Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Germany and Austria, Volume VII, Part 1

662.001/5–2552

No. 102
The Soviet Ministry for Foreign Affairs to the Embassy of the United States¹

restricted

[Moscow, May 24, 1952.]

In connection with the note of the Govt of USA May 13² this year Soviet Govt finds it necessary to state following:

1. Concerning the urgency of a decision of the German question and the delaying by the western powers of the exchange of written communications in this question. In its note of March 10, 1952,³ Soviet Govt proposed to the Govts of the USA, Great Britain, France that they examine together the question of the conclusion of a treaty of peace with Germany and of the establishment of an all-German govt. In order to facilitate and expedite preparation of a treaty of peace with Germany the Soviet Govt put forward its draft of this treaty, expressing at the same time its readiness to consider other possible proposals on this question. The Soviet Govt considers it necessary to solve this question immediately, being guided by the interests of the strengthening of peace in Europe and the necessity of satisfying the legitimate national demands of the German people.

Inasmuch as there was advanced in the reply of the Govt of the USA of March 25⁴ in connection with the question concerning the formation of an all-German govt a proposal for the study of conditions existing for the conduct of general elections in Germany, the Soviet Govt in its note of April 9⁵ agreed with this proposal, insisting, however, that the study in question should be conducted not by a commission of the United Nations Organization, which is not competent for question of the making of peace with Germany, but an impartial commission of the four powers exercising the occupational function in Germany. At the same time the Soviet Govt once again proposed to the Govt of the USA and likewise to the Govts of Great Britain, [and] France that the consideration of a treaty of peace with Germany should no longer be postponed and likewise the question of unification of Germany and the creation of an all-German government.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Soviet Govt accepted the proposal of the Govt of the USA for verification of the presence of conditions for conducting in Germany free general elections and the proposal of the Soviet Govt for appointment of a commission for conducting this verification by agreement between the four powers guarantees the objectivity and impartiality of the commission in question, the decision of the question concerning the peace treaty with Germany and the unification of Germany as demonstrated by the note of the Govt of the USA of May 13 is again postponed for an indefinite period. It is evident from this note that the Govt of the USA is also unwilling to agree that the four powers should proceed finally to the examination of these questions without further delays.

In view of this the Govt of the USA in its note of May 13 advanced a whole series of new preliminary conditions which it had not advanced in its note of March 25 and about which it now proposes to negotiate by means of a continuation of the exchange of notes before proceeding to direct negotiations. Thus in its note of May 13 the Govt of the USA proposes before the beginning of direct negotiations that agreement to be reached “concerning the framework of negotiations and concerning the basic problems to be taken under consideration” and likewise to continue the written exchange of communications concerning the composition and functions of the commission for verification of the conditions to Germany for general elections, etc.

All these facts make evident that the Govt of USA is continuing to delay the conclusion of a treaty of peace with Germany and the decision on the question [of] unification and also the establishment of all-German govt. Only this could explain the fact that in its note of May 13 the Govt of the USA anew introduced whole series of questions for the prolongation of the exchange of notes which, apart from this, has already dragged on for several months, instead of the four powers proceeding to direct negotiations and beginning the joint consideration of a peace treaty with Germany and with all the related questions.

In these circumstances the opinion cannot fail to be strengthened in Germany as well as beyond its borders that the Government of the USA in reality is not aiming at the conclusion of a peace treaty with Germany and putting an end to the division of Germany. But without the conclusion of a peace treaty and the unification of Germany a fully equal German govt cannot be restored, a German govt both independent and in full possession of rights and expressing the genuine will of the entire German people.

2. Regarding separate agreements of the western powers with Western Germany and their attempts to avoid conclusion of a peace treaty with Germany. The Soviet Govt considers it necessary to direct special attention to the fact that simultaneously with the extended exchange of notes the Govt of the USA, together with the Govts of Great Britain, France is conducting separate negotiations with the Bonn govt of Western Germany regarding the conclusion of the socalled “general” contract. Actually this is in no way a “general” contract but a separate treaty which is falsely called “general” in order to deceive the people. Thus the Potsdam Agreement was flagrantly violated by which the responsibility for the preparation of a peace treaty with Germany was placed upon the four powers—USA, Great Britain, France and USSR.

Despite the secret character of the negotiations carried on with the Bonn Govt and despite the fact that the full text of this separate agreement until now has not been published from the information which has appeared in the press the contents of this separate treaty has become known already. From these facts it is evident that the mentioned peace treaty prepared by the Govts of the USA, Great Britain and France with West Germany in no way has as its aim the extension of freedom and independence of Western Germany. Together with formal abrogation of the occupation statute this treaty preserves the regime of factual military occupation keeping West Germany in a dependent and subservient status with regard to the Govts of the USA and of Great Britain and France.

Together with this by means of conclusion of this separate treaty with West Germany the Govts of the USA, Great Britain and France legalize the re-establishment of the German army headed by Hitlerite generals which means that they open the way to the re-establishment of aggressive West German militarism. Actually this treaty is an open military alliance of the USA, Great Britain and France with help of West Germany by means of which the German people are drawn by the Bonn govt into preparations of a new war.

