Allied Commission
Encyclopedia
Following the termination of hostilities in World War II
, the Allied Powers were in control of the defeated Axis
countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission
and a proposed Far Eastern Advisory Commission to make recommendations for the post war period. Accordingly they managed their control of the defeated countries through Allied Commissions, often referred to as Allied Control Commissions (ACC), consisting of representatives of the major Allied Powers
.
at the Paris Peace Conference in 1947.
The Armistice Agreement with Rumania, signed on September 12, 1944, established, among others, the following:
In line with Article 14 of the Armistice Agreement two Romanian People's Tribunals
were set up to try suspected war criminals. The Treaty of Peace with Romania was signed on February 10, 1947 and entered into force on September 15, 1947.
The Commission, placed under the nominal leadership of Soviet
general Rodion Malinovsky
(represented by Vladislav Petrovich Vinogradov
) and was dominated by Red Army
leaders.
The Commission was one of the tools used by the Soviet Union
to impose communist rule in Romania
. Soviet occupation forces remained in Romania until 1958 and the country became a satellite state
of the Soviet Union, joining the Warsaw Pact
and COMECON
.
. It consisted of 200 Soviet and 15 British members and was led by Col. Gen. Andrei Zhdanov
. Immediately after its inception, the commission required Finland to take more vigorous action to intern the German forces in Northern Finland. Finland's compliance with the commission resulted in the Lapland War
. Simultaneously, Finland was required to demobilize
, which was also required by the commission.
The ACC provided Finland with a list of war criminals against whom Finland had to start judicial proceedings. Although this required Finnish post-facto legislation, Finland was the only country on the losing side of the war that was allowed to try its own war criminals. The ACC interfered with the war-responsibility trials
by requiring longer prison sentences than the preliminary verdict would have contained. The ACC also strove to change the Finnish political life by requiring a number of allegedly fascist (in practice anti-Soviet) organizations to be banned, among them the Civil Guard. Furthermore the ACC required the forced return of all Soviet citizens, including Ingrian Finns
and Estonia
ns, to the Soviet Union.
After the war, the Finnish military placed part of the weapons of the demobilized troops into several hundred caches distributed around the country. The caches would have been used to arm guerillas in case of a Soviet occupation. When the matter was leaked to the public, the commission required Finnish authorities to investigate and prosecute the officers and men responsible for the caching. The Weapons Cache Case
was followed closely until the ACC determined that the case was purely a military operation. The Allied Control Commission left Finland September 26, 1947, when the Soviet Union finally ratified the Paris Peace Treaty
.
(ACC) for Germany
oversaw the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
. The ACC was established by agreement of June 5, 1945, supplemented by agreement of September 20 of that same year, with its seat in Berlin
. Its members were Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America. Decision could only be made by consensus. Cooperation by the ACC broke down as the Soviet representative withdrew on March 20, 1948. After that date, the ACC did not meet again, and the stage was set for the partition
of Germany into two states.
After the breakdown of the ACC, West Germany
(and West Berlin) was ruled by the Allied High Commission
with membership from Britain, France, and the United States, while East Germany (and East Berlin) was ruled by the Chairman of the Soviet Control Commission, later the Soviet High Commissioner. The role of the High Commissioners ceased when each German state gained full sovereignty
.
The ACC convened again in 1971, leading to agreement on transit arrangements in Berlin. During the talks for unification
of Germany in late 1989, it was decided to convene the ACC again as a forum for solving the issue of Allied rights and privileges in Germany. The disbanding of the ACC was officially announced by the Two Plus Four Agreement of September 12, 1990, effective as of March 15, 1991.
