Benelux countries agreed on May 31, 1948, to set up a German state comprising the three western zones. The Federal Republic of Germany was proclaimed on May 23, 1949. Agreements in Paris in 1954 giving the Federal Republic full independence and complete sovereignty came into force on May 5, 1955.
Records of the Bonn Embassy
General Records 1949-1961 (Entry 2524A)
Boxes 1-35
Box# File# Subject
5 321.3 German Assets A-Z by
Country
321.3 German Assets January-June 1956
321.3 German Assets July-December 1956
321.3 German Assets 1957-1958
24 321.3 American Assets in Czechoslovakia
1959-1960
321.3 Czechoslovakian Assets in West Germany 1960-1961
321.3 German Assets 1959
321.3 German Assets 1960-1961
Classified General Records 1956-1958
(Entry 2525B)
Boxes 109-189
Box# File# Subject
126 321.3 Allied Assets in Soviet Zone
321.3 German Assets-IG Farben 1958
321.3 German Assets Lisbon Conference 1956-1957
321.3 German Assets Neutral Accords 1956
321.3 German Assets Spanish Accord 1957
321.3 German Assets Hugo Stinnes 1957
321.3 German Assets Thailand 1957
321.3 U.S. Assets in Germany
127 321.3 German Assets January-June 1956
321.3 German Assets July-December 1956
321.3 German Assets 1957
321.3 German Assets 1958
Classified General Records 1959-1961 (Entry 2525C)
Boxes 1-82
Box# File# Subject
22 321.3 American Assets in Czechoslovakia
1959-1960
321.3 German Assets 1959
321.3 German Assets 1960-1961
321.3 U.S. Assets within Germany 1960-1961 location:
350/57/29/04
Records of the Berlin [Germany] Mission
Finance Committee Records 1945-1952 (Entry 2527E)
Boxes 1-13
Fine Arts and Monuments Committee 1945-1948 (Entry 2527H)
Box 1
Property Control Committee Records 1945-1952 (Entry 2527O)
Boxes 1-2
Records of the Political Advisor for Germany
General Records (Entry 2528)
Box 1
Records of the U.S. Political Advisor to the Supreme
Allied Commander
Classified General Correspondence 1944 (Entry 2529)
Boxes 1-2
Records of the Office of the U.S. Political Advisor for Germany, Berlin
Top Secret Correspondence of
the U.S. Political Advisor for Germany, Robert
Murphy, 1944-1949 (Entry 2530)
Box 1
Classified General Correspondence of the Political Advisor, 1944-1949 (Entry 2531A)
Boxes 1-12
Classified General Correspondence 1945-1949 (Entry 2531B)
Boxes 1-277
1945
Box# File# File Title or Subject
2 350 Property
350 Germany
350 Property-Other Countries-General
350 Property Interests
350 Property Rights-General (American)
350 Czechoslovakia
350 Denmark
350 Hungary
350 Swiss
350 Norway
3 400 Reparations Commission and IARA
400A Reparations (4 folders)
400B Restitution-General
400B Restitution-Barges-River Craft
400B Restitution-Belgium
400B Restitution-Czechoslovakia
400B Restitution-Denmark
400B Restitution-France
400B Restitution-Greece
400B Restitution-Hungary
400B Restitution-Italy
400B Restitution-Luxembourg
400B Restitution-Netherlands
400B Restitution-Norway
400B Restitution-Poland
400B Restitution-Russia
400B Restitution-Yugoslavia
400B Restitution-Property Taken Under Duress loc: 350/57/18/03
4 400C Restitution-Fine Arts (2 folders)
6 704 Swiss Interests
710 German-Argentine Relations
710 German-Swiss Relations
7 711.3 Enemy Property [includes information on
the Merkers Gold
discovery]
711.3 Trading With Enemy
8 711.6 Illegal and Inhuman Warfare
10-13 800 Political
Affairs [alphabetical by country; Box 12 contains
information on Nazi Party Membership, including that in
Argentina]
13 800.2 Ministerial Control-Ministerial Collecting Center
(9 folders)
20-21 810.8A War Crimes and Criminals
26 820.02 Intelligence Reports (ca. 20 folders)
27 820.02A Intelligence-General (9 folders)
820.02A Interrogations (2 folders)
820.02A Intelligence Targets
28 820.02A Interrogations (ca. 20 folders) location:
350/57/18/06
29 820.02A Political and Positive Intelligence
820.02A Quislings
29-31 820.02A
Safehaven
31-32 820.02A
Poole Interrogations
33 820.03 Blocked Accounts
820.03 Control Council Laws (6 folders)
820.03 Control Council Proclamations
820.03 Military Government Laws (6 folders)
820.03 Military Government Proclamations, etc. loc: 350/57/18/07