Together with this the Govts of the USA, Great Britain and France achieve the inclusion of West Germany into the group of powers created by them under the name of “European Defence Community”: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. This self-styled “European community” is supposed to become an integral part of the North Atlantic bloc and great and so-called “European army” into which should go the presently created German armed forces in West Germany. It is quite obvious that the aim of the creation of a “European community” and “European army” consist not only of legalizing the remilitarization of West Germany as is taking place in fact, but also to include West Germany in the aggressive North Atlantic bloc.

It is known to all that exactly in recent times the Govt of the USA has attempted to hasten by all means the conclusion of the mentioned separate treaty with West Germany as well as the inclusion of West Germany into the “European community”. Likewise it attempts, not only to definitively separate from but oppose one portion of Germany to the other. This means that the Govt of the USA is interested not in the unification of Germany and not in a peace treaty with Germany but by means of the new separate agreement more strongly than before to tie Western Germany and the Western German army now created with the North Atlantic bloc of powers which is incompatible with the possibilities of a peaceful development in Europe.

All this shows that at the present time an agreement is taking place between right wing revanchist circles of Western Germany and the North Atlantic group of powers. This agreement can be based only on the support of the revanchist aspirations of the Bonn Govt of Adenauer which is preparing to unleash a new war in Europe. The restoration now of a West German army under the leadership of Fascist Hitlerite generals can only serve the aggressive aims of the German revanchists. On the other hand, the inclusion of such of West Germany in the so-called European army and consequently in the army of the North Atlantic bloc, even more underlines the aggressive character of the whole North Atlantic group.

In the light of these facts no one can believe that the presently created “European community” and “European army” can represent “a path to peace” as is stated in the American note of May 13. The real meaning of the mentioned agreement of the North Atlantic bloc with the govt of Adenauer can comprise only the further strengthening of the aggressive character of the North Atlantic group of powers presently striving for the direct union with the German revanchists who represent the most aggressive circles in Europe.

The conclusion with the Bonn Govt of West Germany of agreements such as the above mentioned separate treaty or agreement regarding the “European community” places upon this part of Germany new obligations strengthening its dependence on the occupying powers and creating new difficulties for unification with the eastern part of Germany which is not tied by such obligations and is developing in conditions favorable to national unification of Germany into a unified independent democratic and peace-loving state. The desire of the Govt of the USA to conclude as soon as possible the above mentioned separate agreement with West Germany at the same time that negotiations regarding a peace treaty and unification of Germany again and again are postponed, means that it intends by means of the mentioned separate agreements to place the German people before a fait accompli: The German people will be placed before the fact of the remilitarization of West Germany and the retention of occupation troops in West Germany. And there will presently arise insurmountable obstacles in the path of the conclusion of a peace treaty and the unification of Germany.

However, it is not possible on one hand to make statements about recognition of the necessity of a peace treaty and the unification of Germany and on the other to do everything to make difficult and to impede the conclusion of a peace treaty with Germany and the restoration of a unified German state. This leads to the undermining of any kind of confidence toward the dual policy of such powers and places the German people in the necessity of seeking its own way to a peace treaty and national unification of Germany.

3. Proposal of the Soviet Govt. Despite the presence of disagreement regarding the peace treaty with Germany and also the unification of Germany and the formation of an all-German govt, the Soviet Govt again proposes to the Govt of the USA and also to the Govts of Great Britain and France to enter into joint discussion of these questions and not to permit extended delay in this matter.

Continued review of these questions by means of further exchange of notes cannot produce the results which might be achieved by direct negotiations and can only make achievement of agreement more difficult. Meanwhile, further delay of decision of the question of a peace treaty and unification of Germany cannot fail to arouse legitimate dissatisfaction of the German people even not mentioning that such sort of delay in this matter is contradictory to the interests of the establishment of normal and permanent relations between Germany and neighboring states as well as the interests of strengthening of general peace.

The Soviet Govt proceeds on the principle that in working out a peace treaty with Germany the Govt of the USSR as well as the Govts of the USA, Great Britain and France will be guided by the provisions of the Potsdam Agreement, particularly in the question of the boundaries of Germany as was mentioned by the Soviet Govt in its note of April 9.

As regards the all-German govt and its powers, it is understood that this govt also must be guided by the Potsdam provisions and also after conclusion of the peace treaty by the provision of the peace treaty which serve the establishment of a permanent peace in Europe. In this connection the Soviet Govt continued to consider it the inalienable right of the German people to have its own national armed forces necessary for the defense of the country without which it is impossible to decide the question of the powers of the all-German govt in a just and proper fashion.

Proposing to enter into direct negotiations urgently regarding a peace treaty with Germany and the formation of an all-German govt, the Soviet Govt proceeds also from the fact that no kind of separate agreement of one or another part of Germany with govts of other states can impose any kind of obligations and that the all-German govt which will have signed the peace treaty will possess all the rights which the govts of other independent sovereign states possess.

1. The source text is a translation prepared in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and transmitted in telegram 1880, May 25. It should be compared for minor textual differences with that printed in Department of State Bulletin, July 21, 1952, pp. 93–96. No copy of the Russian-language text has been found in Department of State files, but see Izvestiia, May 25, 1952, or SSSR s GDR, pp. 218–223.
2. Supra.
3. Document 65.
4. Regarding this note, see telegram 2209, Document 78.
5. Document 82.