Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XL, Germany and Berlin, 1969–1972

162. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon¹

Washington, undated.

SUBJECT

• Berlin Autobahn Harassment

Last evening, the Soviets permitted Allied military vehicles to transit to and from Berlin, after a day of intermittent refusal. This morning (Berlin time), the Soviets again refused clearance for Allied military vehicles, charging that the vehicles lacked the proper documentation. The Soviets assert that a stamp of the Allied commandants in Berlin should be placed on the reverse side of the usual documentation, which carries the stamp on the front side. They further claim that they are not introducing any new procedures, but are merely more strictly enforcing existing procedures which allegedly call for passage of vehicles clearly identified as belonging to the Berlin garrisons. In fact the vehicles which make up the autobahn convoys often contain some assigned to USAREUR units.

It is difficult at this point to determine exactly what is behind this Soviet move. They may be interested in merely reminding the Allies of the precarious nature of even their own access. This may also be a further attempt to underscore the Soviet view of the separateness of West Berlin from West Germany, now carrying this concept to Allied military traffic.

Military vehicles of each of the Three Powers remained blocked at both ends of the autobahn during most of the day. Then, at 6:00 p.m. (Berlin time), in the course of meetings between the Allies and the Soviets both at the military and political level, the Soviets announced that all blocked vehicles would be allowed to proceed under their existing documentation. The next regular convoy is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. (Berlin time). The Soviets refused to give assurances that vehicles would be permitted to transit in the morning unless the documentation is changed to suit Soviet demands.

This situation presented the question of the handling of an advisers meeting between Allied and Soviet representatives scheduled for Wednesday morning.² This meeting had been scheduled as part of the Four Power Berlin negotiations, to be followed on January 19 by a meeting of Ambassadors. The Secretary of State prepared a telegram of instructions providing that if the vehicles are stopped in the morning:

• —the Soviets should be told that it is not appropriate to hold the advisers meeting while autobahn passage is being denied, though the Allies would meet with them to discuss the access problem;
• —if the other Western Powers do not agree to this approach, we could agree, as a fallback, to request a preliminary meeting with the Soviets to discuss the access problem, on the understanding that if the Soviets are not forthcoming, the representatives will not proceed to a discussion of the regular Four Power negotiations.

The Secretary’s original cable also contained a further fallback position, under which we would agree to the scheduled meeting if this proved necessary to preserve Western unity. Acting Secretary of Defense Packard did not agree to the inclusion of this ultimate fallback. My staff at the working level agreed with the Defense position. In the end, Secretary Rogers decided to eliminate this disputed point. In light of the urgency, the Secretary considered that there was insufficient time to secure formal White House approval of the cable, but instructed that the cable be sent to San Clemente for information after its dispatch to Berlin and Bonn (cable attached).³

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 691, Europe, Germany (Berlin), Vol. III. Secret; Sensitive. Sonnenfeldt drafted the memorandum, which is unsigned, on January 12.
2. January 13.
3. Attached are telegrams 5276 and 5502 to Bonn and Berlin, both January 13. (Also in the National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 38–10) Also attached is a January 12 note from Sonnenfeldt that informed Haig that the Department of State had issued its instructions without White House clearance; both cables were then sent to Haig for Kissinger in San Clemente on January 13. According to his handwritten notation on another copy, Haig subsequently talked to Eliot about the President’s interest in any future developments on Berlin. (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 293, Memoranda to the President, 1969–1974, Dec. 1970–Apr. 1971) In a January 13 memorandum to the President, Kissinger reported: “Last evening the Soviets advised the Allies that the blocked vehicles would be allowed to proceed under their existing documentation. A four-truck U.S. convoy was cleared to proceed from Soviet Checkpoint Marienborn this morning and experienced no difficulties in processing.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 30, President’s Daily Briefs, Jan. 2, 1971–Jan. 15, 1971) At the advisers’ meeting on January 13, Klein stated that “Western side could not but be indignant and surprised about interference with Allied access, particularly since Ambassador Abrasimov himself had given Ambassadors assurances earlier on Allied traffic.” After claiming that the incident was the “result of some misunderstanding,” Kvitsinsky “denied there had been interference. He alleged there had been only minor difficulty because of absence some stamp on documents and reiterated problem being looked into.” (Telegram 68 from Berlin, January 13; ibid., RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 38–10)