in 1944. The matter became more pressing following the Soviet take over of Vienna from German control on April 13, 1945. The Soviet authorities in Vienna decided to establish a new Austrian government without prior consultation with the other Allied leaders, and on April 27, the Austrian socialist leader Karl Renner
formed a government in Vienna. The British, US and French governments refused at first to recognize the Renner government, and in order to undermine the Soviet move decided to start right away with the proceedings to establish a joint commission for Austria. However, the Soviet government withheld permission for Allied representatives to enter Vienna during late April to early May, arguing that agreement on partition of Vienna into four occupation zones must be done prior to the arrival of any other troops thereto. As a result, it was only on June 4 that a delegation of US, British and French generals was able to arrive at Vienna to survey conditions in the area. However, not much progress was made throughout June, as the Soviet authorities restricted the movement of the western Allies in and around Vienna. Throughout June, negotiations for agreement on division of Austria into occupation zones were held in London within the European Advisory Commission, and the agreement was concluded on July 4, 1945, subject to further approval. The agreement was then approved by the four Allied governments. On July 12, it was approved by the British and French governments. On July 21, the Soviet government gave its approval, and the US government followed suit on July 24.
On June 27, 1945, shortly prior to the formation of the Allied Commission for Austria, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff issued an ordinance authorizing General Mark W. Clark as Commander in Chief of US Forces of Occupation in Austria. Regarding the future commission for Austria, the directive stated:
The Allied Commission for Austria was established by the Agreement on control machinery in Austria, signed in the European Advisory Commission
in London on July 4, 1945. It entered into force on July 24, 1945 on the day that the United States gave notification of approval, the last of the four powers to do so. It was supplemented by an agreement of June 28, 1946, which enabled the Austrian government to conduct foreign relations.
A separate agreement for the division of the city of Vienna
into four occupation zones was concluded on July 9, 1945. This agreement was approved by the British government on July 12, the French government on July 16, the Soviet government on July 21 and the US government on July 24.
Austria was divided into 4 Zones: American, British, French and Soviet. Vienna, being the capital, was similarly divided but at its centre was an International Zone, sovereignty of which alternated at regular intervals between the 4 Powers. The commission had its seat in Vienna.
A problem faced by the commission was the issue of the provisional government under Karl Renner
, which was established unilaterally by the Soviet government in early May 1945. The other Allied governments refused at first to recognize it, but on October 1, 1945, the commission made the following recommendation:
The commission recommended to recognize Renner's government, in exchange for introduction of freedom of the press and holding free elections.
The commission for Austria was dismantled following the conclusion of the Austrian State Treaty
on May 15, 1955.
, and made public in communique issued at the end of the conference on December 27, 1945 that the Far Eastern Advisory Commission (FEAC) would become the Far Eastern Commission
(FEC), it would be based in Washington, and would oversee the Allied Council for Japan. This arrangement was similar to those that the Allies had set up for overseeing the defeated Axis powers in Europe. In a mirror image of those Axis countries, like Hungary, which fell to the Soviet Union and were occupied by the Red Army alone, Japan having fallen to the United States and occupied by the U.S. Army, the United States was given the dominant position on the Tokyo based Allied Council for Japan. The change in name of the FEAC to FEC was significant because as the U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes
reported after the Conference "As early as August 9 we invited the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and China to join with us in carrying out the objectives of the Potsdam Declaration
and the Terms of Surrender for Japan. The Far Eastern Advisory Commission was established in October, but Great Britain had reservations regarding its advisory character, and the Soviet Union requested a decision regarding control machinery in Tokyo before joining the work of the Commission.". As agreed in the communique the FEC and the Allied Council were dismantled following the Treaty of San Francisco
on September 8, 1951.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Allied Powers were in control of the defeated Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission
European Advisory Commission
The formation of the European Advisory Commission was agreed on at the Moscow Conference on October 30, 1943 between the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Anthony Eden, the United States, Cordell Hull, and the Soviet Union, Molotov, and confirmed at the Tehran Conference in November...
and a proposed Far Eastern Advisory Commission to make recommendations for the post war period. Accordingly they managed their control of the defeated countries through Allied Commissions, often referred to as Allied Control Commissions (ACC), consisting of representatives of the major Allied Powers
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
.
Italy
Under the provisions of Article 37 in the Armistice with Italy Instrument of Surrender, September 29, 1943, the Control Commission for Italy was established on November 10, 1943 and was dismantled following the conclusion of the Italian Peace TreatyPeace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a state of war between the parties...
at the Paris Peace Conference in 1947.
