Guide to Federal Records

Records of U.S. Occupation Headquarters, World War II


(Record Group 260)
1923-72 (bulk 1945-72)

Overview of Records Locations

Table of Contents
  • 260.1 Administrative History
  • 260.2 Records of the U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (USGCC) 1943-45
    • 260.2.1 General records
    • 260.2.2 Records in USGCC custody relating to the European Advisory Commission (EAC)
  • 260.3 Records of the Executive Office of the Office of Military Government for Germany (U.S.) [OMGUS] 1943-49 (bulk 1945-49)
    • 260.3.1 Records of the Office of the Chief of Staff
    • 260.3.2 Correspondence maintained by the Adjutant General's Office
    • 260.3.3 Issuances maintained by the Adjutant General's Office
    • 260.3.4 Other records maintained by the Adjutant General's Office
    • 260.3.5 Records of the Control Office
    • 260.3.6 Records of the Field Information Agency, Technical (FIAT)
  • 260.4 Records of Functional Offices and divisions of OMGUS 1923-51 (bulk 1945-50)
    • 260.4.1 Records of the Analysis and Research Branch of the Office of the Director of Intelligence
    • 260.4.2 Records of the Regional Government Coordinating Office
    • 260.4.3 Records of the Economics Division
    • 260.4.4 Records of the Information Services Division (formerly Public Relations Office)
    • 260.4.5 Records of the Civil Administration Division
    • 260.4.6 Records of the Legal Division
    • 260.4.7 Records of the Manpower Division
    • 260.4.8 Records of the Transportation Division
    • 260.4.9 Records of the Property Division
    • 260.4.10 Records of the Finance Division
    • 260.4.11 Records of the Education and Cultural Relations Division (E&CRD)
    • 260.4.12 Records of the Civil Aviation Branch of the Armed Forces Division
  • 260.5 Records of OMGUS Organizations concerned with War Crimes Trials 1945-49
    • 260.5.1 Records of the Office of the Chief of Counsel for War Crimes (OCCWC)
    • 260.5.2 Records of the Secretariat for U.S. Military Tribunals
    • 260.5.3 Records of the Secretariat of the International Military Tribunal (IMT) in the custody of the Secretariat for U.S. Military Tribunals
    • 260.5.4 Other records
  • 260.6 Records of Berlin Command, OMGUS 1946-48
  • 260.7 Records of State (Land) and Sector Military Governments Responsible to OMGUS 1945-51 (bulk 1945-49)
    • 260.7.1 Records of the Office of Military Government, Bavaria
    • 260.7.2 Records of the Office of Military Government, Hesse
    • 260.7.3 Records of the Office of Military Government, Württemberg-Baden
    • 260.7.4 Records of the Office of Military Government, Bremen
    • 260.7.5 Records of the Office of Military Government, Berlin Sector
  • 260.8 Records of U.S. Elements of Allied Control Authority (ACA) Organizations (Germany) 1944-53 (bulk 1945-48)
    • 260.8.1 General records
    • 260.8.2 Records of the U.S. element of the Control Council
    • 260.8.3 Records of the U.S. element of the Coordinating Committee
    • 260.8.4 Records of U.S. elements of ACA directorates
    • 260.8.5 Records of U.S. elements of other ACA organizations
  • 260.9 Records of U.S. Elements of Combined U.S.-British organizations (Germany) 1943-51 (bulk 1945-49)
    • 260.9.1 Records of the U.S. element of the Bipartite Board ("BIB")
    • 260.9.2 Records of the Office of the U.S. Chairman of the Bipartite Control Office ("BICO")
    • 260.9.3 General records of the U.S. element of BICO
    • 260.9.4 Records of U.S. elements of BICO staff organizations
    • 260.9.5 Records of U.S. elements of other bipartite organizations
  • 260.10 Records of U.S. Elements of Combined U.S.-British-French Organizations (Germany) 1948-49
  • 260.11 Records of the U.S., Allied Commission for Austria (USACA) Section of Headquarters U.S. Forces in Austria 1932-56 (bulk 1945-50)
  • 260.12 Records of the U.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR) 1945-72
    • 260.12.1 Records of the Office of the High Commissioner
    • 260.12.2 Records maintained by the Administrative Office of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.3 Records of the Comptroller Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.4 Records of the Economic Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.5 Records of the Health, Education and Welfare Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.6 Records of the Labor Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.7 Records of the Legal Affairs Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.8 Records of the Liaison Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.9 Records of the Public Affairs Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.10 Records of the Public Safety Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.11 Records of the Public Works Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator
    • 260.12.12 Records of civil affairs teams responsible to the Office of the Civil Administrator

260.1 Administrative History

Finding Aids: Preliminary Inventory in National Archives microfiche edition of preliminary inventories.

Security-Classified Records: This record group may include material that is security-classified.

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas in General Records of the Department of State, RG 59. Records of Headquarters U.S. Forces, European Theater, and its successor, Headquarters European Command; Headquarters U.S. Forces in Austria; General Headquarters U.S. Army Forces in the Pacific, and its successor, Headquarters Far East Command; Headquarters U.S. Army Forces, Western Pacific; and Headquarters Ryukyus Command and its successors, Headquarters Philippines- Ryukyus Command and Headquarters Ryukyuan Command, all in Records of U.S. Army Commands, 1942- , RG 338.

