Editorial Note
On June 1, the City Assembly adopted unanimously a declaration responding point by point to Yelisarov’s letter. It agreed to points 1 and 2 subject to the commission’s being elected by the Assembly according to the ratio of its factions (parties). Point 3 was accepted, but the proposed right of public organizations to nominate candidates under point 4 could not be granted. The City Assembly also objected to all or parts of the remaining three points. Copies of the declaration were then forwarded to the four Commandants. After receiving the declaration the Western Political Advisers on June 6 drafted a joint letter to Yelisarov which was considered and approved with minor revisions by their Commandants on June 9 and delivered on the following day. In general this letter reiterated the points made in the City Assembly declaration and closed by repeating the principles enunciated by the Western Foreign Ministers at their May London meeting with regard to German unity. Regarding these principles, see MIN/TRI/P/13 Final, volume III, page 1089.
[Page 861]The Soviet reply was delivered on June 24 and amounted, in Taylor’s view, to a “definitive closing of door on city-wide elections or even on any further exchange of views thereon”, repeating previous Soviet arguments and those made at the Sixth Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Paris in 1949.
For the text of the Assembly’s declaration, the Western Commandant’s letter, and the Soviet reply, see Berlin Senat, Berlin: Quellen und Dokumente, 1945–1951, Hlbd. 2 (Berlin, Heinz Spitzing Verlag, 1964), pages 1893–1899, or Documents on German Unity (Office of the United States High Commissioner for Germany, Frankfort, 1951), pages 226–231. Taylor and Page reported on these developments in telegrams 847, 871, 895, 967, 969, and 981 during June, none printed. The Department of State and HICOG added their views in telegrams 226 and 390 respectively, neither printed. (762.00 and 762A.00)