292. Telegram From the Mission at Berlin to the Department of State0
818. Following summarizes Mission appraisal of attitudes SovZone regime and population as they have evolved in period between Fon Ministers’ talks last year and forthcoming summit meeting.
Prior to Fonmin talks last year, East German leaders developed an intensive political mobilization campaign inside SovZone during which they revealed expectations of significant and concrete gains from those talks. Cessation those talks without agreement, Khrushchev visit to US1 and his clear retention of tight control over both policy and policy pronouncement had local effect of pushing GDR into pose of patience and reasonableness vis-à-vis Western Powers. On the other hand, pre-summit period has brought important measure of success to GDR efforts to project Berlin and German problems onto world stage, to undermine world status of FedRep and to enhance status GDR. Although GDR leaders now indicate they do not anticipate early incorporation of West Berlin into GDR, they seem fairly confident summit talks will result in [Page 759] some kind of new agreement on West Berlin and will set in motion a series of negotiations inevitably leading to decline of Western position in Berlin and Germany.
Although timetable on Berlin desired by SED regime has been slowed down, SED party morale is at high level as a result growing self-confidence within context of bloc claims that international developments are turning in favor of Communism. Also regime successes in such programs as forced collectivization of agriculture have boosted morale of Communist cadres in East Germany. In contrast, morale of East German population has been falling steadily since Fonmin talks. Almost without exception, sources including refugees report widespread resignation to seeming permanence of Communist control. Although basic feeling of resignation is accompanied by a deep bitterness and hostility towards Ulbricht regime, prevailing opinion among SovZone inhabitants seems to be their situation is hopeless. Net result is apathy, accompanied by apprehension concerning Western firmness and intentions in summit talks. There is real apprehension that West Berlin, and Western World through West Berlin, may become inaccessible.
Prevailing mood East Germans perhaps best illustrated in following statement contained in anonymous letter Mission just received from SovZone resident. “We Germans in SovZone regard coming summit conference with little hope but with great anxiety.”
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762B.00/4–2260. Confidential. Also sent to Bonn and repeated to Moscow, London, Paris, POLADUSAREUR, and DCSI USAFE.↩
- For documentation on Khrushchev’s visit to the United States September 15-27, 1959, see Documents 11–16.↩