26. Memorandum of Conversation1
SUBJECT
- German Proposals on Reunification
PARTICIPANTS
- Heinrich Knappstein, German Ambassador
- William R. Tyler, Assistant Secretary
At lunch with Ambassador Knappstein prior to his return to Bonn the same day for consultation, he told me that he was personally convinced that the German proposals were inadequate for an initiative to the Soviet Union by the three Western powers. He said that Bonn was not prepared to add anything to the proposals either on Berlin or in the field of European security. On the former, Bonn was afraid that the Soviets would concentrate on Berlin and relegate reunification of Germany to the background, as had been the case in Geneva in 1959. On the latter, Bonn was not prepared to commit itself to any specific security measures at this stage. The result was that the proposals would be hopelessly thin in so far as the Russians were concerned, and unconvincing to Western public opinion. He said he was going to recommend to Bonn that the German initiative take the form of a manifesto on German reunification, which the Western powers could support, but which would not constitute an actual proposal for negotiation.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 32–4 GER. Secret. Drafted by Tyler.↩