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260.2 Records of the U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (USGCC)
1943-45


History: Established as an organization of Headquarters European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (HQ ETOUSA), by General Order 80, HQ ETOUSA, August 9, 1944, implementing a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) message to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), August 5, 1944. So named in anticipation of the organization's becoming the U.S. element of the staff of a control council, consisting of the commanders-in-chief of the U.S., British, and Soviet occupying forces, that would administer occupied Germany during the immediate postwar period. By same general order, Brig. Gen. Cornelius W. Wickersham was appointed to head USGCC, with title of acting deputy to the chief U.S. representative (not yet named) on the future control council. Effective April 17, 1945, Lt. Gen. Lucius D. Clay was appointed Deputy Military Governor to succeed Gen. Wickersham as head of USGCC. USGCC functioned, May 8-October 1, 1945, as the agency of the first Military Governor, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who served concurrently as Commanding General ETOUSA (to July 1, 1945) and Commanding General U.S. Forces, European Theater (USFET, successor to ETOUSA, from July 1, 1945). In accordance with the Agreement on Control Machinery in Germany, signed by U.S., United Kingdom, and USSR representatives, November 14, 1944, and amended to add France as the fourth occupying power, May 1, 1945, Control Council formally established by Section II-A of the Protocol of the Proceedings of the Berlin Conference (also known as the Potsdam Conference), August 1, 1945. USGCC abolished, with functions transferred to newly established Office of Military Government for Germany (U.S.) [OMGUS], October 1, 1945. See 260.3.

Related Records: Historical records of USGCC in records of the Historical Branch of the Control Office, OMGUS, described UNDER 260.3.5. Papers, 1945-49, of Gen. Lucius D. Clay, Deputy U.S. Military Governor, Germany (1945-47), and U.S. Military Governor, Germany (1947-49) in National Archives collection of donated materials; selected documents from the papers in Jean Edward Smith, ed., The Papers of General Lucius D. Clay: Germany, 1945- 1949, 2 vols. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1974). Transcripts of oral history interviews of Gen. Clay in Hoover, Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy Libraries. Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.

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 260.2.1 General records

Textual Records: Decimal correspondence, 1944-45. Daily journal, May-October 1945. Minutes of staff meetings, July 28, 1944- September 29, 1945. Microfilm copy of the Military Governor's reports, July-September 1945 (combined with Military Governor's reports, October-December 1945, 2 rolls). Records of the meetings and activities of the Combined Deputy Military Governors, 1945. Planning records, 1944-45, including records concerning immediate actions to be taken in the event of a German surrender (Project Eclipse); records dealing with the occupation role to be played by the British; and staff studies on demilitarization, disarmament, and paramilitary organizations. Policy records, including files of JCS and Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) issuances concerning Germany, 1944-45; and a digest of military government policies set forth in JCS and European Advisory Commission (EAC; see 260.2.2) directives ("Policy Book"), 1945.

Microfilm Publications: M1075.

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 260.2.2 Records in USGCC custody relating to the European
Advisory Commission (EAC)


History: EAC established, with seat in London, by a secret protocol signed by U.S., United Kingdom, and USSR representatives at the Tripartite Conference in Moscow, November 1, 1943, with responsibility for making recommendations to the three Allied governments on questions connected with the termination of the war in Europe. Provisional Government of the French Republic accepted into membership, November 27, 1944. EAC's 12 recommended formal agreements, all of which were eventually accepted by all member governments, concerned surrender terms for, and postwar administration of, Germany and Austria; and armistice terms for Bulgaria. EAC abolished, September 10, 1945, pursuant to Section I of the Protocol of the Proceedings of the Berlin Conference (also known as the Potsdam Conference), August 1, 1945. By Sections I and II of same protocol, responsibility for drawing up peace treaties with the former European Axis powers vested in a Council of Foreign Ministers of China, France, United Kingdom, United States, and USSR; and responsibility for administering occupied Germany vested in Control Council.

Textual Records: Decimal correspondence and a subject file, 1943- 45, of Brig. Gens. Cornelius W. Wickersham and Vincent Meyer, successive military advisers to John G. Winant, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, in his capacity as U.S. member of EAC. Minutes of EAC meetings, 1944-45. File of draft EAC directives, with related memorandums and opinions, maintained by Ambassador Robert D. Murphy, political adviser attached to SHAEF, 1944-45. Subject file concerning EAC directives, maintained by the Legal Advice Branch, 1944-45.

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 260.3 Records of the Executive Office of the Office of Military Government for Germany (U.S.) [OMGUS]
1943-49 (bulk 1945-49)


History: For a history of OMGUS predecessor, the U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (USGCC), SEE 260.2. OMGUS established, effective October 1, 1945, by General Order 283, HQ USFET, October 8, 1945, implementing USFET letter AG 014.1 GEC-AGO, September 26, 1945. Responsible for administering U.S. zone of occupation and U.S. sector of Berlin, and for functioning as U.S. element of organizations comprising the Allied Control Authority, the name given to the four-power occupation control system. OMGUS functioned, October 1, 1945-September 1, 1949, as the agent of the following successive Military Governors: Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (concurrently Commanding General USFET), October 1- November 10, 1945; Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. (acting; concurrently acting Commanding General USFET), November 11-25, 1945; Gen. Joseph T. McNarney (concurrently Commanding General USFET), November 26, 1945-January 5, 1947; Gen. Lucius D. Clay (concurrently Commanding General USFET, January 6-March 14, 1947; and Commanding General European Command [EUCOM], successor to USFET, from March 15, 1947), January 6, 1947-May 14, 1949; and Lt. Gen. Clarence R. Huebner (acting; concurrently acting Commanding General EUCOM), May 15-September 1, 1949. Transition from military to civilian occupation administration initiated by Presidential appointment of John J. McCloy as U.S. High Commissioner for Germany (USHCG), announced May 18, 1949, and establishment in the Department of State of that position by EO 10062, June 6, 1949. McCloy assumed duties, September 2, 1949. OMGUS organizations progressively abolished, with functions transferred to USHCG organizations, June-September 1949. Transition completed by September 21, 1949, date of the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany. OMGUS formally abolished, effective December 5, 1949, by General Order 108, Headquarters EUCOM, December 1, 1949.

Related Records: See Related Records under 260.2 for papers and oral history interviews of Gen. Lucius D. Clay. Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.

