#5-069
Memorandum by the U.S. Chiefs of Staff1
March 23, 1945 [Washington, D.C.]
[Top Secret]
COMBINED CHIEFS OF STAFF
PROPOSED EXCHANGE OF ABLEBODIED BRITISH AND GERMAN
PRISONERS OF WAR (Ref. CCS 794, 794/1)
The U.S. Chiefs of Staff have given consideration to all the factors regarding this subject. They note that owing to additional shipping availability the British Government has now transmitted a note to the Swiss Government for communication to the German Government proposing that the number to be repatriated on each side be increased at this time from 5,000 to 7,000. They further note that the foregoing has been taken as an interim measure and they have now been informed that it is the desire of the British Government to accept in toto the German proposal for the exchanges, aggregating 25,000 on each side. They also note that the British Government does not propose to inform the Soviet Government regarding this matter until the exchange is arranged.
Should the contemplated exchanges be conducted on the same basis as the interim exchange of 7,000, the result would be to return to the German forces 25,000 combat trained personnel only recently captured. It is the view of the U.S. Chiefs of Staff that to do this in the present state of the war would have such an adverse effect on the war effort that the U.S. Chiefs of Staff do not feel free to recommend to their Government that it concur. They further feel that it would be a mistake which might have critical repercussions to proceed in this matter without informing the Soviet Government.
The U.S. Chiefs of Staff are conscious of the problem presented by the plight of the British prisoners who have been so long in captivity and of the pressures that are brought to bear on the British authorities in this matter. However, they feel that when this transfer becomes a matter of public knowledge the reaction in this country will be immediate and most unfortunate, whatever the merits of the case appear to be in the opinion of the British authorities. The number of troops the United States now has involved in heavy battle, the number of casualties it is suffering daily, will have a decided bearing on this matter. With reference to this last statement it has been calculated on the basis of prisoners captured since D-day that the U.S. troops suffered a loss of approximately 3,000 killed, 12,000 wounded and 2,000 missing for every 25,000 German prisoners taken.
In consideration of the fact that this issue involves on the Allied side only troops of the British Commonwealth the U.S. Chiefs of Staff, having expressed their views in this matter, will refrain from any further participation in the considerations leading to a decision.2
Document Copy Text Source: George C. Marshall Papers, Pentagon Office Collection, Selected Materials, George C. Marshall Research Library, Lexington, Virginia.
Document Format: Typed memorandum.
1. The chief of staff wrote at the top of this document: “This is my draft for proposed action by U.S. Chiefs of Staff. G. C. M.” Marshall’s dictation to his secretary Mona K. Nason is located in GCMRL/G. C. Marshall Papers (Pentagon Office, Shorthand Notebooks).
2. General Marshall went to Field Marshal Wilson’s office for a 12:15 P.M. meeting and luncheon on March 23. The Combined Chiefs of Staff cancelled their meeting scheduled for 2:30 P.M. that day.
Recommended Citation: ThePapers of George Catlett Marshall, ed.Larry I. Bland and Sharon Ritenour Stevens (Lexington, Va.: The George C. Marshall Foundation, 1981– ). Electronic version based on The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, vol. 5, “The Finest Soldier,” January 1, 1945–January 7, 1947 (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003), pp. 99–100.