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Official USMLM Unit History 1964

The following text is an excerpt of the official USMLM documents

I. MISSION:

A. (U) Primary mission: The United States Military Liaison Mission (USMLM), established by the Huebner-Malinin Agreement of April 1947, performs liaison between the Commander in Chief of United States Army, Europe (CINC, USAREUR) and the Commander in Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (CINC, CGFG).

The duties of the USMLM, as outlined in the Huebner-Malinin Agreement are to maintain contact with the CINC, CGFG and to provide representation for the protection of the interests of US nationals in the soviet Zone of Germany (SZG). Under the huebner-Malinin Agreement, accredited members of the mission may travel in East Germany in the performance of their duties.

B. (C) Secondary Mission: The secondary objective is to exploit USMLM liaison status and potential for the collection of intelligence information within the Soviet Zone of Germany.

II. ORGANIZATION AND TRI-SERVICE INTEGRATION:

A. (C) USMLM is a USAREUR subordinate unit accredited to CINC, GSFG. USMLM is composed of a Chief, Army who is appointed by CINC, USAREUR and an Army element of 11 officers and 19 enlisted men. A Navy element of one officer and an Air Force element of 4 officers and 4 enlisted men are attached.

B. (S) DCSI, USAREUR exercises primary staff supervision over Chief, USMLM to include the provision of policy and operational guidance, as well as levying intelligence collection requirements.

C. (S) Navy and Air Force personnel are included in USMLM as authorized by the Huebner-Malinin Agreement. CINCUSNAVEUR and CINCUSAFE exercise normal staff supervision over Navy and Air Force elements in matters involving administartion, discipline and training. They levy collection requirements, assign priorities and provide special collection guidance for Navy and Air Force intelligence targets. Each element provides its own funding support.

D. (U) By terms of the Huebner-Malinin Agreement, USMLM is authorized 14 personnel accredited to Hq GSFG, without regard to service or grade. At present 14 accreditations are held as follows:

Chief, USMLM (Army Element)1
Deputy Chief, USMLM (Army Element)1
Liaison Officers:
Army Element5
Air Force Element2
Navy Element1
NCOIC, Potsdam Installation (Army Element)1
Drivers:
Army Element2
Air Force Element1
Total14

III. General:

A. (C) During 1964 USMLM successfully accomplished its dual mission. It remained the only direct channel of communication between the US and the USSR in East Germany, and the only area where American military observers could observe, photograph and appraise a combat-ready Soviet military force in the field.
The USMLM intelligence-gathering program with its refined reconnaissance methods and efficient reporting system was of great importance to the US intelligence effort.

B. (C) Events and activities involving USMLM participation were diverse and often of international significance, resulting in 65 meetings with representatives of GSFG during the course of the year.

C. (C) During the year cordial operational and social relations were maintained with British and French Military Liaison Missions, as well as with US intelligence agencies and units located in Berlin.

D. (C) A revised Permanent Restricted Areas (PRA) map, comprising approximately one-third of the Soviet Zone, was issued by GSFG, and ten Temporary Restricted Areas (TRA) maps denied additional large areas to Mission travel for considerable periods. The number of Mission restriction signs continued to increase throughout the Soviet Zone and the task of intelligence collection became more difficult.

E. (S) USMLM spent 645 tour days in the soviet Zone in 1964, and traveled 193,669 miles. During the year it was involved in 8 incidents and 32 detentions. Hostile surveillance was not a major problem. Copies of 643 separate intelligence reports and 79,862 photographic prints were forwarded by USMLM, in addition to the daily TWX and numerous replies to specific requests for information.

F. (S) Mission travel in East Germany presented numerous challenges and problems and occasionally produced dangers approaching combat conditions. Observations of Soviet and East German armed forces continued to provide Headquarters USAREUR-USNAVEUR-USAFE with information based on personal observations of their own personnel who remained immediately responsive to the needs of those respective headquarters. The unique status of USMLM enabled it to observe, photograph and evaluate numerous activities of a significant portion of the Soviet and East German armed forces in the Soviet Zone of Germany.
By observation and reporting of new equipment tactics, combat practises and troop dispositions by the Army, Navy and Air elements, USMLM remained the most important overt collection agency available to the US intelligence community to maintain surveillance of Soviet and East German activities in the Soviet Zone of Germany.

IV. ADMINISTRATIVE AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT:

A. (C) ADMINISTRATION:

1. OFFICER PERSONNEL: Seven officer replacements arrived in 1964, to include one Air force and six Army officers. All officer replacements were fluent in the Russian language and most had a working knowledge of German. Five of the six newly assigned Army officers were USA Field Detachment "R" graduates. All new USMLM officers attended a three-day course at the Leica Camera Factory at Wetzlar. This was to familiarize themselves with the camery itself and methods of photography. The turnover in Army personnel was unusually large and materially affected reconnaissance operations during a period of several month. It is anticipated that officer replacements can be made more uniform in the future because of the recently authorized extension for five-year tours of duty. Most replacement officers arrive at USMLM after having spent two years in Europe at Detachment "R", which allows them one year with USMLM to complete a normal three-year overseas tour, and up to three years if they avail themselves of the full extension.

