740.00119 Control (Germany)/8–849: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Acting United States Political Adviser for Germany (Riddleberger), at Berlin
869.1 You may convey to Suhr and other leaders informally following ideas, if you so desire (urtel 1241 Aug 82). We have no intention of telling the Germans how to treat overtures from the Communists or the Soviet authorities. Dept holds steadily however to position that elected city Govt is only legal Govt in Berlin. We cannot encourage any polit rapproachement with so-called Govt in East Sector which would weaken legal or moral position of legal Govt. While constantly seeking basis for reunifying city in fact, Dept can only visualize such reunification on basis of new free elections and disappearance of Sov puppet Magistrat in East Sector.
- Repeated to London as 2836, Moscow as 571, and Paris as 2956.↩
- Not printed; it reported that Suhr and some of his SPD colleagues had been approached by former SPD members with Soviet/SED contacts and that Soviet officers had sent a friendly message to a Western sector city government official inviting him to call on them. Suhr expressed the fear that the United States might tacitly approve of these approaches and asked whether it was part of the United States policy to seek or encourage rapprochement between the elected Berlin Government and Soviet sector elements. (740.00119 Control (Germany)/8–849)↩