34 840.1 Jews (2 folders)
34-35 840.1A Displaced Persons
35 840.3 Fine Arts and Monuments (2 folders) location:
350/57/18/07
37 841.4 Archives (7 folders)
841.4 Japanese Archives and Records loc: 350/57/19/01
39 850.3 Cartels
850.3 German External Assets
850.3 Capital, etc. General
40 850.6 Insurance
851 Finance (13 folders)
851A Financial Control
851.6 Banks and Banking
851.7 Exchange
854 Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights (2 folders) loc:
350/57/19/01
42 860 Foreign Industry-I.G. Farben
43 863.4 Diamonds
1946
Box# File # File Title or Subject
50 350 American Property
350 Austrian Property
350 Property Rights-General
350 Property Rights (25 folders) [alphabetical by country]
350 German Property in the United States
350 Hungarian Property
350 Spanish Property
350 Standard Oil Co.-Deutsche-Am. Petroleum
350 Hugo Stinnes Corporation
350 Swedish property
350 Swiss Property
51 400 Claims
400 Reparations Commission (2 folders)
51-52 400A Reparations
(6 folders) [chronological]
53 400B Restitution-General (3 folders)
400B Restitution-Albania
400B Restitution-Barges-River Craft
400B Restitution-Belgium
400B Restitution-Brazil
400B Restitution-Bulgaria
400B Restitution-Czechoslovakia
400B Restitution-Denmark
400B Restitution-Estonia
400B Restitution-Finland
400B Restitution-France
400B Restitution-Greece
400B Restitution
54 400B Restitution-Hungary (3 folders)
400B Restitution-Italy
400B Restitution-Luxembourg
400B Restitution-Netherlands
55 400B Restitution-Norway
400B Restitution-Poland
400B Restitution-Polish Horses
400B Restitution-Rumania
400B Restitution-Russia
400B Restitution-Yugoslavia
400B Restitution-Property Taken Under Duress
400C Restitution-Fine Arts
61 704 Swiss Interests
710 Political Relations-Germany-Argentina
710 Political Relations-Germany-Spain
710 Political Relations-Germany-Switzerland
710 Political Relations-Germany-Sweden location:
350/57/19/04
62 711.2 Neutral Commerce [all relates to Switzerland]
63 711.3 Trading With Enemy
711.9 Enemy Property
65 800 Nazi Party-Argentina location:
350/57/19/05
66-69 800 Political
Reports [alphabetical by country; Box 67 contains
records relating to Nazi Party membership, despatches,
papers, and records, and Boxes 67-68 contain information
on Nazi Party membership in Argentina] loc: 350/57/19/05
69 800.1 Hitler
800.2 Ministerial Control (Ministerial Collecting Center)
76-78 810.8A War Criminals
85-87 820.02A Intelligence
87-88 820.02A Interrogations location:
350/57/20/01
88-93 820.02A Safehaven
93 820.02A Swedish-Allied Safehaven Negotiations
94 820.03 Blocked Accounts
820.05 Control Council Laws, etc.
820.03 Military Government Laws
95-6 840.1 Jews
96-99 840.1A Displaced Persons
99 840.3 Fine Arts and Monuments location:
350/57/20/02
100 841.2 Historical Relics and Manuscripts
841.3 Monuments, Statues, and Memorials
841.4 Austrian Archives and Records
841.4 German Archives and Records
841.4 Brazilian Archives
841.4 Czechoslovakian Archives and Records
841.4 French Archives
841.4 German Archives (2 folders)
101 841.4 Hungarian Archives
841.4 Italian Archives and Records
841.4 Japanese Archives and Records
841.4 Russian Archives
848 Relief Measures (2 folders) location:
350/57/20/03
103 850.3 Capital Investment
850.3 Cartels
103-105 850.3 External Assets
105 850.3 Swiss External Assets
850.3 External Assets-Swiss-Allied Accord
850.3 Japanese External Assets [in Germany]
106 850.6 Insurance
850.6 Plus Ultra, Madrid (Insurance)
851 Financial Conditions (4 folders)
851A Financial Controls
851.5 Currency
851.6 Banks and Banking
851.51 Exchange
851.7 Stock Exchange Market
111 860 I.G. Farben (2 folders) location:
350/57/20/04
113 863.4 Precious Metals and Stones [includes looted objects]
1947
Box# File # File Title or Subject
127 350 Property-General location:
350/57/20/06
127-128 350 Property (ca 25 folders) [alphabetical by country]
128 350 Hungarian Property
350 Siamese Property
350 Swedish Property
350 Swiss Property
350.3 "Paperclip" Personnel
400 Claims
400 Reparations Commission
128-130 400A Reparations
