User:WikiCleanerMan/United States–West Germany relations

Relations between the United States and West Germany were extremely close based on mutual political, economic, and military cooperation and their shared hostility with East Germany and the Soviet Union. Both countries viewed East Germany as a proxy state for Soviet interests which they believed could have undermined stability in the region especially regarding the status of Berlin.

The relationship was one of the closest the United States had with any country during the Cold War. Relations formally began in 1955 and after German reunification relations have continued under the current German Republic following the collapse of East Germany.

History
Following the end of World War II after Germany's surrender in 1945 on May 8, the U.S. had occupied Germany until 1949. The Soviet Union's occupied German Zone was what would become East Germany (GDR) being formally founded on October 7, 1949. The response by the U.S. was that it would not recognize the establishment of the East German state and that it was "without any legal validity," and that it would "continue to give full support to the Government of the German Federal Republic at Bonn in its efforts to restore a truly free and democratic Germany." Efforts to restore Germany under one nation collapsed which led to West Germany and the U.S. establishing formal relations on May 6, 1955.

Eisenhower administration
From April 6 to 17, 1953, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer became the first leader of West Germany to visit the United States. He arrived on the sixth in New York City before flying to Washington where he visited from April 7 to 9 and met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This marked the first interaction by leaders of both countries. From April 10 to 17, Adenauer took an eight-day tour of the United States visiting San Francisco, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Chicago, New York, and Boston before leaving on the seventeenth to Canada and Bonn the following day.

On October 29, 1954, the U.S. and West Germany signed the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany, in Washington, D.C. The treaty entered into force two years later on July 14, 1956.

On July 1, 1955, Konrad Adenauer was one of several invited heads of state/government who attended the completed renovation ceremony of the Eisenhower house and farm and the thirty-ninth wedding anniversary of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower in Cumberland Township, Pennsylvania.

From August 26 to 27, 1959, Eisenhower became the first American President to visit West Germany where he held informal meetings with Konrad Adenauer, and President Theodor Heuss. Eisenhower was greeted on the runway of Bonn Airport by Adenauer. Still, on the runway, Eisenhower addressed the crowd of more than one hundred thousand German citizens where he stated, "In my country, the name Adenauer has come to symbolize the determination of the German people to remain strong and free. And the American people stand by your stand in assuring that the loyal free people of free Berlin will like yourselves will continue always to enjoy that great privilege." Adenauer made a brief remark where he called the United States the "standard bearer of freedom throughout the world". Both men rode through the streets of Bonn waving to crowds.

Kennedy administration


After John F. Kennedy was elected President relations between the U.S. and West Germany became closer which continued after his tenure in office as meetings between senior leaders from both countries became constant. On March 13, 1961, Willy Brandt, then the Mayor of West Berlin met with Kennedy at the White House over the status of Berlin.

From April 12 to 13 Adenauer met with Kennedy at the White House for the first time and was the first meeting between senior leaders since 1959. On the sixteenth, Adenauer and then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson visited Johnson's home state of Texas.

On April 20, Adenauer exchanged a letter with Kennedy on the Cuban Missile Crisis where Adenauer states he was informed by Lyndon Johnson over the crisis describing it as being further aggravated by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

Berlin Crisis


On July 25, 1961, Kennedy gave a televised address from the Oval Office on the Berlin Crisis. Kennedy described Berlin as "the great testing place of Western courage and will". Kennedy warned the nation to assume that nuclear war was possible and requested from the U.S. Congress $3.27 billion dollars of appropriations for the U.S. Armed Forces, increasing the Army's size from 870,000 men to approximately one million, an increase of 29,000 and 63,000 men respectively in active duty strength of the Navy and the Air Force. Ships and planes that were headed for retirement to be retained or reactivated, increasing airpower tactically and sealift, airlift, and anti-submarine warfare capability. B-47 bombers that were to be deactivated were to be delayed. $1.8 billion, which was about half of the total sum was requested for the procurement of non-nuclear weapons, ammunition, and equipment.

Kennedy stated in his address that on the following day he would request from Congress funds to protect American citizens from a potential nuclear fallout over Berlin which was, "to identify and mark space in existing structures, public and private, that could be used for fall-out shelters in case of attack; to stock those shelters with food, water, first-aid kits and other minimum essentials for survival; to increase their capacity; to improve our air-raid warning and fallout detection systems, including a new household warning system which is now under development; and to take other measures that will be effective at an early date to save millions of lives if needed."

Kennedy's government faced a dramatic increase in the defense budget. The negative balance of payments with the European allies had aggravated American fiscal problems. In late-1961, US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara concluded an arrangement with West Germany whereby the latter was to annually purchase some American military hardware. However, this only partially alleviated the payments issue.