Romania
- Article 1 "As from August 24, 1944, at four a.m., Rumania has entirely discontinued military operations against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on all theaters of war, has withdrawn from the war against the United Nations, has broken off relations with Germany and her satellites, has entered the war and will wage war on the side of the Allied Powers against Germany and Hungary for the purpose of restoring Rumanian independence and sovereignty, for which purpose she provides not less than twelve infantry divisions with corps troops."
- Article 4 "The state frontier between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Rumania, established by the Soviet-Rumanian Agreement of June 8, 1940, is restored."
- Article 18 "An Allied Control Commission will be established which will undertake until the conclusion of peace the regulation of and control over the execution of the present terms under the general direction and orders of the Allied (Soviet) High Command, acting on behalf of the Allied Powers". In the Annex to Article 18, it was made clear that "The Romanian Government and their organs shall fulfill all instructions of the Allied Control Commission arising out of the Armistice Agreement." and that the Allied Control Commission would have its seat in BucharestBucharestBucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. - Article 19 "The Allied Governments regard the decision of the Vienna awardSecond Vienna AwardThe Second Vienna Award was the second of two Vienna Awards arbitrated by the Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Rendered on August 30, 1940, it re-assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania from Romania to Hungary.-Prelude and historical background :After the World War I, the multi-ethnic...
regarding Transylvania as and void and are agreed that Transylvania the greater part thereof) should be returned to Rumania, subject to confirmation at the peace settlement, and the Soviet Government agrees that Soviet forces shall take part for this purpose in joint military operations with Rumania against Germany and Hungary."
In line with Article 14 of the Armistice Agreement two Romanian People's Tribunals
Romanian People's Tribunals
The two Romanian People's Tribunals , the Bucharest People's Tribunal and the Northern Transylvania People's Tribunal were set up by the post-World War II government of Romania, overseen by the Allied Control Commission to try suspected war criminals, in line with Article 14 of the Armistice...
were set up to try suspected war criminals. The Treaty of Peace with Romania was signed on February 10, 1947 and entered into force on September 15, 1947.
The Commission, placed under the nominal leadership of Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
general Rodion Malinovsky
Rodion Malinovsky
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky was a Soviet military commander in World War II and Defense Minister of the Soviet Union in the late 1950s and 1960s. He contributed to the major defeat of Nazi Germany at the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Budapest...
(represented by Vladislav Petrovich Vinogradov
Vladislav Petrovich Vinogradov
Vladislav Petrovich Vinogradov was a Russian military leader and social activist. He fought in the First World War, Russian Civil War and Second World War and ended his military career Lieutenant General of the Quartermaster Corps.During the occupation of Romania he represented Rodion Malinovsky,...
) and was dominated by Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
leaders.
The Commission was one of the tools used by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to impose communist rule in Romania
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
. Soviet occupation forces remained in Romania until 1958 and the country became a satellite state
Satellite state
A satellite state is a political term that refers to a country that is formally independent, but under heavy political and economic influence or control by another country...
of the Soviet Union, joining the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
and COMECON
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
.
Finland
The Allied Control Commission (ACC) arrived in Finland on September 22, 1944 to observe Finnish compliance with the Moscow armisticeMoscow Armistice
The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on September 19, 1944, ending the Continuation War...
. It consisted of 200 Soviet and 15 British members and was led by Col. Gen. Andrei Zhdanov
Andrei Zhdanov
Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov was a Soviet politician.-Life:Zhdanov enlisted with the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1915 and was promoted through the party ranks, becoming the All-Union Communist Party manager in Leningrad after the assassination of Sergei Kirov in 1934...
. Immediately after its inception, the commission required Finland to take more vigorous action to intern the German forces in Northern Finland. Finland's compliance with the commission resulted in the Lapland War
Lapland War
The Lapland War were the hostilities between Finland and Nazi Germany between September 1944 and April 1945, fought in Finland's northernmost Lapland Province. While the Finns saw this as a separate conflict much like the Continuation War, German forces considered their actions to be part of the...
. Simultaneously, Finland was required to demobilize
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
, which was also required by the commission.