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 260.3.1 Records of the Office of the Chief of Staff

Textual Records: Subject file, 1945-49. Official files, 1945-47, of Maj. Gen. Frank Keating, Assistant Deputy Military Governor (1946-47). Official files, 1944-48, of Brig. Gen. Charles K. Gailey, Jr., Chief of Staff (1946-49). Files of miscellaneous records concerning occupation policies and problems, 1947-49. Minutes and memorandums, 1949, of the Interdivisional Reorientation Committee, established, 1948, to plan and implement a U.S.-German cultural exchange program.

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 260.3.2 Correspondence maintained by the Adjutant General's
Office


Textual Records: Formerly security-classified and unclassified decimal correspondence, 1945-49, with partial microfilm copy (97 rolls). Formerly security-classified incoming messages, 1946-49, and outgoing messages, 1946-48. Microfilm copies of summaries of telephone conferences ("Telecons") between the staff of the Military Governor and various officials in Washington, DC, 1947- 49 (10 rolls).

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 260.3.3 Issuances maintained by the Adjutant General's Office

Textual Records: Numbered internal administrative issuances, with related records, 1945-49. Military government issuance case files, arranged by Control Council (CC) law number, 1945-48; CC directive number, 1945-49; OMGUS law number, 1945-49; OMGUS proclamation number, 1945-48; OMGUS ordinance number, 1945-49; and OMGUS regulation number, 1945-49.

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 260.3.4 Other records maintained by the Adjutant General's Office

Textual Records: Microfilm copy of the Military Governor's reports, October-December 1945 (combined with Military Governor's reports, July-September 1945, 2 rolls). Records relating to the council comprised of German nationals representing the states under U.S. occupation, known as the Council of States (L"nderrat), including correspondence with the council and its directorate, 1945-49; minutes of council meetings, 1945-47; and records concerning laws proposed by the council, 1945-47. Minutes and related records of a meeting of the U.S., British, French, and Soviet military governors of Germany to discuss issues resulting from the Soviet blockade of the western zones of Berlin ("Four Governors Conference Records"), August-September 1948. Reference file of intelligence reports from various sources, dealing mainly with activities of the USSR internally, in its satellite countries, and in its zone of occupied Germany, 1945- 49. Reference copies of studies of postwar problems conducted by the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee and the Combined Chiefs of Staff, 1943-48. Reference copies of published reports of OMGUS organizations concerning denazification, democratization, reparation, and restitution efforts, 1947. Microfilm copy of the German civil law code, n.d. (2 rolls).

Related Records: Additional records concerning the L"nderrat under 260.4.2.

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 260.3.5 Records of the Control Office

Textual Records: General records, consisting of separate subject files relating to military government administration, 1945-49, and the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1947- 49. Records of the Historical Branch, consisting of administrative records, 1945-49; and a compilation of historical records (209 ft.) of the USGCC (see 260.2), the main and regional headquarters organizations of OMGUS, and various Allied occupation organizations, ca. 1945-49, including a microfilm copy of reports of the Tripartite Nutrition Committee, 1945-47 (1 roll). Records of the Organization and Program Branch, consisting of a subject file, 1945-49; and reference files on military government regulations, 1944-49. Correspondence, reports, and other records of the Reports and Statistics Branch, 1945-49. Records of the Budget and Fiscal Branch relating to contracts and accounts, audits, and budgets, 1944-49.

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 260.3.6 Records of the Field Information Agency, Technical (FIAT)

Textual Records: Records documenting the organization's mission to oversee the collection of technical, scientific, industrial, and economic information relating to Germany, 1945-47, including decimal correspondence, a subject file, and daily journals.

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 260.4 Records of Functional Offices and Divisions of OMGUS
1923-51 (bulk 1945-50)


Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.

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 260.4.1 Records of the Analysis and Research Branch of the Office of the Director of Intelligence

Textual Records: Decimal correspondence, 1945-49. Subject file, 1944-48. Reference collection of miscellaneous reports and publications, 1947-48; and of memorandums, reports, news clippings, messages, and other records, arranged by subject, 1947-49.

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 260.4.2 Records of the Regional Government Coordinating Office

Textual Records: Main subject file, 1945-48. Records relating to the activities of the L"nderrat, 1945-48. Subject file concerning interzonal and military government liaison officers' meetings, 1945-48.

Related Records: Additional records concerning the L"nderrat under 260.3.4.

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 260.4.3 Records of the Economics Division

Textual Records: General records, consisting of main decimal correspondence, 1944-49; decimal correspondence of the deputy director, 1947-49; a subject file, 1945-49; records relating to trade and trade agreements, 1947-49; records concerning the Economic Cooperation Administration, 1948-49; and a reference file of published reports, ca. 1945. Correspondence, reports, and other records of the Industry Branch and its Oil and Public Utilities Sections, 1945-49, including a microfilm copy of branch-level correspondence, 1945-49 (8 rolls). Subject file of the Price Control Branch, 1945-49. Records of the Decartelization Branch, including two files of general records, a file of records concerning the Bosch Group of Hesse, and a library of publications on German industries, ca. 1945-49, to which items were added, 1949-51, by successor organizations of the Office of the High Commissioner for Germany; case files on German industrial firms (1927-48), compiled 1945-48; reports on various German companies, 1945-47; records relating to the decartelization of the Bosch Group, 1948-49; and correspondence and other records of the I.G. Farben Control Office (1930-48), compiled 1945-48.

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 260.4.4 Records of the Information Services Division (formerly Public Relations Office)

Textual Records: Subject files of the Office of the Director, 1945-49, and the Office of the Deputy Director, 1948-50. Main decimal correspondence, 1944-49. Correspondence, reports, studies, and other records, ca. 1945-49, of the following branches: Policy and Programming; Opinion Surveys; Fiscal and Budget Control; Press; Publication Control; Motion Picture; Radio; and Information Centers and Exhibits.