Kennedy ordered 500 military men to travel on trucks through East Germany to West Berlin to ensure that the West preserved the land-link to the city. In late October 1961, a dispute over the right of one U.S. diplomat to cross East Berlin flared into conflict. Soviet and American tanks faced one another at Checkpoint Charlie, but Kennedy through an intermediary offered Nikita Khrushchev a conciliatory formula and both superpowers withdrew their tanks.

On August 13, 1961, East Germany suddenly erected a temporary barbed wire barricade and then a concrete barrier, dividing Berlin known as the Berlin Wall. Kennedy noted that "it seem[ed] particularly stupid to risk killing millions of Americans... because Germans want[ed] Germany to be reunified".

In August 1961, Kennedy and Willy Brandt began letter exchanges over the Berlin crisis. The first letter was sent by Brandt on August 16. Brandt urged in his letter for direct action against the East Germans and the Soviets. Brandt went on to described the Communist encroachment as "the most serious in the postwar history of this city since the (1948) blockade." And criticized Kennedy stating, "While in the past Allied Commandants have even protested against parades by the so-called National People’s Army in East Berlin, this time, after military occupation of the East Sector by the People’s Army, they have limited themselves to delayed and not very vigorous steps." Brandt wanted the issue to be taken in front of the United Nations as he described the actions of the Soviets had "violated the Declaration of Human Rights in most flagrant manner." Brandt stated, "It would be welcomed if the American garrison were to be demonstratively strengthened."

Kennedy responded on August 18 stating that the U.S. will continue the buildup of military strength in response to the Soviet threat to Berlin and supported Brandt's proposal for a plebiscite to demonstrate West Berlin's destiny is its freedom in connection with the West.

However, Kennedy found Brandt's letter to be an attack over his handling of the crisis. Brandt had finished the letter with "I consider the situation serious enough, Mr. President, to write to you in all frankness as is possible only between friends who trust each other completely." Kennedy angrily waved the letter at his Press Secretary Pierre Salinger saying, "Trust? I don’t trust this man at all. He’s in the middle of a campaign against old Adenauer and wants to drag me in. Where does he get off calling me a friend!" Kennedy had rejected Brandt's ideas outside of troop deployment. Kennedy had shown the letter to war reporter Marguerite Higgins in disgust to which she responded, "Mr. President, I must tell you quite openly that in Berlin the suspicion is growing that you want to sell out the West Berliners".

In October a US-Soviet war nearly occurred as U.S. and Soviet tanks faced off across Checkpoint Charlie. The crisis was defused largely through a backchannel communication the Kennedy administration had set up with Soviet spy Georgi Bolshakov.

Post-Berlin Crisis
From November 20 to 22, 1961, Adenauer visited the White House meeting with Kennedy. On the 21st a luncheon was held in his honor.

On February 20, 1962, Adenauer sent Kennedy a letter congratulating the success of John Glenn's space flight where he became the first American to orbit the Earth.

In response to the Spiegel affair, the United States felt the effort of the leaks of the assessment of West German military capabilities had undone diplomatic efforts between West and East Germany over Berlin. On April 30, Heinrich von Brentano visited Washington and met with Kennedy to restore the trust between Bonn and Washington and the common initiatives that Brentano created when he was Foreign Minister.

On October 5, Kennedy met with Willy Brandt and FRG ambassador to the United States Karl Heinrich Knappstein. The meeting came at a time where anti-American protests were occurring in Bonn. Kennedy sent Brandt a letter on November 14 in response to Brandt's letter from October 29 where he congratulated his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy rejected Brandt's idea of a plebiscite over Berlin until Soviet intentions had become clearer and offered that Brandt should continue to develop unified German proposals.

On October 17, West German Foreign Minister Gerhard Schröder met with Kennedy at the White House. The Soviet Union believed that Schröder told Kennedy of West Germany intelligence reports of Soviet missiles in Cuba during the missile crisis. However, a secret recording of the meeting did not reveal any such conversation about Cuba, the missiles, or any intelligence reports. The meeting revolved around Berlin. Kennedy had not told the minister of such discovery by the U.S. of the missiles.

From November 14 to 15, Adenauer returned to the U.S. for a two-day visit at the White House. Kennedy alluded Adenauer's visit as a turning point between the East and West relations in reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis to which Adenauer congratulated Kennedy's success in handling the crisis. Adenauer was invited by Kennedy in a letter from October 10. On the seventeenth to downplay rumors of tension between the leaders, Kennedy sent a letter to Adenauer.

Ich bin ein Berliner
From June 23 to 26, 1963, Kennedy visited West Germany for the first time of his presidency and was the first by a sitting president since Eisenhower in 1959. Kennedy's visit came at a time of more increased tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. The trip was to unite the United States, West Germany, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and to reassure the German populace that U.S. was committed to the affairs of Europe and was increasing it's presence contrary to the statements of French President Charles de Gaulle. Kennedy visited the cities of Bonn, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Wiesbaden.

