The Allied Museum Berlin The Windsor Park Seminar Berlin: The British Perspective 1945-1990 1-2 September 2009 Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Park, London TABLE OF CONTENTS Ambassadors’ Notes......................................................................................................................3 Foreword .........................................................................................................................................4 List of Participants – Windsor Park Seminar .............................................................................5 THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE WINDSOR PARK SEMINAR Notes of Welcome .........................................................................................................................8 Introductory Session ...................................................................................................................12 The German Problem and the Balance of Power Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher 1987-1989 First Panel .....................................................................................................................................36 The Fall of the Berlin Wall: London – Bonn – Berlin (East and West) Second Panel ................................................................................................................................57 Flashpoint Berlin: How Cold was the Cold War? Third Panel ...................................................................................................................................74 Strange Normality: What was so special about the Quadripartite Agreement 1971/72? Fourth Panel .................................................................................................................................93 The British Media and Germany APPENDIX Programme – Windsor Park Seminar......................................................................................115 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................117 Index of Persons Mentioned ....................................................................................................118 2 AMBASSADORS’ NOTES September 2011 marks the fortieth anniversary of the Quadripartite Agreement on Berlin. The publication “Berlin: The British Perspective 1945-1990” therefore could not come at a more timely moment. Eminent officials, scholars and journalists – most of whom were closely involved in the unfolding of events recorded in this book – have shared their valuable recollections and insights. I trust their contributions will give us a deeper understanding of this important period in the common history of our two countries. With great pleasure I see this online publication going into the hands of a wider audience and becoming another signpost of a living and growing relationship between the United Kingdom and Germany. Georg Boomgarden German Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s London, September 2011 The British Embassy is delighted to welcome the publication of the papers from the seminar ‘Berlin: The British Perspective 1945-1990’, which was held at Cumberland Lodge in 2009. In the Foreign Office, we are particularly proud of the role that FCO historians played in helping determine the agenda for the event and that so many former officials were able to take an active role in the discussions themselves. This special publication, which will bring important materials into the historical record of this crucial period, is a fitting tribute to September’s 40th Anniversary of the signing of the historic Quadripartite Agreement in Berlin. Simon McDonald HM Ambassador to Germany Berlin, September 2011 3 FOREWORD The construction of the Berlin Wall 50 years ago was a turning point in the Cold War. An unforeseen consequence of the second Berlin crisis, the Wall constituted the European line of demarcation between the two superpowers until German reunification. International policymakers were forced to respond to the consolidation of the political status quo and the division of the city. One such milestone was the “Treaty on Berlin”, signed forty years ago in Berlin, on September 1971, by the four victorious powers from World War II. The commemoration of both historical moments – the construction of the Berlin Wall and the Quadripartite Agreement – provides the occasion for this publication from the Allied Museum, which is based on the transcript of a witness seminar, entitled “Berlin: The British Perspective 1945-1990”, that took place in September 2009 in Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Park near London. Thanks to the initiative of Patrick Salmon, Chief Historian of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and Dr. Helmut Trotnow, former Director of the Allied Museum, high-ranking diplomats and ministerial officials came together at the conference to discuss German-British relations during the Cold War era. The results of this unique witness seminar testify to the intensive and often remarkably open atmosphere of the discussion in Windsor Park. The passages on the Quadripartite Agreement reveal the complicated calculations behind international policy during the Cold War and provide insights into the diplomatic struggles behind the scenes. This treaty, negotiated under the auspices of Prime Minister Edward Heath’s government, constituted a new phase of détente. Another important part of the Seminar was dedicated to German-British relations during reunification. Testimony from Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s closest advisors illuminates the history leading up to reunification and illustrates how sensitive nuances and interpersonal relationships are critical elements of diplomacy. The United Kingdom is a founding member of the Allied Museum. As a federal institution, the Allied Museum is responsible for documenting the history of the Western powers in West Berlin during the Cold War era, thereby serving the important cultural function of keeping the memory alive of an important chapter in contemporary British history. One such piece of evidence is the British Hastings aircraft from the Berlin Airlift, which has become museum’s foremost symbol and most beloved exhibit. I am therefore very pleased to present this electronic publication, which I hope will interest a broad circle of readers. I would like to express my profound thanks to all of those who were involved in making this project a success. Dr. Gundula Bavendamm Director of the Allied Museum Berlin, September 2011 4 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS – WINDSOR PARK SEMINAR Panel moderators Sir Nicholas Bayne, KCMG Fellow at the International Trade Policy Unit of the London School of Economics and Political Science Prof. Dr. Rainer Hudemann University of the Saarland Dr. Jackson Janes Executive Director of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, Johns Hopkins University Dr. Patrick Salmon Chief Historian, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Dr. Helmut Trotnow OBE Director of the Allied Museum in Berlin Panel speakers (with their positions relevant to the Seminar) Sir Christopher Audland KCMG DL Foreign Office, Negotiator of the Bonn Convention (1950-52) and the Quadripartite Agreement (1970-72) Sir Michael Burton KCVO, CMG Minister, British Military Government, Berlin (1985-1990) Professor Fritz Caspari, KCVO Ambassador to the Court of St James’s (United Kingdom) (1958-1963) Professor Marianne Howarth Nottingham Trent University Jürgen Krönig OBE British correspondent of the German weekly Die Zeit Sir Christopher Mallaby, GCMG Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (1988-1992) David Marsh CBE Chief German correspondent, Financial Times (1986-1991) Colin Munro, CMG Deputy Head of Mission, East Berlin (1987-1990) Baroness Neville-Jones, DCMG Minister, British Embassy, Bonn (1988-1991) 5 Rt Hon Sir Michael Palliser, GCMG, PC Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1975-1982) Lord Powell of Bayswater, KCMG Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1983-1991) Dr. Hermann Freiherr von Richthofen Member of the Bonn Group for the negotiation of the Quadripartite Agreement (1971-1972); Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Kingdom (1989-1993) Audience members identified in the transcript Dr. David Barclay, Director of the German Studies Association, USA Sir Frank Berman, KCMG, QC Dr. Dominik Geppert, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn Cord Meier Klodt, German Embassy Johannes Leithäuser, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Eckhard Lübkemeier, Deputy Head of the German Mission in London Professor Anthony Nicholls, St Antony’s College, Oxford 6 THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE WINDSOR PARK SEMINAR Berlin: The British Perspective 1945-1990 1-2 September 2009 Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Park, London 7 NOTES OF WELCOME Sir Michael Arthur, British Ambassador to Germany 1 September 2009 This is a year of anniversaries for us in Berlin. Today marks 70 years since the start of World War II. Sixty years of Germany’s Basic Law, the Grundgesetz. Sixty years since the end of the Berlin Airlift. And soon, 20 years since the fall of the Wall, with all its symbolism. But Britain has two other anniversaries with Germany. Two hundred and fifty years since the Battle of Minden, when the Prussians kindly helped us beat the French (not the only time in history). And 250 years since the death of Händel, our shared and wonderful composer. Händel was an early European who himself threw off his umlaut when he naturalised as a British subject. This conference is largely