Allied High Commission
Encyclopedia
The Allied High Commission (also known as the High Commission for Occupied Germany, HICOG; in German Alliierte Hohe Kommission, AHK) 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
(West Germany).
The Commission took its seat on the Petersberg
near Bonn
and started its work on September 21, 1949. It ceased to function under the terms of the Bonn–Paris conventions,on May 5, 1955.
The Occupation Statute
specified the prerogatives of the Western allies vis-à-vis the German government, and preserved the right to intervene in areas of military, economic, and foreign policy importance. These rights were revised in the Petersberg Agreement
several weeks later.
With the creation of the Federal Republic and the institution of the High Commission, the position of the Military Governors was abolished. Instead each of the three Western allies named a High Commissioner
.
High commissioners:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
after the 1948 breakdown of the Allied Control Council
Allied 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...
to regulate and supervise the development of the newly established Federal Republic of 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....
(West Germany).
Hotel Petersberg
Hotel Petersberg has become the Guest House of the Federal Republic of Germany, termed the "Bundesgästehaus" . It is located on the Petersberg, a prominent mountain of the Siebengebirge near Bonn, Germany...
near Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and started its work on September 21, 1949. It ceased to function under the terms of the Bonn–Paris conventions,on May 5, 1955.
The Occupation Statute
Occupation statute
The Occupation Statute of Germany of April 10, 1949 specified the roles and responsibilities of the newly created German government and the Allied High Commission in West Germany...
specified the prerogatives of the Western allies vis-à-vis the German government, and preserved the right to intervene in areas of military, economic, and foreign policy importance. These rights were revised in the Petersberg Agreement
Petersberg agreement
The 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...
several weeks later.
With the creation of the Federal Republic and the institution of the High Commission, the position of the Military Governors was abolished. Instead each of the three Western allies named a High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
.
High commissioners:
- United States of America:
- September 2, 1949 – August 1, 1952 John J. McCloyJohn J. McCloyJohn Jay McCloy was a lawyer and banker who served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II, president of the World Bank and U.S. High Commissioner for Germany...
- August 1, 1952 – December 11,1952 Walter J. Donnelly
- December 11,1952 – February 10,1953 Samuel ReberSamuel ReberSamuel Reber was a diplomat who spent 27 years in the Foreign Service of the United States, including several years with the Allied High Commission for Germany. Threats by Senator Joseph McCarthy to reveal a homosexual incident in his past forced him to resign quietly from the State Department in...
(acting) - February 10,1953 – May 5, 1955 James Bryant ConantJames Bryant ConantJames Bryant Conant was a chemist, educational administrator, and government official. As thePresident of Harvard University he reformed it as a research institution.-Biography :...
- September 2, 1949 – August 1, 1952 John J. McCloy
- United Kingdom:
- September 21,1949 – Jun 24,1950 Sir Brian Hubert Robertson
- June 24,1950 – September 29,1953 Sir Ivone KirkpatrickIvone KirkpatrickHis Excellency Sir Ivone Augustine Kirkpatrick GCB, GCMG was a British diplomat who served most notably as the British High Commissioner in Germany after the war, and as the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office -Summary:Kirkpatrick left school to join the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers...
- September 29,1953 – May 5, 1955 Sir Frederick Hoyer-Millar
- France:
- September 21,1949 – May 5, 1955 André François-PoncetAndré François-PoncetAndré François-Poncet was a French politician and diplomat whose post as ambassador to Germany allowed him to witness first-hand the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, and the Nazi regime's preparations for war.François-Poncet was the son of a counselor of the Court of Appeals in...
- September 21,1949 – May 5, 1955 André François-Poncet
External links
- Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany (USHCG) in the National Archives