Morgenthau Plan

The Morgenthau Plan was a proposal to weaken Germany following World War II by eliminating its arms industry and civilian industry. This included the removal or destruction of all military and civilian production plants and equipment across the former Reich, as well as the deportation of millions of Germans to various labour camps across the allied territories. It was first proposed by United States secretary of the treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr. in a 1944 memorandum entitled Suggested Post-Surrender Program for Germany. While the Morgenthau Plan had some influence until 10 July 1947 (adoption of JCS 1779) on Allied planning for the occupation of Germany, it was not adopted. US occupation policies aimed at "industrial disarmament", but contained a number of deliberate loopholes, limiting any action to short-term military measures and preventing large-scale destruction of mines and industrial plants, giving wide-ranging discretion to the military governor and Morgenthau's opponents at the War Department. An investigation by Herbert Hoover concluded the plan was unworkable, and would result in up to 25 million Germans dying from starvation. From 1947, US policies aimed at restoring a "stable and productive Germany" and were soon followed by the Marshall Plan. When the Morgenthau Plan was published by the US press in September 1944, it was immediately seized upon by the Nazi German government and used as part of propaganda efforts in the final seven months of the war in Europe that aimed to convince Germans to fight on.