Photographs (4,848 images): Taken or acquired by the Public Relations Office, showing OMGUS military and civilian personnel, headquarters, and housing and recreational facilities; Allied military governors and personnel; U.S. Government officials; U.S. military awards ceremonies; buildings in ruins; displaced persons and refugees; CARE and other relief programs; and military operations during the Berlin airlift, 1943-49 (OMG, MGG).

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 260.4.5 Records of the Civil Administration Division

Textual Records: General records, including central decimal correspondence, 1945-49; subject correspondence maintained by the Executive Branch, 1945-49; minutes of divisional staff meetings, 1945-49; records relating to alleged Soviet violations of quadripartite agreements, 1945-49; and reports on local elections, 1945-46. Correspondence, messages, reports, case files, and other records, ca. 1945-49, of the following branches: Personnel and Administrative; Prisoner of War and Displaced Persons; Civil Liberties and Democratization; Governmental Structures; Public Safety; Policy Enforcement; and Public Health and Public Welfare.

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 260.4.6 Records of the Legal Division

Textual Records: General records, including a central subject file, 1945-50; records maintained by the Secretariat, 1945-49; a chronological file, 1945-50; and records of the Reports Office, 1945-49. Correspondence, reports, case files, and other records, 1945-49, of the following branches: Legal Advice; Administration of Justice; and Prisons.

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 260.4.7 Records of the Manpower Division

Textual Records: Central subject files, 1945-49. Correspondence, reports, studies, and other records, 1945-49, of the following branches: Labor Relations; Social Insurance; Labor Management Technique; and Manpower Analysis.

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 260.4.8 Records of the Transportation Division

Textual Records: Central correspondence relating to transportation policy, international transportation, and the activities of various interallied occupation organizations concerned with transportation, 1945-49. Records of the Administrative, Secretariat and Reports, and Technical Supply Sections of the Executive Branch, 1945-49. Subject and reports files of the Reports and Statistics Group, 1945-49. Correspondence, reports, studies, and other records, 1945-49, of the following branches: Movements; Rail; Inland Water Transport; Maritime Ports and Shipping; and Highway and Highway Transport.

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 260.4.9 Records of the Property Division

Textual Records: General records, including a central subject file, 1944-50; and a reports file, 1945-49. Correspondence, case files, reports, and other records of the Property Control and External Assets Branch, 1944-50, and the Reparations and Restitution Branch, 1945-49. Records of, and relating to, centers for the collection of literary, artistic, and other types of alienated property established in various cities in the U.S. occupation zone ("Central Collecting Points," CCP), 1944-51 (bulk 1945-49).

Photographs: Archives, libraries, and castles in 10 German cities, 1946-47 (ACL, 181 images). Photographs taken by the Dresden Art Gallery, presumably as a record of art plundered by the Axis powers ("Linz Collection"), 1940-45 (L, 3,000 images). Postwar collection, storage, and restitution of works of art, accomplished at the Munich CCP, 1945-47 (MP, 1,234 images); and at the Wiesbaden CCP, 1945-50 (WA, WB, WC, WAE, WLA, WLB, and WLC; 9,767 images). Famous Germans, and the Hermann G"ring art collection, assembled at the Munich CCP, and restitution of art activities at that location, ca. 1945 (MCCP, 118 images). Activities at the Offenbach Archival Depot of OMGUS, art looted from synagogues, and activities of the Task Force Reich Leader Rosenberg (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, "ERR"), in albums, 1946 (PHOAD, 160 images).

Photographs and Postcards: Relating to the Platterhof (former name of the General Walker Hotel) in the then existing village of Obersalzburg, Bavaria, ca. 1923-40 (NS, NSA, 277 images).

Photographs and Photomechanical Reproductions: Portraits of famous Germans, compiled in 1904, n.d. (GP, 30 images).

Photographic Prints: Benedictine abbey at Montecassino, Italy, before and after its destruction by Allied bombing, with restoration plans, in album, 1949 (MC, 51 images). War damage to German monuments and buildings, 1946-47 (DM, 2,100 images). "Ex libris" bookplates, ca. 1946 (XL, 478 images), and library markings from looted books, ca. 1946 (LM, 14,783 images), photographed at the Offenbach Archival Depot. Survey of war damage to historical and cultural monuments in the U.S. zone of occupation, 1947 (DB, 200 images). Scenes from the life of SS- Brig. Gen. Ulrich Graf, in albums, ca. 1937 (NSE, NSF; 40 images). Photographic prints dedicated to Professor Seifert, in album, 1942 (NSB, 56 images).

Photographic Negatives: Comprising the Task Force Reich Leader Rosenberg Collection ("ERR Collection"), showing works of art taken from France to Germany by teams acting under the direction of National Socialist ("Nazi") official Alfred Rosenberg, 1940-43 (ERR, 6,710 images). Polish art, ca. 1939 (PC, 27 images). Russian icons, ca. 1945-46 (RT, 34 images). Exhibit held at the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris, 1943 (JP, 21 images). Engravings in the Berlin Kupferstiche Kabinett, photographed at the Wiesbaden CCP, ca. 1946 (KK, 158 images).

Photomechanical Reproductions: Art sent for temporary safekeeping to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, 1945 (GU, 202 images). Photomechanical reproductions included in a publication on Adolf Hitler's lineage, 1937 (NSD, 32 images); and in a book on Ordensburg in Sonthofen, Bavaria, 1937 (NSC, 19 images).

Related Records: Records of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, RG 239.

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 260.4.10 Records of the Finance Division

Textual Records: General records, consisting of correspondence concerning financial policies and procedures, 1944-48; case files on banks, 1945-47; records of interrogations of Nazi financiers, 1946-47; and a microfilm copy of case files on leading German officials (1933-45), compiled ca. 1945-47 (3 rolls). Subject file of the Financial Institutions Branch, 1945-48. Correspondence and other records of the Office of the Finance Adviser concerning export-import, trade, and financial institution policies, 1945- 49. Correspondence, reports, and other records, 1945-50, of the following groups: Financial Intelligence; Internal and External Finance; and Foreign Exchange Depository.