2. ENLISTED PERSONNEL: The transition to the new centralized enlisted procurement system resulted in some unexpected difficulties. In several cases replacements were unqualified physically or by temperament or training for service with USMLM. In other cases, replacements arrived several month late. Since it was difficult to specify by MOS the exact type of individual needed for specific Mission activities, a special calssified message was prepared outlining the necessary qualifications. The USMLM enlisted personnel accredited to GSFG must be outstanding soldiers in good physical condition and with exceptional endurance. Proficient drivers, linguists, clerks and intelligence analysts must perform multiple duties. Through the efforts of Berlin Brigade, USAREUR and DA, the enlisted personnel assignment problem was brought under control, and by the end of the year USMLM was again receiving top-caliber personnel.

B. (C) LOGISTICS

1. US Support:

a. GENERAL: Berlin Brigade provided USMLM the normal logistical support provided lodger units. Requirements that were beyond the capabilities of Berlin Brigade were referred to USAREUR.

b. VEHICLES: The reconnaissance vehicles played a key role in the successful accomplishment of the intellingence collection. Repeatedly, the specially-equipped Ford sedan proved itself ragged enough to move on trails and cross-country and fast enough to elude surveillance. In January 1964, USMLM had six 1962 Ford Galaxie Sedans and six 1963 Ford Galaxie Sedans. During the course of the year nine new cars (one model 1963 and eight model 1964) were received and a corresponding number were turned in. Experience has proved that tour vehicles need to be replaced after about 25,000 miles of travel, or the breakdown and accident rate begins to rise rapidly.

c. POTSDAM INSTALLATION: Although by terms of the huebner-Malinin Agreement, the Soviets were charged with providing logistical support for the Potsdam installation, experience has shown that much of the support must be drawn from US sources. Items of food and furnishings were principal items which were supplemented from US sources during 1964.
the Potsdam installation, which USMLM has occupied since 1947, was built in 1910 by a member of the German nobility. In 1925 the estate was sold to the House of Hohenzollern and became the residence of Prince Segismund of Prussia, a nephew of Emperor Wilhelm II. His son, Prince Friedrich Karl, lived in the house until 1945. From 1945 until 1947 Soviet troops occupied the estate and raised pigs on the grounds. After cleaning and renovation, the estate, consisting of a three acre lakefront area with a large three-story mansion, two two-story houses in bad need of major repair and a garbage-stable-living quarters building was turned over to USMLM. Only the main house is habitable.

d. USMLM BERLIN INSTALLATION: The Berlin installation at 19/21 Foehrenweg is the location of the Operations Section and of all support activities such as supply, photographic laboratory, publications and reproduction section and all classified files. This building was once secret headquarters of Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, wartime Chief of Staff of Hitler's military supreme command. The four-story building was errected in 1936. It has three stories and an attic, each with about 10 rooms. The lower two floors are bomb proofed with steel-reinforced concrete floors two oe three feet thick and walls of similar material about 18 inches wide. The ground floor contains mess facilities and there is an "L" shaped underground escape tunnel with special air funnles.

2. Soviet Support:

a. Under the terms of the Huebner-Malinin Agreement the Soviets are responsible for providing logistical support for the Potsdam installation and its normal liaison activities. This includes rations, coupons and cash to purchase gasoline in the soviet Zone of Germany, maintenance of the potsdam house and hiring of domestic help, suchas firemen, cooks, gardeners and mais.

b. Soviert rations received from GSFG continued to be sufficient in quantitiy and, in the course of the year, showed improvement in quality. However, the variety of rations and the quality and hygienic conditions of many items werefar below minimum US dietary and helath food standards, requiring augmentation from US Army Comissary in Berlin. In December, for the first time, fresh bananas were included in the Soviet-provided rations. Many Soviet rations items were produced in East Germany and Bulgaria, but some came from USSR.

c. At the end of the year the domestic help provided the Potsdam installation was at full strength; however, for a period of several years there had been a shortage of from one to three East German employees.

d. In the course of the year, USMLM was issued blankets and several items of furniture. In the autumn, a joint inventory of Soviet-issued items was held and numerous salvage and undesired articels were returned to the Soviet External Relations Branch (SERB).

Repair and maintenance of USMLM facilities in Potsdam remained at barely adequate level. As in past years, there were fairly frequent breakdowns in the sewerage, drainage, water and electrical systems, all of which remained inadequate. Repair and maintenance provided by the Soviets was generally limited to work of an emergenca nature, and even then advance notice of several days was needed. At the end of the year the interior of the main building required minor repairs and painting, and the fence surrounding the grounds was scheduled for replacement