FEDERAL REPUBLIC of GERMANY February 1963–1966
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A Guide to the Microfilm Edition of Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY February 1963–1966 Part 1: Political, Governmental, and National Defense Affairs A UPA Collection from Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY February 1963–1966 PART 1: POLITICAL, GOVERNMENTAL, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE AFFAIRS Subject-Numeric Categories: AID, CSM, DEF, and POL Project Coordinator Robert E. Lester Guide compiled by Justin Owen Short A UPA Collection from 4520 East-West Highway • Bethesda, MD 20814-3389 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Confidential U.S. State Department central files. Federal Republic of Germany, February 1963–1966 [microform] / project coordinator, Robert E. Lester. microfilm reels ; 35 mm. Summary: Reproduces documents from Record 59, Records of the State Department, Subject-numeric files, February 1963–1966, in the custody of the National Archives, College Park, MD. Accompanied by a printed guide compiled by Justin Owen Short. ISBN 1-55655-976-3 1. United States—Foreign relations—Germany (West)—Sources. 2. Germany (West)— Foreign relations—United States—Sources. 3. United States—Foreign relations—1963– 1969—Sources. 4. Germany—Foreign relations—1945—Sources. I. Title: Confidential U.S. State Department central files. II. Title: Federal Republic of Germany, February 1963– 1966. III. Lester, Robert. IV. Short, Justin Owen. V. United States. Dept. of State. VI. University Publications of America (Firm). E183.8.G3 327.73043'09'046—dc22 2004048544 CIP The documents reproduced in this publication are among the records of the U.S. Department of State in the custody of the National Archives of the United States. No copyright is claimed in these official records. Copyright © 2004 LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ISBN 1-55655-976-3. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Scope and Content Note ......................................................................................................... v Source Note............................................................................................................................. vii Editorial Note .......................................................................................................................... vii State Department Records Classification System, February 1963–July 1973 ..................... ix Subject File Outlines (with Secondary File Designations) .............................................. xv Country Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... xvii Sample Reel Index Entries ..................................................................................................... xxvii Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... xxix Reel Index Reels 1–4 Economic Assistance (AID) ............................................................................................. 1 Reel 5 Economic Assistance (AID) cont. .................................................................................... 17 Communism (CSM) .......................................................................................................... 20 Reels 6–9 Defense Affairs (DEF) ...................................................................................................... 21 Reel 10 Defense Affairs (DEF) cont. ............................................................................................. 37 Intelligence (INT) ..............................................................................................................41 Reels 11-40 Political Affairs and Relations (POL) ................................................................................ 41 Subject Index .......................................................................................................................... 111 iii SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE The U.S. State Department Central Files are the definitive source of American diplomatic reporting on political, military, social, and economic developments throughout the world in the twentieth century. This edition consists of the Central Files for the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) (FRG) for the period between February 1963 and 1966. The files are arranged according to the State Department Records Classification System, February 1963–1973. The subjects from the classification system included in this edition are AID (Economic Assistance), CSM (Communism), DEF (Defense Affairs), INT (Intelligence), and POL (Political Affairs and Relations). The files consist of cables and letters sent and received by U.S. diplomats and embassy personnel; reports on meetings between U.S. and foreign government officials and leaders; newspaper clippings and translations from journals and newspapers; transcripts of speeches; and reports and observations on political, military, and social affairs. This edition of Central Files for the FRG opens with a detailed accounting of West Germany’s development aid program to various third world nations. Often working closely with the United States, the FRG carried out an extensive economic assistance program of grants, technical assistance, and loans to countries in Africa, the Middle East, South America, and Southeast Asia. The AID category consists of reports and correspondence pertaining to this assistance; also included are records of aid provided to the FRG by the United States. Following the AID category is a brief series of items from the CSM file that relate to Communist activity within the FRG. The documents reveal fears of a Communist “infiltration” and discuss West Germany’s attempts to repress Communist propaganda. Additional material on this subject can be found within the POL category. The DEF file covers a broad spectrum of West Germany’s defense affairs. Beyond providing a record of the nation’s military assistance programs, the documents in the DEF category lend insight into the close military relationship between West Germany and the United States, providing reports on American bases, installations, and personnel working within the FRG. The file also contains reports pertaining to the short-lived NATO Multilateral Force initiative, a plan to create a multinational fleet of nuclear vessels to patrol the Mediterranean and North Atlantic. Material can also be found on scandals v within the West German defense ministry. Additional documents on West German defense affairs are located within the POL file and the INT category, which consists of reports on the collection and dissemination of intelligence in the FRG. The POL category composes the bulk of this collection and covers diverse topics. Foreign affairs are especially prominent, as West Germany faced profound foreign policy decisions in the mid-1960s that would have an effect on America’s interests in Europe. While most Germans maintained that a strong allegiance to America was necessary for West Germany’s survival, some began to argue that the nation should bolster its ties with other European nations, and the collection reveals the concerns of American officials at the strengthening of relations between the FRG and Charles de Gaulle’s France. At the same time, the United States sought to use West Germany and its long-term desire to reunify with its eastern counterpart as a bridge to the Soviet Union and the states of Eastern Europe. The collection includes documents pertaining to efforts at Soviet-German rapprochement and attempts to ease tensions in a divided Berlin. While Berlin pass agreements allowed for greater transportation between the two halves of the city, cases of harassment often threatened a fragile peace. Two categories within the POL file deserve special attention. POL 7, Visits and Meetings, provides extensive reporting on the travels of German leaders such as Ludwig Erhard and Gerhard Schroeder as they sought to advance West German policy around the world. The section also details meetings between German government officials and Lyndon Baines Johnson, Dean Rusk, and Robert McNamara. POL 17, Diplomatic and Consular Representation, consists of reports from American embassy officials detailing the FRG’s relations with various nations. Of particular note are documents pertaining to West Germany’s diplomatic crisis with Middle Eastern nations following its recognition of Israel. In addition to foreign affairs, the POL file contains voluminous material on domestic affairs. The collection provides numerous reports on German political giants such as Ludwig Erhard, Franz Josef Strauss, Kurt Georg Kiesinger, Konrad Adenauer, and Willy Brandt. While multiple political parties debated Germany’s future, the nation itself continued to be reminded of its past. Accusations of having a Nazi past dogged political figures, former soldiers faced trials for war crimes, and victims of the Third Reich’s policies sought reparation from the FRG both in West Germany and from abroad. Information on these and other topics can be found by consulting the Subject Index at the back of the guide. vi SOURCE NOTE LexisNexis microfilmed this collection from the holdings of the National Archives, College Park, Maryland, Record Group 59: Records of the Department of State, Central Foreign Policy Files, Subject-Numeric Files, February 1963–1966, for the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). Materials from the following Subject-Numeric File categories