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 260.4.11 Records of the Education and Cultural Relations Division
(E&CRD)


Textual Records: General records, including transcripts of telephone conferences between the Civil Affairs Division of Headquarters USFET/EUCOM and E&CRD officials, 1946-49; records concerning budget and fiscal matters, 1948-49; and records of the Research and Planning Section, 1948-49. Correspondence, messages, reports, studies, and other records, 1945-49, of the following branches: Education; Community Education (formerly Group Activities); Religious Affairs; and Cultural Affairs.

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 260.4.12 Records of the Civil Aviation Branch of the Armed Forces Division

Textual Records: Decimal correspondence, 1949-50. Subject file, 1944-50.

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 260.5 Records of OMGUS Organizations concerned with War Crimes Trials
1945-49


Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.

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 260.5.1 Records of the Office of the Chief of Counsel for War Crimes (OCCWC)

History: For a history, see 238.4.

Textual Records: Administrative records, 1946-49. Records of the Evidence Division, consisting of case files on defendants and witnesses in Case 6 ("I.G. Farben Case"), heard before a U.S. military tribunal in Nuremberg (1947-48), ca. 1947-48; completed Staff Evidence Analysis (SEA) forms, 1946-48, compiled by the Document Control Branch; and interrogation summaries, 1946-48, compiled by the Interrogation Branch. Records of the Special Projects Division relating to its mission to assist ministries of justice in the various German states within the U.S. zone in the conduct of denazification cases, 1947-49. Records of the Publications Division concerning the publication of proceedings of the U.S. military tribunals, 1948-49. Records of the Language Division, 1947-48, consisting of daily trial reports and exemplars of translation tests.

Related Records: Additional records of OCCWC in RG 238, National Archives Collection of World War II War Crimes Records.

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 260.5.2 Records of the Secretariat for U.S. Military Tribunals

History: For a history, see 238.5.

Textual Records: Records of the Office of the Secretary General, including general correspondence, 1946-49; daily trial summaries, 1947-48; case files of prosecution and defense motions and requests, 1947-49; and clemency petition case files, 1947-49. Defendant and witness case files of the Marshal's Office, 1947- 48. Subject files and administrative records of the Defense Center, 1946-49. Records of the Office of the Director of Printing relating to the publication and distribution of the official trial record, 1945-49.

Related Records: Additional records of the Secretariat for U.S. Military Tribunals in RG 238, National Archives Collection of World War II War Crimes Records.

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 260.5.3 Records of the Secretariat of the International Military Tribunal (IMT) in the custody of the Secretariat for U.S. Military Tribunals

History: Established by IMT Procedural Rule 8, October 29, 1945, with responsibility for receiving all documents addressed to the IMT, maintaining IMT records, and providing clerical services to IMT. Abolished following the rendering of IMT judgments, September 30 and October 1, 1946, with a residual staff functioning, 1946-49, until completion of the publication of the official record of IMT proceedings, 1949. Official trial records, constituting the Archives of the International Military Tribunal of Nuremberg, were deposited with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.

Textual Records: General records, 1945-46. File of official trial documents in the custody of the IMT President, Lord Justice Geoffrey Lawrence, 1945-46. Copies of exhibits and document books, 1945-46. Records concerning indicted organizations, 1945-46.

Related Records: Records of the Office of the U.S. Chief of Counsel for the Prosecution of Axis Criminality in RG 238, National Archives Collection of World War II War Crimes Records.

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 260.5.4 Other records

Photographic Prints (2,087 images): Made by the Office of the U.S. Chief of Counsel for the Prosecution of Axis Criminality from negatives comprising the Task Force Reich Leader Rosenberg Collection ("ERR Collection"; see 260.4.9 under Photographic Negatives), 1945 (ERRA).

Related Records: Records of Task Force Reich Leader Rosenberg in RG 242, National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized. Records of the Office of the U.S. Chief of Counsel for the Prosecution of Axis Criminality in RG 238, National Archives Collection of World War II War Crimes Records.

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 260.6 Records of Berlin Command, OMGUS
1946-48


Textual Records: Central decimal correspondence, 1946-48. Subject file, 1947-48. File of endorsements sent, 1947-48. Incoming messages, January-April 1948. Outgoing messages, 1946-48. Unit reports of operations, compiled by the Historical Division, 1947- 48. Special court martial-case files, compiled by the Staff Judge Advocate, 1947-48. Fragmentary records of the Engineer Division, Signal Division, 7782d Special Troop Battalion, Motor Transport Battalion, and Berlin Barter Center, 1946-48.

Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.

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 260.7 Records of State (Land) and Sector Military Governments Responsible to OMGUS
1945-51 (bulk 1945-49)


Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.

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 260.7.1 Records of the Office of Military Government, Bavaria

Textual Records: Records of the Office of the Land Director, including separate correspondence files of the Director, Assistant Director, and Deputy Director, 1947-49; central decimal correspondence, 1945-49; a subject file, 1946-48; correspondence and other records relating to investigations, 1945-49; issuances, 1945-49; incoming and outgoing messages, 1945-49; and reports, 1945-49. Correspondence, messages, case files, reports, and other records, 1945-51 (bulk 1945-49), of the following divisions: Intelligence; Economics; Manpower; Finance; Legal; Education and Cultural Relations; Food, Agriculture, and Forestry; Property; Civil Administration; and Information Services. Correspondence, messages, and other records of the Transportation Branch, 1945- 49. Records of the Field Operations Division, including headquarters records, 1947-49; and records, 1946-50, of Branches A (Würzburg), B (Ansbach), D (Regensburg), E (Munich), and G (Augsburg), together with records of each branch's subordinate Resident Liaison and Security Offices, located in each district (Landkreis).

Posters (1 item): "Stalin an das Deutsche Volk," from correspondence of the Land Director, ca. 1949.

