French proposals for the area spanned by the German coalfields east of the Rhine had since late 1945, therefore, been to turn it into an International State with its own currency and customs and supervised by an International Authority which would include the US and France. Part of the reason for these proposals was in 1946 explained to the US by a French Foreign Office official: "With the aim of military security we prefer to increase French steel production and output to the detriment of the Ruhr."[1] The French plans for industrial expansion required an additional 1,000,000 workers for 4 years, and France therefore planned on keeping for as long as possible the German prisoners employed in mining, agriculture, and rebuilding.[3]