The ACC provided Finland with a list of war criminals against whom Finland had to start judicial proceedings. Although this required Finnish post-facto legislation, Finland was the only country on the losing side of the war that was allowed to try its own war criminals. The ACC interfered with the war-responsibility trials
War-responsibility trials in Finland
The war-responsibility trials in Finland was a trial of the Finnish wartime leaders held responsible for "definitely influencing Finland in getting into a war with the Soviet Union and United Kingdom in 1941 or preventing peace" during the Continuation War, 1941-1944. Unlike other World War II...
by requiring longer prison sentences than the preliminary verdict would have contained. The ACC also strove to change the Finnish political life by requiring a number of allegedly fascist (in practice anti-Soviet) organizations to be banned, among them the Civil Guard. Furthermore the ACC required the forced return of all Soviet citizens, including Ingrian Finns
Ingrian Finns
The Ingrian Finns are the Finnish population of Ingria descending from Lutheran Finnish immigrants introduced to the area in the 17th century, when Finland and Ingria were both part of the Swedish Empire...
and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
ns, to the Soviet Union.
After the war, the Finnish military placed part of the weapons of the demobilized troops into several hundred caches distributed around the country. The caches would have been used to arm guerillas in case of a Soviet occupation. When the matter was leaked to the public, the commission required Finnish authorities to investigate and prosecute the officers and men responsible for the caching. The Weapons Cache Case
Weapons Cache Case
The Weapons Cache Case was a Finnish criminal case of the mid-1940s. It concerned a secret military operation following the Continuation War, where a large number of Finnish Army weapons and equipment was hidden away around the country....
was followed closely until the ACC determined that the case was purely a military operation. The Allied Control Commission left Finland September 26, 1947, when the Soviet Union finally ratified the Paris Peace Treaty
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947
The Paris Peace Conference resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947. The victorious wartime Allied powers negotiated the details of treaties with Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland .The...
.
Bulgaria
The Armistice Agreement with Bulgaria October 28, 1944 stipulated Article 1 that "On the conclusion of hostilities against Germany the Bulgarian armed forces must be mobilized and put on a peace footing under: supervision of the Allied Control Commission.". Article 11 stipulated that property taken from United Nations territory must be returned to those territories under the supervision of the Control Commission. Article 13 stipulated that property belonging to the Axis powers of Germany and Hungary must not be returned without permission of the Control Commission. Article 18 stipulated that the Commission would "regulate and supervise the execution of the armistice terms under the chairmanship of the representative of the Allied (Soviet) High Command. ... During the period between the coming into force of the armistice and the conclusion of hostilities against Germany, the Allied Control Commission will be under the general direction of the Allied (Soviet) High Command.".Hungary
- Armistice Agreement with Hungary January 20, 1945
- Article 1: "On the conclusion of hostilities against Germany, the Hungarian armed forces must be demobilized and put on a peace footing under the supervision of the Allied Control Commission.
- Article 6: property taken from United Nations territory must be returned to those territories under the supervision of the Control Commission.
- Article 8: property belonging to the Axis power of Germany must not be returned without permission of the Control Commission.
- Article 11: Hungary should pay for the Allied Control Commission and that "The Government of Hungary will also assure, in case of need, the use and regulation of the work of industrial and transport enterprises, means of communication, power stations, enterprises and installations of public utility, stores of fuel and other material, in accordance with instructions issued during the armistice by the Allied (Soviet) High Command or the Allied Control Commission."
- Article 17: "Hungarian administrative bodies undertaking to carry out, in the interests of the reestablishment of peace and security, instructions and orders of the Allied (Soviet) High Command or Allied Control Commission issued by them for the purpose of securing the execution of these armistice terms."
- Article 18: "For the whole period of the armistice there will be established in Hungary an Allied Control Commission which will regulate and supervise the execution of the armistice terms under the chairmanship of the representative of the Allied ( Soviet ) High Command ... During the period between the coming into force of the armistice and the conclusion of hostilities against Germany, the Allied Control Commission will be under the general direction of the Allied (Soviet) High Command."
- Allied Control Commission in Hungary; January 20, 1945
Germany
The Allied Control CouncilAllied Control Council
The Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority, known in the German language as the Alliierter Kontrollrat and also referred to as the Four Powers , was a military occupation governing body of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany after the end of World War II in Europe...