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 260.7.2 Records of the Office of Military Government, Hesse

Textual Records: Subject correspondence maintained by the Executive Office, 1946-48, with partial microfilm copy (1 roll). Correspondence, reports, and issuances of the Hesse Section, 7780th OMGUS Group, 1945-49. Correspondence, messages, reports, and other records, 1945-49, of the following divisions: Personnel; Historical and Field Reports; Public Information; Intelligence; Bipartite Liaison; Education and Cultural Relations; Legal; Civil Administration; Information Services; and Property. Records of the Liaison and Security Control Division, consisting of headquarters records, 1946-49; and records of Liaison and Security Offices, together with their suboffices, in the following districts: Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Wetzlar, Giessen, Marburg, Fulda, Fritzlar-Homberg, and Kassel. Correspondence and other records of the State Seizure Association (Staatliche Erfassungsgesellschaft, "STEG"), 1945-48, relating to its mission to seize and operate factories as necessary to ensure Germany's economic survival and eventual recovery. Subject file of the Wiesbaden regional office of the U.S. Customs Group, 1949.

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 260.7.3 Records of the Office of Military Government, Württemberg-Baden

Textual Records: General records, including central correspondence, 1945-49; subject correspondence, 1945-49; issuances, 1945-49; a file of speeches, press conferences, and news releases, 1945-50; financial records, 1948-50; and reports of military government detachments, 1945-47. Correspondence, messages, reports, and other records, 1945-49, of the following divisions: Government Affairs; Information Service; Education and Cultural Relations; Legal; Economics; Property; Intelligence; Fiscal; and Transportation. Records of the Field Relations Division (formerly Field Operations Group), including records of headquarters, 1945-49; and records, 1945-49, of the Resident Liaison and Security Office in each district (Landkreis).

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 260.7.4 Records of the Office of Military Government, Bremen

Textual Records: General records, including central subject files, 1945-49; incoming messages, 1946-48; issuances, 1946-49; and reports, 1945-47. Correspondence, messages, reports, and other records, 1945-49, of the following divisions: Information Control; Finance; Legal; Public Health and Welfare; Denazification; Manpower; Public Safety; Education; Civil Administration; Economics; Transport; and Waterfront. Records of the Public Information Office, including correspondence, 1947-48; monthly activity reports of other offices, divisions, and branches, 1948-49; and quarterly and annual histories of military government in Bremen, 1945-48. Records of the Bremerhaven Liaison and Security Detachment, including decimal and subject correspondence, 1945-49; reading files of the director, 1947-49; records relating to housing, the fishing industry, and clubs and youth activities, 1945-49; and records of the Special Branch concerning denazification activities, 1945-49.

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 260.7.5 Records of the Office of Military Government, Berlin Sector

Textual Records: Subject correspondence, 1945-49. U.S. airlift reports, 1948-49, with microfilm copy (8 rolls). British airlift reports, 1948-49. Microfilm copy of orders to the mayor of Berlin, May-September 1949 (1 roll); activity reports, 1947-48 (7 rolls); and Berlin press reviews and releases, 1947-48 (12 rolls). Records of the Civil Administration and Political Affairs Branch, including a central subject file, 1945-49; minutes of meetings of the City Assembly of Greater Berlin, 1948-49, with partial microfilm copy (6 rolls); and microfilm copies of special reports, 1947-48 (1 roll), and weekly political reports, January- October 1948 (2 rolls). Correspondence, messages, reports, and other records, 1945-49, of the following other branches: Information Services; Education and Cultural Relations; Public Health; Public Welfare; Manpower; Legal; Economics; Communications; Finance; Property Control; Public Works and Utilities; and Public Safety.

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 260.8 Records of U.S. Elements of Allied Control Authority (ACA) Organizations (Germany)
1944-53 (bulk 1945-48)


Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.

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 260.8.1 General records

Textual Records: Central file, arranged numerically, 1945-49, with subject index. Microfilm copy of Control Council and Coordinating Committee status reports, 1945-48 (1 roll). Administrative records of the U.S. element of the Allied Secretariat, 1945-48.

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 260.8.2 Records of the U.S. element of the Control Council

Textual Records: General records, 1945-48. "Master File," 1945- 46.

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 260.8.3 Records of the U.S. element of the Coordinating Committee

Textual Records: General records, 1945-48. "Master File," 1945- 48. Minutes, 1945-48. Miscellaneous records, 1946-53.

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 260.8.4 Records of U.S. elements of ACA directorates

Textual Records: General records of U.S. elements of the Combined Services Directorate and its predecessors, the Air, Military, and Naval Directorates, 1945-48, with partial microfilm copies, 1945- 47 (66 rolls). General records of U.S. elements of the Prisoners of War and Displaced Persons Directorate, 1945-48, and its subordinate organization, the Combined Repatriation Executive, 1945-49. General records of the U.S. element of the Combined Services and Economic Directorate, 1947. General records, 1945- 49, of U.S. elements of the following other directorates: Legal; Internal Affairs and Communications; Economic; Financial; Reparations, Deliveries, and Restitution; Transport; Manpower; and Political.

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 260.8.5 Records of U.S. elements of other ACA organizations

Textual Records: General records of the U.S. element of the German External Property Commission, 1945-48. Records of the U.S. element of the Committee on Allied Controls, 1944-49. Subject file of the U.S. element of the Allied Kommandatura [quadripartite controlling body for Berlin], 1945-49. Memorandums of the U.S. element of the Divisional Legislative Review Board, 1949.

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 260.9 Records of U.S. Elements of Combined U.S.-British organizations (Germany)
1943-51 (bulk 1945-49)


Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.

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 260.9.1 Records of the U.S. element of the Bipartite Board
("BIB")


Textual Records: General records, 1947-49, dealing with the board's policy-making activities for the unified economy of the U.S. and British zones of occupation. Minutes of BIB meetings, with agendas and related background papers, 1949. Records concerning the various bipartite organizations, 1947-49.