130 400B Restitution, General (2 folders)
400B Restitution-Barges and River Craft
400B Restitution-Property Taken Under Duress
400B Restitution-Albania
400B Restitution-Austria
400B Restitution-Belgium
400B Restitution-Bulgaria
400B Restitution-Czechoslovakia
400B Restitution-Finland
400B Restitution-France
400B Restitution-Greece
400B Restitution-Hungary (2 folders)
400B Restitution-Italy
400B Restitution-Latvia
400B Restitution-Netherlands
400B Restitution-Norway
400B Restitution-Poland
400B Restitution-Portugal
400B Restitution-Rumania
400B Restitution-Russia
400B Restitution-Siam
400B Restitution-Switzerland
400B Restitution-Trieste
400B Restitution-Yugoslavia
400C Restitution-Fine Arts (2 folders)
138 710 German-Spanish Relations
141 711F Allied Control Authority
711.2 Proclaimed List
711.3 Enemy Property, Disposal of (2 folders)
711.3 Trading With Enemy
143 711.9 Enemy Property
144-146 800 Political Reports [alphabetical by country] loc: 350/57/21/02
152-154 810.8A War Criminals
165-166 820.02A Intelligence
166-167 820.02A Interrogations
167-168 820.02A Safehaven
170 820.02A Swedish-Allied Accord
820.03 Blocking of Accounts
820.03 Control Council Laws, Military Government Laws
(ca. 10 folders)
172 840.1 Jews (2 folders)
172-175 840.1A Displaced Persons
175 840.3 Fine Arts
841.2 Manuscripts, Historical Relics
841.3 Monuments
841.4 Czech Archives
841.4 Danish Archives
176 841.4 German Archives (2 folders)
841.4 Rumanian Archives
841.4A Requests to Use German Archives by Visiting Missions
177 848 Relief Measures (2 folders)
850 Foreign Investments
179 850.3 Cartels
850A Economic Control
850.3 Capital, etc.
850.3 External Assets (MGAX(1) Tabulations)
850.3 German External Assets
180 850.3 German Externals Assets (8 folders)
850.3 External Assets-Sweden
850.3 Swiss-Allied Accord
182 850.6 Insurance
182-183 851 Financial Conditions
183 851.6 Banks and Banking
851.5 Currency (2 folders)
851.51 Exchange
851.7 Stocks, etc.
184 854 Patents and Trademarks
860 I.G. Farben (2 folders)
190 863.4 Precious Metals
1948
Box# File # File Title or Subject
208 350 Property-General location:
350/57/22/04
208-209 350 Property
209 350.3 Paperclip Personnel
400 Claims
209-210 400A Reparations
211 400B Property Taken Under Duress
400B Restitution-General (3 folders)
400B Restitution-Austria
400B Restitution-Baltic States
400B Restitution-Barges and River Craft
400B Restitution-Belgium
400B Restitution-Czech
400B Restitution-France
400B Restitution-Greece
400B Restitution-Hungary
400B Restitution-Italy
400B Restitution-Norway
400B Restitution-Poland
400B Restitution-Rumania
400B Restitution-Russia
400B Restitution-Trieste
400B Restitution-Yugoslavia
400C Restitution-Fine Arts
216 710 Nazi-Soviet Relations
710 Spanish-German Relations location:
350/57/22/05
218 711F Allied Control Authority, Control Council (8
folders)
711.3 Enemy Property
711.3 Trading With Enemy
711.3 External Restitution
219-220 800 Political Reports
221 800 NSDAP [Nazi Party]-Individuals
800 NSDAP-Despatches, Other Papers, Records loc:
350/57/22/06
228-229 810.8A War Criminals
236 820 Property Control (2 folders) location:
350/57/23/01
237-238 820.02A Intelligence
239 820.02A Interrogations (10 folders) location:
350/57/23/01
239-240 820.02A Safehaven
240 820.03 Military Government Laws, Control Council Laws (9 folders)
241 840.1 Jews
241-242 840.1A Displaced Persons
242 840.1A International Refugee Organizations
243 840.3 Fine Arts (2 folders)
841.2 Manuscripts
841.3 Monuments, Statues, and Memorials
841.4 Austrian Archives
841.4 Czech Archives
841.4 Danish Archives
841.4 German Archives (3 folders)
841.4 Rumanian Archives
841.4A Requests to use German Archives
244 848 Relief Measures (2 folders)
247 850.3 External Assets (5 folders)
850.3 External Assets (MGAX)(2 folders)
248 850.3 External Assets (3 folders)
850.3 Cartels
249 850.3 German Assets in Italy
850.3 Spanish Safehaven
850.31 Investment of Capital
250 850.6 Insurance
851A Financial Controls
851 Financial Conditions (5 folders)
251 851.5 Currency (7 folders)
252 851.51 Exchange
851.6 Banks and Banking (2 folders)
