Federal Republic of Germany 697



263. Paper Prepared by the Operations Coordinating Board

                                    Washington, November 2, 1960.

             OPERATIONS COORDINATING BOARD
                     REPORT ON GERMANY

      (The Federal Republic, Berlin, East Germany) (NSC 5803)
      (Policy Approved by the President on February 7, 1958)
             (Period Covered: From September 4, 1958
                    Through November 2, 1960)

General Situation
    1. During the period under review, Germany, and more particu-
larly Berlin, once more became one of the most active arenas in the
struggle between the Free and Communist worlds. The Soviet proposal
for a free city of West Berlin and Soviet threats of unilateral withdrawal
from occupation functions and of the conclusion of a separate peace
treaty with the German Democratic Republic (GDR) provided an impe-
tus for four-power negotiations, which the Soviets abruptly interrupted
at the Summit meeting, implying an intention to seek a new Summit
meeting after the American elections.
    2. Despite the dramatic attention it received, the German situation,
and American interests in Germany, remained very much the same in its
basic aspects. There were, however, qualitative changes resulting from
the prolonged division of the country and the continuation of the vari-
ous trends within the Federal Republic, Berlin, and the Soviet Zone de-
scribed in earlier reports. In addition, the possibility of a nuclear
"stand-off" has introduced a new factor into the German problem.
Germany As a Whole
    3. The unyielding attitude of the Soviet Union at the Geneva Con-
ference of 19591 and in the discussion of the German question prior to
the Summit failure in May 1960 quenched the last hopes, even in the
West German Opposition, that German reunification can be negotiated
at present. There was increased acceptance in Germany of the thesis
sponsored by Chancellor Adenauer that the division of Germany is


    Source: Department of State, S/S-NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351, NSC 5803 Series.
Secret.
Attached to the source text were a cover sheet and a memorandum from the
Executive
Secretary of the OCB which noted that the report had been approved by the
OCB on No-
vember 2 for transmittal to the NSC. The NSC considered the report on December
1 and
agreed that NSC 5803 should be brought up-to-date by the Planning Board.
A memoran-
dum of the NSC discussion is in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC
Records.
    1 For documentation on the Geneva Foreign Ministers Meeting May 11-August
5,
1959, see volume VIII.