Charge:

ou

CONFIDENTIAL Classifica tion

U8Cm "3 POL 3 BA Jrlnl USIS IO ABO BBd. PM 2

ACTI O

INFO :

SecState WASH

Amembassy BONN Amembassy PARI S Amembassy MOS COW

275

248 170

., Amembassy LONDON 167 USAREUR/ POLAD CINCEUR/POLAD USNMR SHAPE for BURNS USELMLO

Paris also for USRO.

Date:

Pouch

On Sept ember 1, US MP patrol boat on Berlin's Havel River

sighted and salvaged t~enty-foot submarine whi ch had apparently

been abandoned by its crew becaus e of motor f ailure. Discreet

inquiry has disclosed craft probably built in Wes t Berl i n to

car ry escapees out of East Germany. Unclear whe ther it ever

actually so used. Its exi s tence has r eportedly been known to

members of Berlin press and Senat but kept secret by "gentle­

men's agreement". It is quite possible, ther efore, that news

will not be exploited, although submarine obs erved by numbers

of people on lake a fter salvage. pres l y

Craf~in US Army custody .....IEr.mDAldml~1I1 It i s known

to be electric powered and estimated capable carrying from three

to six passengers .

GP-3. CALHOUNConcurrence :

IO /USCOB ~_I Maple CONFIDENTIALPOL: EJNa'-fl="LI.­

3/1830 Cla ssifica ti on

OFFICIAL FILE OOPY

I8IDDUCTIOI FIOM IllS COPY IS IIOIDITID III.ESS "tIKWSIfIED'"

14 llIIl

DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 67230 By BKT/NC on 26 March 2013

FILE ROOM COpy AIRGRAM

'K~F42/3-TA '

A-t97 CONFIDENTIAL ~{ MBN TO DEPARTMENT OF STATE USCOB

iNFO : BONN II LONDON. PARIS, f10SCOW I USAREUF.POL 3 (A (CON USUS R AS FROM : USBER, BERLINPS SEPTEMBER 21, 1963

/"19~~ ~ SUBJECT : DiBposi~ion of S~bmarine Found n H~\ 'al River BBDE BC/G2 REF : Berlintel 275 {i.-I'\r

OSI '­

SMSD 3 f'&R 2 PARIS a so for USRO, Jarr es and BurnE; { USEV1LO i

USAREUR for PO':"AD

The mat tel" of disposition Clf the 9ubmal'ine picked up in the Havel River by a US 'iF peno1 boat on S ptMtb r 1 has be n given det iled s'tudy by thE! Mission. J~ thorough inspac.iQn by O· l1nance exps:r"tta a revealed th t th hom made craft is potentially v ry tang rou for any poasibl scape operatio II sine ono_ subm rged it co\ld not be

steered, brought: to the surfac nor open d h'om th insid by i·ts pa aengGrs.

Furthermor • it is highly probabl th t E&st G rman au'thol":lti e are aware of its existence and :.1;s intended purpose. It has been a8certain(~d that the m aft was C(.ln­8truCt 3d in West Berlin by· pI'ivc te 'individl14l.. e The entire p!'Ojr_c"t was knoli1n to Mayo!" Albertz in his i paoity lie Sena.tor for In'te!"nal Se urity. It is undo!"stood thu'\; the build r had received finanoial support from a Berlin repr B ntative of Stczon m.ag zinee in xchange,for xcluaiv{ story righ.ts. It s ~stimated that sum. 1,000 persons, mout of them ~ast Berlin_r5. know of the submarine's existencu The builders were l",_po1"tedly intel'e.ated in the pot ntial !.ncome fro ~fu~el:1& pres,ant d by the cI'aft and had a I ady received some fJnds from Western rei tiv of int nd d scapees.

GROUP 3 Downgraded t l2-y ar interva1s g

not automatioally declassified.

CONFIDENTIAL

POLtEJ"~ad 1m nrem 9/19/63 ,t\RDay

M - J ACa:.houn

Page 2 of AIR~R~H No A-'21/rom USBER. Berlin.

CONFIDENTIAL

S far s jg known, 'his was the only cperat·o al G b­marir.e in Be."lin ;;.raters '1 r~e other knOtiJI p!lojects '·le:.". either giv n lip befo7'C! eC1mp~etion 0 neve at;lrt~'

In view of -le above facto II !tis io'1 \IIi th Hi yOI' AlbeI'tz the q est:Lon of t rning it

rlirt po. ice ~ .th a vie ' e' r rend ..ri I:>

abl. Ib"'rtz' xpressed his Ol.m cOflvictim t was u.n...afg 'ot" "'at'rying passenge_ s a.nd agre d">-h the c# peter't a "'horitl as would see co i 1: that it not be used. Simult- eo 51), t e ~nclosed letter was se t by the Act:ng US Pub ic Safet Officer the olic V ee Pr Bid~nt eo :: INest Berl.! \l mal< ing :essentially t 1e 8 ,m re~o men ionG no pro iding for t'e tu!'no el' of th.'" su' a_ ·n _ t" tl poli'!e

Agr .ement 't.ae now been r'eac ad all lev Is and "~he Mission eripect 't submar· i. nd .d :>Ver to to! Berlin poli e w thin the we.k

For the Ass! ant Chie f of Missi. m:

AI"'thut" R. Day Chi fg Political Affairs ~ect~on

Enclosur I L t 0 ~o~ic ic I Pr sid nt of . 5·.. B :.1· n.

CO FI:)EN'ltIAL =+====~==

a

Enc l osure 1 to Air&Y'aID' No . A:-197 from herlin .

CONFIDENTIAL

us. Mi~s ion ~ Ber:. in Septembe la, 196a

CON F IDE N T I A L

Dear Herr Mach:

United States authorities have had in their custodyo , ince September 1, a hom~-made submersible boat which ~as found in the water by & Military Police river 'P tNl on the Havel ami removed as a potenTial menace to navigation.

It i unda~9tood that the West Berlin polie all" ady av information as to the construction .~nd ownership of hie bo We are th re ~ore r linquishing custody to the We t B rlin ryolie •

We f e1 comp lled to point 0 t. however, th t th boa': ppears to us I) after our in pection of it, to be una f fo .:- t

oarrying of passengers and a potential Rl nace to navl.gatiol1. In par'ticulat'. it seems to be impossible to 01' n the pas .lg Ii.­

carrying c.ompartment from the insida.. Should th bo t sink. and the pilot be unable for any r son 'to open this Qompar';m. :"it. any persons inside would soon suffocate. For thse r aeons we would r ccmm nd th~t any furth r use of the boat be prohibit d.

I will be glad to Assist your !'apr sentatives in maki ..ag arrang m nts with th United St tea Milit ry Polio authorities for the physical r~turn of th boat.

Sine 1" ly,

Alexander Yaney, Jru Acting Chief 0 Public Saf ty S I!tion

Herr Gorge Rudolf Moch, Police Vice President,

1-7 Temp.lhofer Damm. 8 rlin 420

CONFIDENTIAL