Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, European Security and the German Question, Volume III, Part 2

962B.00/1–1351: Telegram

The Liaison and Political Reporting Division to the Office of the United States High Commissioner for Germany, at Frankfurt²

secret

Bonn, January 13, 1951—2 p. m.

518. From Liaison Bonn. Mytel 509 Frankfurt, Jan 11, rptd info Dept 452, London 121, Paris 121.³

Fol is our translation of text of Adenauer’s statement in reply to Grotewohl letter,⁴ which we now understand will be made in form of press declaration next Monday, Jan 15:

I. Since establishment of FedRep, the Fed Govt has devoted full efforts to re-establishment of Ger unity in freedom and peace. Fed Govt was the first to profess Ger unity in freedom and to show a concrete and peaceful way toward achievement of this goal. To mention only one of most imporant steps, it is recalled that Fed Govt made a declaration on March 22, 1950 concerning holding of all-Ger elections.⁵ This included the foil:

“The Ger Fed Govt has since its founding recognized no more important task than that of re-establishment Ger unity. It is conscious that the sought-after Governmental order comprising whole of Ger must come as result of free decision on part of entire Ger people. …⁶ In accordance with its responsibility set forth in preamble and final article of Basic Law, Fed Govt directs an appeal to all Gers, to all occupation powers, and beyond that to the entire world to aid Ger people in its reunification and peace and freedom.”

The most significant point in declaration of March 22, 1950 states: “After promulgation of an election law by the four occupation powers, all-Ger elections for establishment of a constituent national assembly will be conducted.” The conditions for such elections are set forth in declaration as follows:

• “1. Freedom of action for all parties throughout Ger and renunciation on part of all occupation powers of any attempt to influence formation and activity of political parties.
• 2. All occupation powers and Ger authorities shall guarantee both before and after election the personal security and protection against economic reprisals of all persons actively associated with political parties.
• 3. Complete freedom of press including freedom of licensing and distribution for all newspapers throughout Ger.
• 4. Freedom of movement for persons throughout Ger and elimination of interzonal passes.”

Ger Bundestag has always supported Fed Govt in its attempt to restore Ger unity and Bundestag requested Fed Govt again on Sept 14, 1950 “to urgently petition the occupation powers to permit free, general, equal, secret and direct elections to an all-Ger Parliament under international control in all four occupation zones.” These proposals were submitted to Allied High Commission on Oct 1 and further transmitted on Oct 9, 1950 to Chairman of Sov Control Comm. in Ger, Gen Chuikov, Fed Govt therewith states that as of this date no answer to this has been received from Sov side.⁷

II. If authorities of Sov Zone are declaring in letter of Nov 30, 1950 that they now wish to strive for reunification of Ger, it must be stated in this connection that those who have renounced the Ger territory East of Oder and Neisse in Warsaw agreement do not appear to be authorized to speak of reunification of Ger. According to view of Fed Govt, fol conditions are essential to free all-Ger elections:

1. Ger citizens now living in Sov Zone must be guaranteed that measure of personal freedom and security which is indispensable in a State founded in law and justice (Rechtstaat).

2. Gers living in Sov Zone and their organizations must be guaranteed the political freedoms traditionally practiced in a democratic state such as freedom of assembly, of organization, and of political activity. So-called “law for protection of peace”⁸ which came into force Dec 16, 1950 in Sov Zone is incompatible with these freedoms; for even though text of this law is directed against “war mongering” and similar misdemeanors, its interpretation by SED organs reveals clearly that in reality law will be used for suppression of all freedom of expression and particularly all criticism of prevailing circumstances in area under control of Sov power.

3. The steadily-growing peoples police troops of a paramilitary character which have existed for a long time in Sov Zone present, according to opinion of Fed Govt, a threat to Ger people particularly because of fact that they are a tool of a fon power. No such peoples police troops exist in area of Fed Rep. There is no place within a free all-Ger solution for a party instrument steered by a fon power.

III. Fed Govt is in agreement with all Gers that no opportunity shld be missed for restoration of Ger unity in freedom and peace. Fed Govt can however enter into talks concerning Ger reunification only with those who are prepared to recognize and guarantee without reserve a constitutional order, a free form of Govt, protection of civil rights and preservation of freedom.

IV. With regard to assertions contained in introduction of letter of Nov 30 to effect that “the remilitarization and inclusion of West Ger in plans of war preparation have deepened cleavage of Ger,” Fed Govt states with emphasis: the unfortunate split of Ger originated with importation into Sov Zone of a system of Govt foreign to Ger tradition and character through which population of this Zone has been deprived of every possibility of freely developing its own political, economic and social life and has been cut off from normal contact with brothers in West. In this manner, a gradual fusion of Ger on basis of freedom has been forcefully prevented. This split has been intensified through establishment of a strong peoples police which is all the more difficult to bear since it represents a part of an extraordinary deployment of military power of Sov occupation authority. By comparison, Fed Govt has thus far refrained from any military measures, a fact which authorities of Sov Zone cld not have failed to notice. (End text).

According to Blankenhorn, there is still some objection from Kaiser to this draft, and hence possibility that it may be further amended and even that its issuance may be further delayed.

2. Repeated to Washington, London, Paris, and Moscow, The source text is the copy in the Department of State files.
3. Not printed; it reported the substance of the reply to Grotewohl’s letter. (762B.00/1–1151)
4. On November 30, 1950, Otto Grotewohl, Minister President of the “German Democratic Republic”, had sent a letter to Chancellor Adenauer calling for the establishment of an all-German Constituent Council, charged “with the task of paving the way for the conditions under which free, all-German elections to a National Assembly could be held.” During December the Federal Republic had discussed the substance of its reply to this request, while the United States, the United Kingdom, and France had considered the impact of this proposal on their plans to integrate Germany into Western Europe. For documentation on the Grotewohl proposals, as they came to be called, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. iv, pp. 590 ff.
5. For documentation on this declaration, see ibid .
6. Omission indicated in the source text.
7. For documentation on the Bundestag proposals and their transmission to General Chuikov, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. iv, pp. 590 ff.
8. For the text of the “Law for Protection of Peace”, see Ruhm von Oppen, Documents on Germany, pp. 536–538.