vierteljahrshefte für zeitgeschichte - Institut für Zeitgeschichte

Die Stabskonferenz des amerikanischen Militärgouverneurs 149
dustry but we are still without the official report from the minister presidents due
to difficulty of channels. 90
However, I do have a final report with reference to the leading Bizonal crowd in
Essen on the 8th and 9th and I think the only matter of general interest would be
that there is the usual amount of complaints. They feel they want the necessary legislation
in the economic council in the Laenderrat to remedy the situation, they observed.
I hope they do.
There is one specific item which I believe might be of interest to you, General Clay,
because it relates to the controversy in the works council on Hesse. There has been
in the British Zone right along a practice not embodied in law, for the works council
to be involved in denazification proceeding, which has proved to be a considerable
handicap to management in making appointments; and the appointments are held up
because the works council does not bring forth the necessary approval for the persons
they don't like. In the works council dominated by Communists that is used as a means
of obstruction. Evidently both the minister presidents and economic councils decided
this was something that should be stopped by the Germans by appreciative prohibitive
legislation and that it would be interesting to see what happens.
The only other thing I would like to mention is, that the constitution of the two
major parties seems to have pretty well crystalized by this time. Both parties have
constitutional committees and these committees continue to funktion but they have
produced preliminary reports which are pretty detailed. 91
With reference to the constitution, incidentally, General Clay, in view of the exchange
of views in connection with that problem, direct and indirect representatives,
there are also considerable elements in the CDU who favor direct election of the constitutional
convention. For example, the chairman of the constitutional committee 92
definitely told me that they would much prefer to see the constitutional convention
directed and I think the same thing is true of Mueller 93 and his group in Bavaria, so
there are differences of opinion on that score; but I think, in view of the extent to
which constitutional views are crystalizing, it is possible to have a fair idea as to what
the constitutional compromise will look like.
GENERAL CLAY: In view of the fact that we are in for quite a siege and to release
as much of our air traffic to German needs as we can - and also because of lavish
living, under a period in which the Germans will be under strict control - and as a
result of our actions, I would like to ask that the word be passed along asking all of
our people to refrain from giving any parties at which food is served until further
notice.
80
Am 5./6. Juni 1948 fand in Düsseldorf eine Konferenz der Ministerpräsidenten der Bizone
mit Vertretern der Länderregierungen der französischen Zone, der deutschen Kohlebergbauleitung,
der Gewerkschaften und der Verkehrsverwaltungen statt. Diese „Kohlekonferenz"
erörterte Maßnahmen zur Steigerung der Kohleproduktion.
91
Vgl. W. Sörgel, Konsensus und Interessen, eine Studie zur Entstehung des Grundgesetzes
fur die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Stuttgart 1969; K. Niclauß, Demokratiegründung in
Westdeutschland. Die Entstehung der Bundesrepublik von 1945-1949, München 1974,
S. 122 ff.
92
Vorsitzender des Verfassungsausschusses der Arbeitsgemeinschaft der CDU/CSU war Heinrich
von Brentano.
93
Josef Müller („Ochsensepp"), stellvertretender Ministerpräsident und Justizminister in
Bayern und zugleich Vorsitzender der CSU war wegen seiner weniger föderalistischen
Einstellung innerhalb seiner Partei heftig umstritten. Vgl. W. Benz, Föderalistische Politik
in der CDU/CSU. Die Verfassungsdiskussion im „Ellwanger Kreis",VfZ 25 (1977), S. 776 ff.