130 Foreign Relations, 1958-1960, Volume IX



other proposals, their primary purpose being in the first place to prevent
recurrence of a Berlin crisis and in the second to keep German question
from becoming even more frozen than it now is. In his desire to maintain
improved atmosphere and to explore possibility of disarmament,
Khrushchev may be induced to give us further time if West can come up
with some imaginative proposals even though these may not be very
practical.

    1. On assumption that one of primary Sov considerations is their
concern over fronter situation in Eastern Europe, we might consider ne-
gotiating for adequate compensation including an undertaking for a
given period of time not to conclude a separate peace treaty. The estab-
lishment by West Germany of relations with Poland and Czechoslova-
kia and unilateral declarations by France, Britain and the US that in an
eventual peace treaty with a reunited Germany they would not advo-
cate any change in the existing German frontiers.
    2. If the West Germans could be brought to accept some kind of
all-German committee for purpose of examining problem of reunfica-
tion we might propose such a step be combined with an undertaking in
part of Sov Union to agree to free elections at end of given period of
time, say seven years. Ifin meantime Germans themselves had not been
able to resolve problem of reunification. Such package might include
drafting terms of peace treaty which would be concluded at end of pe-
riod with Germany reunited either by all-German negotiations or by
elections upon their failure to agree.
    3. Sovs might be deterred from separate treaty and/or fromaction
affecting status of West Berlin by some indication as to what Western
reaction might be. For example, Sovs have indicated great concern that
we might turn over authority in West Berlin to West Germany. Al-
though it is dangerous to make threats there are other possible actions
we could take which might at least be mentioned in passing in discuss-
ing this problem.
    Also wish to suggest that at summit conf we should be prepared to
have thorough discussion of problems raised in international field by
conflict of ideologies. Believe such discussion should go far beyond sug-
gestions contained in French paper on problem of non-interference.
                                                      Thompson