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 260.9.2 Records of the Office of the U.S. Chairman of the Bipartite Control Office ("BICO")

Textual Records: Subject file, 1947-50. File of treaties and trade agreements, 1947-50.

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 260.9.3 General records of the U.S. element of BICO

Textual Records: Decimal, subject, and subject-numeric correspondence, 1947-49. Reading file, 1948-49. Reports, memorandums, minutes, and other records of the U.S. economic adviser, 1947-49. Minutes of meetings of BICO staff members with bizonal and German officials, 1947-49. Records relating to bipartite participation in the European Recovery Program, 1947- 49. Reference collection on bipartite organizations and activities, maintained by the BICO Library, 1946-49.

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 260.9.4 Records of U.S. elements of BICO staff organizations

Textual Records: Correspondence, reports, memorandums, and other records, 1945-50 (bulk 1947-49), of the following bipartite control groups: Civil Service; Commerce and Industry; Communications; Finance; Food, Agriculture, and Forestry; Legal; and U.S. Customs.

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 260.9.5 Records of U.S. elements of other bipartite organizations

Textual Records: Records of the Joint Export-Import Agency, consisting of records concerning payment and trade agreements, arranged by country, 1946-50; records relating to military government accounts, 1943-49; records relating to advances and payments, 1946-50; and minutes of meetings and other records of the Joint Export Import Board, 1947-49. Subject files of the U.S. element of the Allied Bank Commission, 1948-51.

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 260.10 Records of U.S. Elements of Combined U.S.-British-French Organizations (Germany)
1948-49


Textual Records: General records, 1948-49. Progress reports, 1948-49. Records of tripartite meetings, 1948-49. Minutes and related records of the Committee of Deputies of the Military Security Board, March-June 1949.

Related Records: Records of the U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, RG 466.

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 260.11 Records of the U.S., Allied Commission for Austria (USACA) Section of Headquarters U.S. Forces in Austria
1932-56 (bulk 1945-50)


Note: Presently allocated to this record group, but not part of the records of the USACA Section, are records of other organizations of Headquarters U.S. Forces in Austria (HQ USFA), including records of the Historical Division, ca. 1945-50 (16 ft.); and war crimes case files maintained by the Judge Advocate Section, ca. 1945-50 (5 ft.).

History: USACA Section, responsible for civil affairs/military government administration, was organized concurrently with the establishment of HQ USFA by General Order 1, HQ USFA, July 5, 1945, as a component of U.S. Forces, European Theater (USFET). The single position of Commanding General USFA and U.S. High Commissioner for Austria was held successively by Gen. Mark W. Clark, July 5, 1945-May 16, 1947; and Lt. Gen. Geoffrey Keyes, May 17, 1947-September 19, 1950. USACA Section provided the U.S. element of organizations comprising the Allied Commission for Austria, the name of the four-power occupation administration established by a U.S., British, French, and Soviet agreement, signed July 4, 1945, and made effective July 24, 1945. USACA Section also administered occupation government in U.S. zone of Austria and U.S. sector of Vienna. USACA Section abolished following transfer of U.S. occupation government from military to civilian authority, marked by the Presidential appointment of Walter J. Donnelly as Envoy (later, Ambassador) to Austria and U.S. High Commissioner for Austria, effective September 20, 1950. Donnelly succeeded by Ambassador Llewelyn E. Thompson, Jr., July 17, 1952. U.S. occupation government in Austria officially terminated, July 27, 1955, date of the entrance into force of the State Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria, signed May 15, 1955.

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 260.11.1 General records

Textual Records: Correspondence and other records of the Office of the Chief (prior to March 1950, Office of the Director), 1946- 51. Central decimal correspondence, 1945-51. Records of various organizations of the Allied Commission for Austria, maintained by USACA, ca. 1945-50. Final report of the High Commissioner, 1950.

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 260.11.2 Records of component organizations

Textual Records: Records of general and special staff sections, 1944-56, including reports, intelligence summaries, and investigative files of the G-2 (Intelligence) Section. General records of the Information Branch and subordinate sections, 1945-50; and the Statistical Analysis Branch, 1945-50. Correspondence, reports, case files, and other records of the Monuments and Fine Arts, German External Assets, and Property Control Branches of the Reparations, Deliveries, and Restitution Division, 1932-51 (bulk 1945-51). General records, 1945-50, of the following components of the Internal Affairs and Displaced Persons Division: the Internal Affairs Branch and its Public Safety and Denazification Sections; and the Displaced Persons Branch. Records of the Legal Division, consisting of administrative records, 1945-50; and records of general, summary, and intermediate courts sitting in Linz, Salzburg, Vienna, and other localities, 1945-55. Records of the Education Division, consisting of general records, 1945-50; and records relating to youth activities, 1946-51. General records of the Welfare and Relief Branch of the Social Administration Division, 1945-50. Central decimal correspondence maintained by the Adjutant General Section, 1946-47. Records of the Vienna Area Command, including central correspondence, issuances, and other general records maintained by the Adjutant General Section, 1946- 48; and miscellaneous records, 1946-48. Records of military detachments, maintained by the Military and Naval Divisions, 1946-51. General records of the following other divisions: Air, 1945-51; Civilian Supply, 1946-50; Finance, 1945- 50; Economic, 1944-50; Transport, 1945-50; and Communications, 1945-50.

Map: Town plan of Gmunden, Austria, 1947 (1 item).