(ACC) for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
oversaw the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
. The ACC was established by agreement of June 5, 1945, supplemented by agreement of September 20 of that same year, with its seat in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Its members were Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America. Decision could only be made by consensus. Cooperation by the ACC broke down as the Soviet representative withdrew on March 20, 1948. After that date, the ACC did not meet again, and the stage was set for the partition
Partition (politics)
In politics, a partition is a change of political borders cutting through at least one territory considered a homeland by some community. That change is done primarily by diplomatic means, and use of military force is negligible....
of Germany into two states.
After the breakdown of the ACC, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
(and West Berlin) was ruled by the Allied High Commission
Allied High Commission
The Allied High Commission was established by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and France after the 1948 breakdown of the Allied Control Council to regulate and supervise the development of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany The Allied High Commission (also known...
with membership from Britain, France, and the United States, while East Germany (and East Berlin) was ruled by the Chairman of the Soviet Control Commission, later the Soviet High Commissioner. The role of the High Commissioners ceased when each German state gained full sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
.
The ACC convened again in 1971, leading to agreement on transit arrangements in Berlin. During the talks for unification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
of Germany in late 1989, it was decided to convene the ACC again as a forum for solving the issue of Allied rights and privileges in Germany. The disbanding of the ACC was officially announced by the Two Plus Four Agreement of September 12, 1990, effective as of March 15, 1991.
Austria
The creation of an Allied Commission for Austria was envisaged by Allied leaders at the various sessions of the European Advisory CommissionEuropean Advisory Commission
The formation of the European Advisory Commission was agreed on at the Moscow Conference on October 30, 1943 between the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Anthony Eden, the United States, Cordell Hull, and the Soviet Union, Molotov, and confirmed at the Tehran Conference in November...
in 1944. The matter became more pressing following the Soviet take over of Vienna from German control on April 13, 1945. The Soviet authorities in Vienna decided to establish a new Austrian government without prior consultation with the other Allied leaders, and on April 27, the Austrian socialist leader Karl Renner
Karl Renner
Karl Renner was an Austrian politician. He was born in Untertannowitz in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and died in Vienna...
formed a government in Vienna. The British, US and French governments refused at first to recognize the Renner government, and in order to undermine the Soviet move decided to start right away with the proceedings to establish a joint commission for Austria. However, the Soviet government withheld permission for Allied representatives to enter Vienna during late April to early May, arguing that agreement on partition of Vienna into four occupation zones must be done prior to the arrival of any other troops thereto. As a result, it was only on June 4 that a delegation of US, British and French generals was able to arrive at Vienna to survey conditions in the area. However, not much progress was made throughout June, as the Soviet authorities restricted the movement of the western Allies in and around Vienna. Throughout June, negotiations for agreement on division of Austria into occupation zones were held in London within the European Advisory Commission, and the agreement was concluded on July 4, 1945, subject to further approval. The agreement was then approved by the four Allied governments. On July 12, it was approved by the British and French governments. On July 21, the Soviet government gave its approval, and the US government followed suit on July 24.
On June 27, 1945, shortly prior to the formation of the Allied Commission for Austria, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff issued an ordinance authorizing General Mark W. Clark as Commander in Chief of US Forces of Occupation in Austria. Regarding the future commission for Austria, the directive stated:
As such you will serve as United States member of the Allied Council of the Allied Commission for Austria and will also be responsible for the administration of military government in the zone or zones assigned to the United States for purposes of occupation and administration.
The Allied Commission for Austria was established by the Agreement on control machinery in Austria, signed in the European Advisory Commission
European Advisory Commission
The formation of the European Advisory Commission was agreed on at the Moscow Conference on October 30, 1943 between the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Anthony Eden, the United States, Cordell Hull, and the Soviet Union, Molotov, and confirmed at the Tehran Conference in November...
in London on July 4, 1945. It entered into force on July 24, 1945 on the day that the United States gave notification of approval, the last of the four powers to do so. It was supplemented by an agreement of June 28, 1946, which enabled the Austrian government to conduct foreign relations.
