Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XV, Berlin Crisis, 1962–1963

209. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State⁰

Bonn, August 10, 1963, 7:40 p.m.

Secto 60. Eyes only for the President from the Secretary. Following are results and impressions of talks today with CHANCELLOR, Erhard, and Schroeder individually and in group meetings.¹

1. Federal Republic will almost certainly sign test ban treaty. My information is that decision to sign was practically in the bag but for reasons obscured in local politics, fact of my visit seemed to provide an occasion to button it up. Federal Republic has already briefed press that decision to sign is taken and that Cabinet meeting on Monday will attend to details. US Embassy and Chayes² have done excellent job in sorting out many points of detail with the Germans which were being used more as pretexts than real reasons. Apparently the Von Brentano assault on Schroeder has been repulsed for the time being.

2. In private talk Chancellor went about as far as his personality would permit in expressing regret for “misunderstandings” which might have arisen from his talk with McNamara. He claims that what he meant to convey was that Soviet position is getting weaker and that we should not rush to bail them out through agreements which strengthen Khrushchev’s hands. Thanking him for his clarification, I took advantage of chance to tell him why the “misunderstanding” had caused us deep concern along the lines of your letter to him, your cable to me.³ I am under no illusion my effort effected a cure but it might last for at least a few days.

3. Again in private talk Chancellor was quite emotional about withdrawal of six hundred troops from West Berlin.⁴ He claimed it would be interpreted as a political gesture to Khrushchev, that it would undercut the effect of your visit to Germany and Berlin, and that political consequences were far more important than numbers of troops involved. I gave him full line of arguments but did not succeed in persuading him. I told him that I would of course report his views to you but made no commitment about reviewing the position or changing the decision. We may hear from him again on this but if West Berlin takes it in stride my guess is that he will not press it unduly, particularly since he is going to Lake Como on the nineteenth for extended vacation.

4. Chancellor was entirely cordial personally, looked in fine health and was most agreeable at dinner tonight with Government and Parliamentary leaders. There was not even any nostalgia expressed for the good old John Foster Dulles days.

Other matters will be reported in Embassy telegrams.

Rusk

0. Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 110, CF 2290. Secret; Operational Immediate; No Other Distribution. Drafted and initialed by Rusk.
1. Secretary Rusk was in Bonn August 10–11 after he left the Soviet Union. Memoranda of the conversations with Adenauer and Schroeder, US/MC/8 and 9, are ibid., Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 65 D 330. Sectos 57 and 58, August 10 and 11, also reported on Rusk’s conversations in Bonn. (Ibid., Central Files, POL US–USSR and ORG 7 S)
2. Abram J. Chayes, Legal Adviser of the Department of State.
3. Document 205 and footnote 3 thereto.
4. During July the United States had reorganized its Berlin garrison, reducing the number of troops by about 600, but increasing its weaponry.