On the twenty-sixth, Kennedy visited West Berlin and at Checkpoint Charlie delivered his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in front of 150,000 West Germans. While visiting the Berlin Wall, he remarked to his aides that the wall "is a hell of a lot better than a war".

Johnson administration


While serving as Vice President under Kennedy, Johnson visited West Germany from August 19 to August 20, 1961. Meeting with Adenauer and Brandt, the men had discussed increasing military defense and an increase in American financial aid under the Mutual Security Act. Johnson gave a speech to a crowd in Berlin assuring Kennedy's pledge to keep the city's freedom. On the twentieth, Johnson took a tour of West Berlin meeting with U.S. soldiers of 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Division. In order for the battalion to reach the western half of the city, they had crossed coming in from East Berlin in full battle armor in a convoy of nearly five hundred vehicles. Initially, State Department officials tried to dissuade Johnson from meeting the troops upon arrival. He retorted, "Who says I can’t go out there? The hell I can’t! With Stu and Rufe, I can go anywhere!" Johnson wanted to visit East Berlin but reluctantly abstained and allowed his trusted agents to tour East Berlin with a group of American officers.

Following Lyndon B. Johnson's accession to the presidency after Kennedy's assassination, relations between the two states still went uninterrupted with much of Kennedy's policies continued under Johnson. Chancellor Ludwig Erhard was scheduled to visit the U.S. on November 25, 1963, for an official visit to meet with President Kennedy. The planned meeting was reported in The Washington Post. However, Kennedy was assassinated on November 22.

Erhard did arrive on the twenty-fifth but to attend Kennedy's funeral. Erhard attended the funeral along with President Heinrich Lübke, Foreign Minister Gerhard Schröder, Defense Minister Kai-Uwe von Hassel, and Willy Brandt. The visit was rescheduled for December where he visited Texas from December 28 to 29, 1963. Johnson hosted Erhard at his ranch where they had a barbecue dinner in Erhard's honor. Erhard was gifted a cowboy hat by Johnson during the dinner.

Erhard returned to the U.S. for a three-day visit from June 11 to 13, 1964 where he held talks with Johnson at the White House, visited Cambridge, Massachusetts and New York City. The visit came at a crucial time as both leaders were deciding to restart talks with the Soviet Union over the Allied Control Council known as the Four Powers which was created after World War II. The meeting coincided with the onset of East Germany and the Soviet Union nearing completion of the Soviet–East German Treaty of Friendship that was signed on June 12. The Soviet Union had conferred with the U.S. that it would sign such a treaty two days prior on June 11.

From December 19 to 21, 1965, Erhard was invited back to the U.S. for talks with Johnson. On the twentieth a state dinner was in Erhard's honor.

From September 26 to 27, 1966, Erhard visited the White House to hold talks with Johnson where Johnson proposed to Erhard to review the required strength of NATO forces stationed in Germany. During the meeting, Erhard asked Johnson for a moratorium on buying $1.35 billion of American military equipment before June 30, 1967. That evening a dinner was held with Erhard as the guest of honor.

Willy Brandt visited the U.S. for the first as foreign minister from February 7 to 11, 1967. He was received by Johnson at the White House on February 8, 1967. Brandt expressed his concern that the treaty which became Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) would harm West Germany's pursuit of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

Johnson visited West Germany for the first and only time as president from April 23 to 26, 1967. The visit was primarily to attend the funeral of Konrad Adenauer who died on April 19. On the twenty-sixth he had a direct conversation with Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger in Bonn.

Chancellor Kiesinger made his first official visit to the United States from August 13 to 19, 1967, meeting with Johnson and administration officials.

Nixon administration
On July 24, 1963, Richard Nixon, who at the time was the former Vice President of the United States, visited both East and West Germany, East Berlin, and met with Chancellor Adenauer. On March 13, 1967, Nixon met with Adenauer seeking his advice. Adenauer was ninety-one years old. Nixon remarked, "I attach great importance to Dr. Adenauer’s judgments, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to hear Dr. Adenauer's thoughts on different questions and problems." Adenauer told Nixon, "The Soviet Union is the biggest state on Earth and undergoing huge developments. The period of the European great powers has come to an end, once and for all." Adenauer said that the Soviet leadership had repeatedly told him that Russia and Germany should combine their respective power. "Behind this thought lies the fact that the Soviet Union cannot cope with the United States and China by itself." Warning Nixon about "sitting next to an armed robber in the same boat" meaning that the United States should be careful about signing treaties with the Kremlin. And stressed that Washington should gravitate toward Beijing in the hope of "counterbalancing" the Soviet Union.