A separate agreement for the division of the city of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
into four occupation zones was concluded on July 9, 1945. This agreement was approved by the British government on July 12, the French government on July 16, the Soviet government on July 21 and the US government on July 24.
Austria was divided into 4 Zones: American, British, French and Soviet. Vienna, being the capital, was similarly divided but at its centre was an International Zone, sovereignty of which alternated at regular intervals between the 4 Powers. The commission had its seat in Vienna.
A problem faced by the commission was the issue of the provisional government under Karl Renner
Karl Renner
Karl Renner was an Austrian politician. He was born in Untertannowitz in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and died in Vienna...
, which was established unilaterally by the Soviet government in early May 1945. The other Allied governments refused at first to recognize it, but on October 1, 1945, the commission made the following recommendation:
The Council examined the question of the Provisional Austrian Government and are making recommendations to their respective governments.
The Council decided on the reestablishment of a free press in the whole of Austria subject only to conditions of military security. They also decided that effective December 1 the wearing of military uniforms unless dyed a color other than grey or khaki is forbidden to former personnel of the German Army and to Austrian civilians.
The commission recommended to recognize Renner's government, in exchange for introduction of freedom of the press and holding free elections.
The commission for Austria was dismantled following the conclusion of the Austrian State Treaty
Austrian State Treaty
The Austrian State Treaty or Austrian Independence Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on May 15, 1955, in Vienna at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allied occupying powers and the Austrian government...
on May 15, 1955.
Japan
It was agreed at the Moscow Conference of Foreign MinistersMoscow Conference (1945)
The Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers of the United States , the United Kingdom , and the Soviet Union met in December 1945 to discuss the problems of occupation, establishing peace, and other Far East issues.The Communique issued after the Conference on December 27,...
, and made public in communique issued at the end of the conference on December 27, 1945 that the Far Eastern Advisory Commission (FEAC) would become the Far Eastern Commission
Far Eastern Commission
It was agreed at the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers, and made public in communique issued at the end of the conference on December 27, 1945 that the Far Eastern Advisory Commission would become the Far Eastern Commission , it would be based in Washington, and would oversee the Allied...
(FEC), it would be based in Washington, and would oversee the Allied Council for Japan. This arrangement was similar to those that the Allies had set up for overseeing the defeated Axis powers in Europe. In a mirror image of those Axis countries, like Hungary, which fell to the Soviet Union and were occupied by the Red Army alone, Japan having fallen to the United States and occupied by the U.S. Army, the United States was given the dominant position on the Tokyo based Allied Council for Japan. The change in name of the FEAC to FEC was significant because as the U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes
James F. Byrnes
James Francis Byrnes was an American statesman from the state of South Carolina. During his career, Byrnes served as a member of the House of Representatives , as a Senator , as Justice of the Supreme Court , as Secretary of State , and as the 104th Governor of South Carolina...
reported after the Conference "As early as August 9 we invited the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and China to join with us in carrying out the objectives of the Potsdam Declaration
Potsdam Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender is a statement calling for the Surrender of Japan in World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S...
and the Terms of Surrender for Japan. The Far Eastern Advisory Commission was established in October, but Great Britain had reservations regarding its advisory character, and the Soviet Union requested a decision regarding control machinery in Tokyo before joining the work of the Commission.". As agreed in the communique the FEC and the Allied Council were dismantled following the Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
on September 8, 1951.
See also
- Petersberg agreementPetersberg agreementThe Petersberg Agreement is an international treaty that extended the rights of the Federal Government of Germany vis-a-vis the occupying forces of Britain, France, and the United States, and is viewed as the first major step of Federal Republic of Germany towards sovereignty...
- Potsdam AgreementPotsdam AgreementThe Potsdam Agreement was the Allied plan of tripartite military occupation and reconstruction of Germany—referring to the German Reich with its pre-war 1937 borders including the former eastern territories—and the entire European Theatre of War territory...
(1945) - Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers (1945)
- Paris Peace Treaties, 1947Paris Peace Treaties, 1947The Paris Peace Conference resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947. The victorious wartime Allied powers negotiated the details of treaties with Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland .The...