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 260.12 Records of the U.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR)
1945-72


History: Following signing of the Instrument of Surrender, September 2, 1945, Ryukyu Islands were administered by Department of the Navy, September 21, 1945-June 30, 1946, with Commanding Officer, Naval Operating Base, Okinawa functioning as chief military government officer under authority of Commander-in-Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet. Transfer of administration from Department of the Navy to War Department authorized by Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) approval, April 1, 1946, of JCS 819/11, March 5, 1946, with added proviso of JCS 819/12, March 22, 1946. Pursuant to implementing instructions of General Headquarters U.S. Army Forces in the Pacific (GHQ AFPAC), Okinawa Base Command redesignated Ryukyus Command, effective July 1, 1946, by General Order 162, Headquarters U.S. Army Forces, Western Pacific, and made responsible for administration under a Deputy Commander for Military Government. Ryukyu Islands administered successively by Ryukyus Command, July 1-November 30, 1946; Philippines-Ryukyus Command, December 1, 1946-July 31, 1948; and Ryukyuan Command, August 1, 1948-December 15, 1950. USCAR established, effective December 15, 1950, by a directive of Headquarters Far East Command (HQ FEC, formerly GHQ AFPAC), AG 091.1 (5 Dec 50) RCA, December 5, 1950, implementing a JCS memorandum, SM 2474-50, October 11, 1950, directing Commander-in-Chief Far East, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, to organize a civil administration for the Ryukyu Islands in accordance with JCS 1231/14, October 4, 1950. USCAR continued to function under Department of the Army (formerly War Department), 1950-71. Amami Island Group of Ryukyu Islands was returned to Japan by the Agreement between the United States of America and Japan concerning the Amami Islands, signed December 24, 1953, and made effective December 25, 1953. USCAR abolished following entrance into force, May 15, 1972, of the Agreement between the United States of America and Japan concerning the Ryukyu Islands and the Daito Islands, signed June 17, 1971, by which the remaining island groups of the Ryukyu Islands, including the Okinawa Island Group, were returned to Japan.

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 260.12.1 Records of the Office of the High Commissioner

Textual Records: Correspondence, minutes and notes of meetings, translations, and other records of the Language Aide, 1960-69. Records of the Information Coordinator concerning the various staff departments, 1969-71. Records of the Advisory Committee to the High Commissioner, containing the committee's recommendations for action on social, economic, and related matters, 1968-70. Records of the U.S. element of the Preparatory Commission concerning reversion of the Ryukyu Islands to Japan, 1970-71.

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 260.12.2 Records maintained by the Administrative Office of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: Central correspondence ("General Administrative Files"), 1962-71. Record sets of issuances, 1950-59. Historical and organization planning files, 1956-70.

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 260.12.3 Records of the Comptroller Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1965-72. Records concerning budget formulation and execution, 1967-71; general fund program formulation, 1966-71; economic aid, 1967-71; general accounting, 1956-68; petroleum distribution accounting and management, 1956-71; local government budget guidance, 1960-71; and customs management, 1967-71.

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 260.12.4 Records of the Economic Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: "Common Mission Files," 1956-70. Records concerning banking facilities, 1957-71; the Bank of Ryukyu, 1959- 71; and the Development Loan Corporation, 1961-71.

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 260.12.5 Records of the Health, Education and Welfare Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: General records, including legal and liaison files, 1965-71; records containing local government budget guidance, 1964-71; narcotics input control and reports files, 1963-71; records concerning communicable diseases, 1964-71; and records concerning preventive medicine, veterinary medicine, and sanitation activities, 1960-71. Project files of the Welfare Division, 1964-71. General records, 1964-71, of the Health Division; the Education Division; and the English Language Center.

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 260.12.6 Records of the Labor Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1958-71. Civil affairs planning files, 1968-71. Records relating to employment control, 1958-71; labor council management, 1958-71; and social insurance, 1953-71.

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 260.12.7 Records of the Legal Affairs Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: Records of the Legal Division, including policy and precedent files, 1952-71; legislation and legislative background files, 1952-68; English-language translations of Government of the Ryukyu Islands laws, 1953-71; and claims files, 1961-71. Records of the Land Division, including general correspondence, 1953-71; case files, 1955-71; records relating to municipalities, 1946-47; land conference files, 1958; records concerning Okinawa land problems, 1955-58; and South American emigration and resettlement files, 1960-70.

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 260.12.8 Records of the Liaison Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1945-71. "Common Mission Files," 1952-71. Records, 1952-71, concerning special projects and international relations.

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 260.12.9 Records of the Public Affairs Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: Central correspondence, 1966-71. Program records of the Cultural Affairs Division, 1964-71. Records of the Information Division, including program records, 1964-71; record sets of publications, 1952-70; press books, 1965-69; and "News Morgue Files," 1958-71.

Motion Pictures: Newsreels produced by the Information Division, depicting historical events, personalities, ceremonial events, and social and economic activities in the Ryukyu Islands, 1958-71 (2,185 reels).

Sound Recordings: Japanese-language sound track for some of the newsreels produced by the Information Division, n.d. (2 items).

Photographic Prints: Political, economic, social, and cultural life in the Ryukyu Islands under USCAR, including political parties and elections, industries, schools and universities, ceremonial events, and visits by dignitaries from the United States and other countries, 1949-72 (CR, 35,100 images). USCAR activities, and social and cultural programs, in albums, 1964-65 (CRA, 2,300 images).

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 260.12.10 Records of the Public Safety Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: Records of the Operations Division, including general correspondence, 1968-71; reports of incidents involving U.S. military personnel, 1968-71; police liaison files, 1967-71; records concerning emergency planning, 1952-71; records relating to civic action, 1966-71; and records containing local government guidance, 1967-71. Records of the Immigration Division relating to entry and exit control, 1958-71; and family registration, 1958-71.

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 260.12.11 Records of the Public Works Department of the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1963-71. Project review files, 1965-71. Records containing guidance on local construction and maintenance, 1964-71. Records concerning water and electric power control, transportation services, communications, and postage stamp development, 1952-71.

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 260.12.12 Records of civil affairs teams responsible to the Office of the Civil Administrator

Textual Records: Civil affairs files, 1969-71, of the Miyako and the Yaeyama Civil Affairs Teams.

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Bibliographic note: Web version based on Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. Compiled by Robert B. Matchette et al. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995.
3 volumes, 2428 pages.

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This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1995.


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