Letter from M. Pervukhin to V.V. Kuznetsov about the GDR disapproving of Czechoslovakia and Romania developing relations with West Berlin

Stamps:

"MFA of USSR

General Secretariat Secret"

"MFA of USSR

4 European Section Secret"

"Declassified"

Secret. Copy No. 1.

To the Deputy Minister

of Foreign Affairs of the USSR,

Comrade Kuznetsov, V.V.

The officials of the embassies of the Socialist Republic of Czechoslovakia and the People's Republic of Romania in Berlin, in their conversations with representatives of the Soviet Embassy, have repeatedly noted the disapproving attitude of the officials of the party and state apparatus of the GDR toward Czechoslovakia and Romania's attempts to establish direct contacts with West Berlin.

The German comrades, in their conversations with the Czech and Romanian friends point that out, of all socialist countries, only the Soviet Union is empowered to establish contacts with West Berlin as an independent political unit, in light of responsibilities that the USSR has taken on in regard to all of Germany. The German friends state that West Berlin is a constituent part of the GDR and, therefore, any development of direct contacts with West Berlin emphasizing the independent character of that part of the city is undesirable for the G.D.R.

Many party functionaries of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany fail to understand the efforts of some socialist countries to improve their relations with West Berlin, since they consider it necessary to take the most energetic measures in order to put an end to West Berlin as the hotbed of unrest and provocation in the nearest future.

Some leading officials of the GDR have made it clear to officials of the CSSR's embassy that it would be advisable to end the military mission of Czechoslovakia in West Berlin as the presence of this mission emphasizes the four-sided status for whole Berlin.

As a result of this position on the part of the SED's leading officials, the embassies of Czechoslovakia and of Romania in the GDR find it difficult to implement practical measures for the increase of the CSSR and PRR's influence in West Berlin.

It is necessary to note that measures taken by the Soviet embassy in regard to the establishment of contacts with West Berlin are met by the GDR's party and state officials with great reservation.

All of this gives evidence to the fact that, apparently, GDR leaders did not give precise directions to their party and state functionaries concerning the Soviet Union and other socialist countries' position (which was confirmed with the GDR's leaders) in regard to the strengthening of our influence in West Berlin.

Deriving from the fact that the socialist countries occupy a unified, principled line on the German and West Berlin questions, the Soviet embassy considers it effectual to inform the governments of the European socialist countries of the Soviet government's position, agreed upon with the government of the GDR, regarding the development of direct political, economic and cultural ties between the Soviet Union and West Berlin.

In the Embassy's opinion, such information could prompt the socialist countries to reconcile with the German friends paths and possibilities for developing direct contacts with West Berlin.

Ambassador of the USSR to the GDR,

M. Pervukhin