Germany and Berlin, 1969–1972


211. Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the Ambassador to Germany (Rush)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. An attached handwritten note indicates that the message was delivered to the “ONI courier at “0020–3/30.” The message was then sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt.


212. Message From the Ambassador to Germany (Rush) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt; a handwritten note indicates that it was received in Washington at 2158Z. According to an attached slip, the message was then forwarded to Haig for Kissinger in San Clemente.


213. Letter From the Political Counselor at the Embassy in Germany (Dean) to the Director of the Office of German Affairs (Sutterlin)

Source: Department of State, EUR/CE Files: Lot 85 D 330, JD Correspondence 1971, JSSutterlin. Secret; Official–Informal. Copies were sent to Rush, Fessenden, Klein, Boerner, and Wehmeyer. In an attached note, Fessenden commented: “Good & thoughtful letter. I agree with almost everything, & especially with the argumentation toward the end re the great importance of holding the line against allowing FRGGDR access talks before a Four Power Agreement.”


214. Message From the Ambassador to Germany (Rush) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Kissinger Office Files, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. No time of transmission is on the message; a handwritten note indicates it was received in Washington at 1956Z. According to an attached slip, the message was then forwarded to Haig for Kissinger in San Clemente.


215. Message From the German State Secretary for Foreign, Defense, and German Policy (Bahr) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 60, Country Files, Europe, Egon Bahr, Berlin File [2 of 3]. Top Secret. The message, translated here from the signed German original by the editor, was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. No time of transmission is on the message; a handwritten note indicates that it was received in Washington at 1732Z. No evidence has been found to indicate whether Kissinger saw the message in San Clemente or after his return to Washington on April 5. For the German text of the message, see also Dokumente zur Deutschlandpolitik, 1971–72, Vol. 1, pp. 173–174.


216. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–223, NSDM 106. Secret; Limdis. Sent for action. Davis stamped the memorandum indicating that the President had seen it. No drafting information appears on the memorandum. Sonnenfeldt forwarded a draft, including a proposed NSDM, in a March 29 memorandum to Kissinger. “The new NSDM,” he commented, “makes more current the President’s guidelines, offers the negotiators a bit more flexibility without sacrificing any of the basic principles, and also serves to remind the agencies of the strong White House interest.” (Ibid.)


218. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1025, Presidential/HAK Memcons, Memcon—The President and Rainer Barzel, Apr. 14, 1971. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. The time of the meeting, which was held in the Oval Office, is taken from the President’s Daily Diary. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Central Files) The memorandum was evidently transcribed from Kissinger’s taped dictation. A tape recording of the conversation is ibid., White House Tapes, Conversation Between Nixon and Barzel, April 14, 1971, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m., Oval Office, OVAL 479–3. For his published accounts of the meeting, see Barzel, Auf dem Drahtseil, pp. 119–120; and Im Streit und umstritten, p. 169.


219. Memorandum for the Record

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 685, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. IX. Confidential. Sent for information. Drafted by Sonnenfeldt. The original was sent to Kissinger. An attached form indicates that the memorandum was “noted by HAK.”


220. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, EUR/CE Files: Lot 85 D 330, JDean—Memos of Conversation, 1971. Secret; Limdis. Copies were sent to Hillenbrand, Sutterlin, Rush, and Fessenden. The meeting was held in the Ambassador’s Residence.


221. Message From the Ambassador to Germany (Rush) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Kissinger Office Files, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. No time of transmission is on the message; a handwritten note indicates that it was received in Washington on April 19 at 1620Z.


222. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Berlin, Vol. 3. Secret. Sent for information. According to another copy, Downey drafted the memorandum. (Ibid., Box 691, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Berlin), Vol. III)


223. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 685, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. IX. Secret. Urgent; sent for information. An attached form indicates that the memorandum was “noted by HAK” on April 22.


224. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 38–6. Secret. Drafted by Sutterlin. In an attached May 7 memorandum to Eliot, Jeanne W. Davis, NSC Staff Secretary, reported that the memorandum had been approved for limited distribution within the Department of State. The meeting was held in the White House. The memorandum is part I of II. Part II, a brief discussion of the recent visit to China by Klaus Mehnert, a German professor, is ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 685, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. IX.


225. National Security Decision Memorandum 106

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Boxes H–221-229, NSDMs 97-144. Secret; Limdis. Copies were sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of Central Intelligence. No drafting information appears on the memorandum. Sonnenfeldt forwarded a draft to Kissinger on March 29 (see Document 216). At a breakfast meeting on April 16, Irwin asked Kissinger about the status of the NSDM, which had been pending at the White House since March 20. According to a record of the meeting: “HAK said that he thought he had signed the reply to JNI[rwin]; at any rate he will check on this.” (Memorandum for the Record, April 20; National Archives, RG 59, S/S Files: Lot 74 D 164, Irwin/Kissinger Lunches, 1970–1971) In telegram 70827 to Bonn, April 26, the Department forwarded the text of NSDM 106. (Ibid., Central Files 1970–73, POL 28 GER B)


227. Message From the Ambassador to Germany (Rush) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Kissinger Office Files, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. No date or time of transmission or receipt is on the message; the date is from the text of Kissinger’s reply (see Document 228).


229. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 28 GER B. Secret; Immediate; Limdis. Repeated to Berlin, London, Moscow, and Paris.


230. Message From the Ambassador to Germany (Rush) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. No time of transmission is on the message; a handwritten note indicates that it was received in Washington on April 30 at 1910Z. According to an attached transmittal slip, the message was forwarded the same day to Haig, who was with the President in San Clemente. (Ibid., White House Central Files, President’s Daily Diary) Haig then presumably arranged its delivery to Kissinger, who was on a 10-day vacation in Palm Springs, California. (Kissinger, White House Years, pp. 718, 721–724; Haldeman, The Haldeman Diaries, p. 282)


232. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 685, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. IX. Secret. Sent for information. Haig initialed the memorandum for Kissinger, who was on vacation in Palm Springs, California. Butterfield also stamped the memorandum to show that the President had seen it; an attached slip indicates that it was “noted by Pres” on May 10. According to another copy, Hyland drafted the memorandum on May 3. (Ibid., Box 715, Country Files, Europe, USSR, Vol. XIII)


234. Message From the Ambassador to Germany (Rush) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. No time of transmission appears on the message; a handwritten note indicates that it was received in Washington on May 5 at 2200Z.


235. Message From the Ambassador to Germany (Rush) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. No time of transmission appears on the message; a handwritten note indicates that it was received in Washington on May 11 at 2230Z.


236. Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the Ambassador to Germany (Rush)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt; no time of transmission or receipt appears on the message.


237. Message From the Ambassador to Germany (Rush) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. No time of transmission is on the message; a handwritten note indicates that it was received in Washington at 1638Z.


238. Message From the Ambassador to Germany (Rush) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 59, Country Files, Europe, Ambassador Rush, Berlin, Vol. 1. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt; no time of transmission or receipt appears on the message.


240. Message From the German State Secretary for Foreign, Defense, and German Policy (Bahr) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 60, Country Files, Europe, Egon Bahr, Berlin File [2 of 3]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message, translated here from the original German by the editor, was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. No time of transmission or receipt appears on the message. For the German text, see also Akten zur Auswärtigen Politik der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 1971, Vol. 2, pp. 850–852.