If, as I hope, they are acceptable to you, technical discussions may be required concerning proposals B and C in paragraph 2 above. In that event I shall be prepared to furnish the names of the German technical experts authorized to deal with these matters in respect of Western Germany and I would be glad to obtain corresponding information from you.

I have authorized Gen. Timberman' to make contact with Mr. Dengin' and to transmit to him a proposal dealing with the other restrictions which we wish to see eliminated in Berlin.3

31. REMOVAL OF INTERZONAL BARRIERS: Letter From the United States Commandant in Berlin to the Berlin Representative of the Soviet High Commissioner," February 22, 19547

5

9

In his letter of February 22 the United States High Commissioner has drawn Mr. Semenov's attention to the necessity of reestablishing more normal living conditions for the inhabitants of the city of Berlin. In particular he has expressed the desire that the four occupying powers should reach agreement on the removal of impediments to the freedom of movement of persons and goods between the Western sectors of Berlin and Western Germany and on the abolition of all formalities re the movement of persons between Berlin and the Soviet Zone.

In the same spirit and in order to eliminate all restrictions on freedom of communications between the four sectors of Berlin, I request you to agree that the following measures should be put into effect:

A. The abolition of police controls at the borders and of other forms of hindrance to the complete freedom of movement of persons throughout the city.

B. The removal of all street barriers between sectors.

C. The re-establishment of direct tram services throughout the city.

D. The re-establishment of the automatic citywide telephone service.

E. The re-establishment of reliable and efficient postal services throughout the city.

1 Maj. Gen. Thomas S. Timberman, United States Commandant in Berlin.

2 Sergei Dengin, Representative of the Soviet High Commissioner for Germany in Berlin.

See General Timberman's letter of Feb. 22, 1954, to Mr. Dengin; infra. 4 Maj. Gen. Thomas S. Timberman

'Sergei Dengin.

Vladimir Semenovich Semenov.

? Department of State Bulletin, Apr. 5, 1954, p. 509.

8 Supra.

James B. Conant.

F. The abolition of controls over and interference with the free circulation of printed matter, films and other cultural media throughout the city.

I am convinced that an agreement should be reached on these different proposals for the common good of the people of Berlin and am ready, for my part, to discuss with you without delay all the measures required to put them into force.

Should technical discussions be required concerning proposals C and D above, I am prepared to furnish the names of the German technicians authorized to deal with these matters for my sector and would be glad to receive similar information from you.

1

32. REMOVAL OF INTERZONAL BARRIERS: Note From the United States High Commissioner to the Soviet High Commissioner,2 March 17, 1954 3

I have received your reply of March 6, 1954, to my letter of February 22 in which I proposed to you that we should agree together with the British and French High Commissioners in Germany to eliminate immediately a number of unjustifiable obstacles which still prevent freedom of movement between the different parts of Germany.

I regret, however, that instead of replying positively to my proposals of dealing with the practical and urgent problems with which we are faced, you have confined yourself in your reply merely to repeating M. Molotov's proposal for all-German committees which was rejected by the three Western Foreign Ministers at the Berlin conference.

The matters covered by my proposal must continue closely to concern the four occupying powers until such time as the reunification of Germany takes place. None of these powers can rightly evade its responsibilities in that respect. It is, therefore, the duty of the four powers to secure the removal of obstacles to free movement of Germans between the different parts of Germany, and insofar as the continued existence of such obstacles is due to action or inaction on the part of the authorities in Soviet occupied territories, my government will continue to hold the Soviet authorities responsible for this hindrance to further progress in the direction of German reunification. It is for this reason that I have requested you, in my previous letter, to inform me of the Soviet attitude towards the specific proposals which I have made and which I have offered to discuss with you.

1 James B. Conant.

2 Vladimir Semenovich Semenov.

Department of State Bulletin, Apr. 5, 1954, p. 510.

Ibid., pp. 509-510.

5 Soviet proposal of Feb. 17, 1954; Foreign Ministers Meeting: Berlin Discussions, January 25-February 18, 1954 (Department of State publication 5399; 1954), pp. 229-230.

It is clear that certain of the questions mentioned in my letter of February 22 require only unilateral decision and action by the authorities of the Soviet Zone. These are:

(A) The abolition of the requirement for residence permits for Germans residing in the Federal territory who desire to travel to the Soviet Zone;

(B) The removal of the prohibited zone, the barbed wire fences and all other barriers placed in the Soviet Zone along the interzonal border;

(C) The abolition of all formalities regarding movement of persons between Berlin and the Soviet Zone.

If, as I hope, the Soviet authorities share my government's desire to alleviate conditions which are oppressive to the German people, may I ask you to indicate to me at an early date that you are now ready to take steps to have the above measures put into effect?

With regard to the further proposals made in my letter of February 22, I suggest that, in every case in which we consider it useful, discussions should take place between German technical experts with a view to reaching practical solutions which, once they are agreed, should become effective without delay. I shall be ready, as I have already informed you, to furnish you with the names of the experts authorized to deal with these matters in respect of Western Germany who would then meet with corresponding experts to be nominated by you. If you agree with the foregoing, I suggest that the first step should be for us to meet in order to draw up terms of reference which would enable the discussions between experts to begin at once.

