No. 537
Editorial Note
On May 26 the Foreign Ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany signed the contractual agreements. For documentation on the signing including the texts of most of the agreements, see Documents 50 ff. Two of the many documents signed directly concerned Berlin. The first was the Declaration of the Federal Republic on Aid to Berlin which is printed as Annex A to the Convention on General Relations between the Three Powers and the Federal Republic of Germany, Document 51. The second was a letter from the Three High Commissioners to Chancellor Adenauer, dated May 26, Document 58, informing him that the reservations to Articles 23 and 144(2) of the Federal Constitution, as they applied to Berlin, were being maintained.
Following the signing of the agreements at Bonn, the three Berlin Commandants formally transmitted to Mayor Reuter the Declaration on Berlin and the Declaration Regarding Inclusion of Berlin in International Treaties and Undertakings of the Federal Government, infra and Document 539. Finally at the signing ceremonies at Paris on the following day, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France issued a declaration on the strength and integrity of the European Defense Community which included the following concerning Berlin:
“The security and welfare of Berlin and the maintenance of the position of the Three Powers there are regarded by the Three Powers as essential elements of the peace of the free world in the present international situation. Accordingly they will maintain armed forces within the territory of Berlin as long as their responsibilities require it. They therefore reaffirm that they will treat any attack against Berlin from any quarter as an attack upon their forces and themselves.
“These new security guarantees supersede the assurances contained in the declaration of the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, the United States, and France at New York on September 19, 1950.”
For text of this declaration, see volume V, Part 1, page 686.