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* The U.S., Russia and Britain agreed in 1944 that since Berlin in all likelihood would again be Germany's capital, it should be jointly administered as a "special area." A year later, France was granted occupation rights and a sector that came from U.S. and British territory. In early 1945 the Red army had sole control of Berlin, only admitted the other powers in exchange for a vast area (almost half) of present-day East Germany that was then occupied by Allied troops. Stalin, who earlier had promised that Russia did "not intend to dismember or destroy Germany," also promised in return to take "all necessary measures" to assure Allied access to Berlin.