33. STATUS OF EAST GERMANY: Joint Declaration by the United States, British, and French High Commissioners, April 8, 19541

2

The Allied High Commission desires to clarify the attitude of the governments which it represents toward the statement issued on March 25 by the Soviet Government, purporting to describe a change in its relations with the Government of the so-called German Democratic Republic. This statement appears to have been intended to create the impression that sovereignty has been granted to the German Democratic Republic. It does not alter the actual situation in the Soviet Zone. The Soviet Government still retains effective. control there.

The three governments represented in the Allied High Commission will continue to regard the Soviet Union as the responsible power for the Soviet Zone of Germany. These governments do not recognize the sovereignty of the East German regime which is not based on free elections, and do not intend to deal with it as a government.

1 Department of State Bulletin, Apr. 19, 1954, p. 588; see also the statement issued to the press by Lincoln White, press officer of the Department of State, on Mar. 25, 1954 (ibid., Apr. 5, 1954, p. 511).

2 See the New York Times, Mar. 26, 1954.

They believe that this attitude will be shared by other states, who, like themselves, will continue to recognize the Government of the Federal Republic as the only freely elected and legally constituted government in Germany. The Allied High Commission also takes this occasion to express the resolve of its governments that the Soviet action shall not deter them from their determination to work for the reunification of Germany as a free and sovereign nation.

1

34. REMOVAL OF INTERZONAL BARRIERS: Letter From the United States High Commissioner to the Soviet High Commissioner, May 24, 1954 3

5

I acknowledge receipt of your reply, dated April 17, 1954, to the second letter I had sent you, on March 17, 1954, putting forward positive suggestions for the elimination of unjustifiable obstacles which prevent freedom of movement for Germans between the different parts of Germany.

In

my letter of March 17, I drew your attention to unilateral measures which the authorities in the Soviet Zone could themselves take to this end without the need for any further consultation between us. I regret to note that no action has so far been taken by the authorities in the Soviet Zone to put these measures into effect and

that

you do not even refer to them in your reply. I further regret that you have made no response to my suggestion that arrangements should be made which would enable discussions to begin between German technical experts on those proposals in my letter of February 22 on which consultation is required.

Instead you have invoked the Soviet Government's statement of March 26 March 25] regarding the status of the German authorities in the Soviet Zone and you have once again repeated the Soviet proposal, which has already been rejected by my Government, for the establishment of "all-German Committees".

I must make it clear to you that my Government still regards the Soviet Union as the power responsible for the Soviet Zone of Germany. My Government does not recognize the sovereignty of the East German regime. In this connection, I take the opportunity of drawing your attention to the declaration made on April 8 by the High Commissioners of the United Kingdom and France and myself," a copy of which I enclose.

You have also repeated your charges about alleged criminal organizations which are said to be located in West Berlin. These charges are, as you have already been informed, without foundation. Your letter of April 17 therefore, since it introduces clearly unacceptable condi

1 James B. Conant.

Vladimir Semenovich Semenov.

Department of State Bulletin, June 7, 1954, pp. 880-881.

Ibid., pp. 879-880.

Supra, doc. 32.

•Supra.

tions and unfounded accusations, does not make a positive contribution to the problem of removing the restrictions on freedom of movement for the German people, and serves only to accentuate the present division of Germany.

So long as this division exists it remains the duty of the four occupying powers to do everything in their power to lessen the hardships resulting from it. I do not intend to be diverted from the constructive proposals I have already made to you and remain ready to take all the measures indicated in my letter of March 17. I hope therefore that, in order that we may make genuine progress in matters which are of real importance to the German people, you will accept my proposals without further objections.

35. ALLIED POLICY TOWARD BERLIN: Declaration by the Foreign Ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, October 23, 19541

With respect to Berlin, in addition to the Allied security guarantees for the city in the London communiqué of October 3, 1954,2 the Foreign Ministers of France, the United Kingdom and the United States have noted with deep satisfaction the close and friendly cooperation between the Allied and Berlin authorities. The Three Powers are determined to ensure the greatest possible degree of selfgovernment in Berlin compatible with Berlin's special situation. Accordingly, the three Governments have instructed their representatives in Berlin to consult with the authorities of that city with a view to implementing jointly and to the fullest degree possible the foregoing principles.

3

36. ROAD TOLLS IN THE SOVIET ZONE: Letter From the United States High Commissioner to the Soviet High Commissioner,* March 31, 1955 5

It has been brought to my attention that the East German authorities propose to increase drastically, with effect from April 1, the fees which vehicles not registered in the Soviet Zone are charged for the use of roads within the Soviet Zone. In practice, this measure would affect primarily vehicles registered in the Federal Republic and West Berlin.

The reason given for this measure is that additional funds are required to maintain the roads in the Soviet Zone. Substantial

1 Department of State Bulletin, Nov. 15, 1954, p. 732.

2 See article 5 of the tripartite declaration in section V of the Final Act of the London Conference; supra, pp. 1482-1483.

James B. Conant.

4 G. M. Pushkin.

5 Department of State Bulletin, Apr. 18, 1955, p. 648. Similar letters were sent by the British and French High Commissioners.