762.0221/3–1154: Telegram
No. 765
The Director of the Berlin Element,
HICOG (Parkman) to the
Office of the United States High
Commissioner for Germany, at Bonn1
1103. From EAD. Recently, and especially during past ten days, we have received number of reports through various channels on: (1) Soviet plans for declaring GDR a sovereign state, (2) GDR plans for strengthening its military forces and (3) special police action to suppress potential and actual resistance in GDR.
[Page 1674]Re category (1) see telegram to Bonn 1094, repeated Department 939, Moscow 235.2
Re categories (2) and (3), …can confirm only that recruitment somewhat intensified (apparently, however, to maintain, not increase KVP strength) and that arrests of opponents of regime continue as during past months. While we, therefore, discount such reports, West Berlin press and foreign correspondents in Berlin regard them as newsworthy. When such stories picked up by West Berlin media, East press follows with denials which point out unreliability of West press and radio and, almost invariably, use denial as peg on which to hang attack on West German remilitarization and exposition GDR devotion to peace and German unity.
This pattern, which has emerged during past few days, suggests very strongly that reports are being planted by East to give occasion for kind of denial described above. Logical target in this propaganda maneuver would be East Germans. Objectives probably: To discredit Western media, which are principal source real news for East Germans and which currently enjoy greater than usual influence due Berlin conference and strong pro-Western sentiment suppressed by GDR internal security precautions; to create new pegs for already overworked propaganda line which is largely limited to theme of danger West German militarism compared to Communist readiness negotiate for reduction tension; to call into question Western proposals for German unity and US–Federal Republic inventions re EDC; to call into question other West assertions, particularly re living conditions in Federal Republic as compared GDR, thus reducing refugee flow; and, possibly, to confuse West governments Soviet/GDR intentions.
Problem for EAD in this situation is increased difficulty separating rumor from fact or probability, but this not too serious in view our contact with US and German agencies in Berlin.
We realize Department has more serious problem, since Congress and public may be influenced by steady flow of unconfirmed reports on Soviet/GDR plans and GDR developments. This connection, judicious dissemination in Washington of view that GDR probably deliberately circulating false reports might make problem less acute, if in fact it exists.
We do not mean to suggest by this telegram that Soviet declaration of GDR sovereignty, introduction of conscription or other rumored developments which may be reaching Department through press are excluded as possibilities. We are simply reporting that up [Page 1675] to now reliable sources have not confirmed such reports. We will of course continue to report, without specific request, substantiated facts and probabilities, particularly (in pre-Geneva and pre-ratification period) re Soviet/GDR unity policy, resistance, GDR autonomy, and plans for KVP.
- Repeated to Washington, Moscow, London, and Paris; the source text is the copy in Department of State files.↩
- Telegram 1094, dated Mar. 8, reported that a West Berlin news agency had released a story on Mar. 6 to the effect that a Soviet declaration of sovereignty for the German Democratic Republic was imminent. (762.0221/3–854)↩