61. Editorial Note
National Intelligence Estimate 11-7-61, “Soviet Short-Term Intentions Regarding Berlin and Germany,” April 25, 1961, concluded: “We believe that in the relatively near future the USSR will present a formal demand for the renewal of negotiations on the question of a peace treaty for ‘the two Germanies’ and a new status for Berlin. Almost certainly, Khrushchev still prefers to negotiate on this matter rather than to provoke a crisis by unilateral action, chiefly because he desires to avoid the risks of a showdown in this dangerous area of East-West confrontation.” For text of the NIEʼs conclusions, see Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, volume XIV, pages 56–57.