854 Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights
254 863.4 Precious Metals
1949
Box# File # File Title or Subject
269 321.30 American Property in Germany
321.30 Absentee Owners Property
321.30 Property Control-General (4 folders)
321.3 Proclaimed Lists
321.30 Reich-Owned Property
321.31 Blocked Accounts
274 361.3 Library of Congress
275 500-5 Insurance
500-6 Cartels
Classified Miscellaneous General
Correspondence of the Political Advisor, 1945-1948
(Entry 2532)
Box 1
Top Secret General Correspondence 1945 (Entry 2532A)
Boxes 1-6
Top Secret General Correspondence 1948-1949 (Entry 2532B)
Box 1
Miscellaneous Classified Records 1948-1949 (Entry 2533)
Boxes 1-3
Top Secret Cables to the Secretary of State 1945-1949 (Entry 2534)
Box 1
Top Secret Cables from the Secretary of State 1946-1949 (Entry 2535)
Box 1
Classified Cables Sent to the State Department 1945-1949 (Entry 2536)
Boxes 1-15
Classified Cables Received from the State Department 1945-1949 (Entry 2537)
Boxes 1-14
Top Secret Cables to Other Missions 1946-1949 (Entry 2538)
Box 1
Classified Cables to Other Missions 1945-1948 (Entry 2539)
Boxes 1-7
Top Secret Cables from Other Missions 1945-1949 (Entry 2540)
Boxes 1-2
Classified Cables from Other Missions 1945-1949 (Entry 2541)
Boxes 1-22
Records of the Office of the U.S. Political Advisor for
Germany, Frankfurt
Top Secret Correspondence 1948-1949 (Entry 2542)
Box 1
Classified General Correspondence 1946-1949 (Entry 2543)
Boxes 1-36
1946
Box# File # File Title or Subject
1 350 Property Rights (Reparation)
2 711.3 General
711.3 Polish Property
711.3 Swiss Property
5 820.02 Military Activities [much information on archives]
6 820.02 Argentine Intelligence
820.02 Alphabetical File (2 folders)
820.02 Eva Braun's Diary
820.02 Hans Wendland [art looting]
840.3 Art Looting
841.4 Public Records
1947
Box# File # File Title or Subject
9 350 Property Rights, Claims
711.3 Swiss, et al
13 820.02 Alphabetical File
841.4 Public Records
1948
Box# File # File Title or Subject
16 350 Property Rights (2 folders)
400 Claims
400A Reparations-General
400B Property Taken Under Duress
400B Restitution-General
400B Restitution-Albania
400B Restitution-Austria
400B Restitution-Barges and River Craft
400B Restitution-Hungary
400B Restitution-Yugoslavia
400C Restitution-Fine Arts
18 711.2 Proclaimed List
711.3 Trading With Enemy (2 folders) location:
350/57/25/07
25 820.02A General Intelligence (3 folders)
820.02A Alphabetical File
26 820.03 Blocked Accounts
840.1 Jews
840.1A Displaced Persons-General
27 840.03 Fine Arts
840.04 German Archives
840.04 Public Records
850.03 Blocked Accounts
850.03 Cartels
850.03 External Assets-Firms
850.03 External Assets-General
1949
Box# File # File Title or Subject
31 321.3 Blocked Assets
321.3 Proclaimed List and Blacklists
32 361.2 DOJ [information on the Stockholms
Enskilda Bank]
33 500.6 Cartels (2 folders)
Classified Cables Sent to the State Department 1946-1948 (Entry 2545)
Boxes 1-4
Classified Cables from the State Department 1946-1948 (Entry 2546)
Boxes 1-3
Top Secret Cables to and from Other Missions 1946-1949 (Entry 2547)
Box 1
Classified Cables to Other Missions 1948 (Entry 2548)
Box 1
Classified Cables Received from Other Missions 1947-1948 (Entry 2549)
Boxes 1-2
Records of the Office of the U.S. Political Advisor for Germany, Heidelberg
Top Secret Cables to the Secretary of State 1948 (Entry 2550)
Box 1
Top Secret Cables to Other Missions 1948 (Entry 2551)
Box 1
Records of the Berlin Consulate
General Records 1945-1948, 1953-1955 (Entry 2554)
Boxes 1-31
Classified General Records 1945-1948 (Entry 2555)
Boxes 1-5
Classified Despatches, Memorandums, and Cables 1946-1948 (Entry 2556)
Box 1
Subject Files 1946-1948 (Entry 2557)
This series, which is arranged alphabetically by subject, contains information
about the Displaced Persons Program and the Berlin Agreement, among other
subjects. Boxes 1-2
Other American Consulates in Germany
Researchers should consult the finding aids in the consultation
area in Room 2600 to determine
the availability of other applicable Consulate records.