— Ch. 1 · Origins And Proposals —
Morgenthau Plan.
~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
In early 1944, Henry Morgenthau Jr. held a meeting with Secretary of State Cordell Hull to discuss the future of Germany after World War II. Morgenthau had just returned from a trip to Europe where he saw Harry Dexter White present him with a memorandum from the State Department. That document suggested rebuilding Germany economically so it could pay reparations within ten years. Morgenthau feared this would lead to another war and decided to intervene personally. He told Roosevelt that he was acting as an American citizen to ensure the country's safety. The Treasury Secretary then drafted his own proposal titled Suggested Post-Surrender Program for Germany. This memorandum outlined a plan to eliminate all German industrial plants in the Ruhr region. It also proposed deporting millions of Germans to labor camps across Europe as war reparations. The original text remains preserved at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum today.
Quebec Conference Agreement
The Second Quebec Conference took place between September 12 and 16, 1944 in Quebec City. Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met to discuss postwar arrangements including a new plan for Germany. Churchill initially opposed the idea stating England would be chained to a dead body. However Lord Cherwell persuaded him otherwise by emphasizing the need for revenge against Nazi Germany. Roosevelt insisted on signing the agreement before discussing economic aid to Britain. This prompted Churchill to exclaim what he wanted him to do while begging like Fala. The resulting memorandum called for eliminating warmaking industries in the Ruhr and Saar regions. It aimed to convert Germany into a primarily agricultural and pastoral nation. The document did not include plans to partition the country into independent states. Roosevelt later claimed he had no recollection of approving such measures after the press published them publicly.