After winning the 1968 United States presidential election, Nixon made his first visit to West Germany as president from February 26-27, 1969. Arriving at Tempelhof Airport, he was greeted by Chancellor Kiesinger for a press conference at the tarmac. At six p.m. he addressed the German Parliament. On the twenty-seventh at one p.m., Nixon spoke at a Siemens factory in West Berlin. Nixon also visited the Berlin Wall from the western portion of the city.

From March 31–April 1, 1969, Kiesinger visited the U.S. to attend the funeral of Eisenhower and met with Nixon on April 1.


 * August 7-9, 1969
 * April 7-11, 1970 (April 4 to 11 Willy Brandt)
 * June 15–16, 1971 (June 14 to 18 Willy Brandt)
 * November 28, 1971
 * December 28–29, 1971 (December 28 to January 13, 1972 Willy Brandt)
 * May 1–2, 1973 (April 29 to May 3, 1973 Willy Brandt)
 * September 29, 1973 (23–30 September 1973 Willy Brandt)
 * January 17, 2022
 * Willy Brandt's foreign trips between 1967 and 1974 (January 15, 2022)
 * Ostpolitik and Détente (January 27, 2022)

Ford administration

 * December 4–6, 1974
 * June 16–18, 1975
 * July 26–28, 1975
 * July 29–August 2, 1975
 * October 3, 1975
 * November 15–17, 1975
 * June 26–28, 1976
 * July 15–17, 1976

Carter administration



 * Carter's Visit to W. Berlin Makes Bonn 'Bit Nervous' [September 26, 2021]
 * July 13–15, 1977
 * May 30–31, 1978
 * June 6, 1979
 * July 14–16, 1978 (Carter visit)
 * March 4–6, 1980
 * November 18–21, 1980
 * Guadeloupe Conference

Reagan administration

 * May 20–23, 1981
 * January 4–6, 1982
 * June 9–11, 1982 (Reagan), 11 West Berlin visit
 * July 20–27, 1982
 * November 14–16, 1982
 * April 14–15, 1983
 * May 28–31, 1983
 * October 3–6, 1983
 * March 3–6, 1984
 * November 29–30, 1984
 * April 30–May 6, 1985 (Reagan)
 * October 25, 1985
 * October 20–23, 1986
 * June 11–12, 1987 (Reagan; West Berlin then Bonn)
 * February 17–19, 1988
 * November 15, 1988
 * Tear down this wall!

George H.W. Bush administration

 * May 30–31, 1989 (Bush visit' last visit)
 * June 6, 1989
 * February 24–25, 1990
 * May 17, 1990
 * June 8, 1990
 * July 8–11, 1990
 * November 18, 1990 (Bush visit; first visit after reunification and collapse of East Germany)
 * Document for October 3rd: Memorandum of Telephone Conversation between President Bush and Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany, October 3, 1990 [September 26, 2021] [January 18, 2022]

In the wave of the Revolutions of 1989, protests had broken out in East Germany that led to its inevitable dissolution and reunification with West Germany.

On December 12, 1989, then-United States Secretary of State James Baker visited East Germany marking the first time a Secretary of State visited the GDR. Baker met with Hans Modrow, the head of the government of East Germany at the time. Baker said of his visit, "I felt it was important that we have the opportunity to have the premier and the people of the German Democratic Republic East Germany know of our support for the reforms that are taking place in this country." Modrow stated, "We started a dialogue with each other today" and described Baker's visit as a "political sign". Baker met with East German church leaders about the impending collapse of the East German economy if aid wasn't given and had emphasized the U.S.'s commitment to a peaceful reformation of the East German government. The visit came at a time when the Berlin Wall, and the inner German border fell in November, the Malta Summit from December 2 to 3 between the U.S. and the Soviet Union where the Cold War was declared over, and the following year's completion of German reunification. In November with the opening of the border between both Germany's, Egon Krenz, the last leader of the GDR, received a telegram from President George H. W. Bush congratulating Krenz for doing so.

In 1990 German reunification was allowed with the signing and implementation of the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany which renounced France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States' control of Germany. The treaty was signed by the four powers with both East and West Germany in Moscow on September 12 with its full effect taking place on March 15, 1991. On September 25, President George H. W. Bush submitted the treaty to the United States Congress for ratification and was unanimously passed by the United States Senate. Afterward, the U.S. recognized the West German state as the legitimate successor to both German states as the five constituent federal states of the German Democratic Republic were absorbed by the Federal Republic of Germany. The U.S. wasn't compelled to recognize the reunified Germany as a new nation and subsequently closed its embassy to East Germany in Berlin on October 2, 1990, while maintaining the embassy to former West Germany in Bonn.

The embassy in former East Berlin would later reopen as the official American embassy to Germany in 1998 while the chancery in Bonn was permanently closed in 1999.