FOREIGN MINISTER BRANDT'S MUSINGS ON WEST GERMAN FOREIGN POLICY BEFORE VISITING

Created: 9/13/1968

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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FOREIGN MINISTER BRANDT'S 1WS7NCS ON WEST GERMAN FOREIGN POLICY BEFORE VISITING PARIS

COUNTRY WEST GERMANY/FRANCE/WESTERN

KIRN MINISTER

foreign minister brandt travelled

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TO PARIS TO MEET FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER DEBRE,

MUSED ALOUD ON THE SUBJECT OF SEVERAL ALLIED ASPECTS OF WEST

GE.-IMAN FOREIGN POLICY. IH ANTICIPATION OF HIS

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IRQ WITH DEBRE, BRANDT COMMENTED THAT THE MORE HE WONDERED ICI

ABOUT IT, THE MORE KE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT WEST GERMANY CANNOT REALLY DEPEND ON THE AMERICANS. BRANDT SA ID THAT HE WAS ANXIOUS TO FIND OUT WHAT THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATICDELEGATE KURT BIRREN8ACH AND SPD PARLIAMENTARY GROUP LEADER HELMUT SCHMIDT LEARNED DURING THEIR VISITS TO THE UNITED STATES. SIRREN8ACH, IN BRANDT'S OPINION, IS SOMEWHAT MORE PERCEPTIVE ON THIS SUBJECT THAN SCHMIDT. SCHMIDT CONTINUES QUITE SERIOUSLY TO FEEL THAT THE UNITED STATES WILL MAINTAIN ITS LONG-RANGE COMMITMENTS IN EUROPE, BUT BIRRENBACH SEES THE MATTER IN GREATER PERSPECTIVE. HE HAS CLOSER CONNECT IONS TO PRIVATE INDUSTRY THAN SCHMIDT AND CAN BETTER JUDGE THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES MANEUVERINGS. BRANDT DID NOT ELABORATE ON THIS RATHER CRYPTIC STATEMENT EXCEPT TO SAY THAT BIRRENBACH HAD TOLD KIM (BRANDT) THAT OVER THE LONG RANGE THE AMERICANSBE DEPENDED UPON, AND BRANDT ADDED THAT IF BIRRENBACHTHIS, THERE MUSTERTAIN AMOUNT OF TRUTH TO IT.

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DE GAULLE'S WHOLE_

HAVIOR FOLLOWING THE SOVIET INTERVENTION IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA SEEMS

FAR AS HE (BRANDT) IS CONCERNED, HE will DO NOTHING IN THE MEANTIME TO ISOLATE DE GAULLE FURTHER FROM THE OTHER EUROPEANILL NOT GIVE IN, he SAID, TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARGUE THAT IN VIEW OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA WESTERn"*EUROPEAN HAT IONS 1

should GO *HZAD WITHOUT FRANCE TO BRING GREAT BRITAIN AND THE SCANDINAVIAN NATIONS INTO THE COMMON MARKET. OLICY

yO'AD IN THE LONG RUN LEADOMPLETE DISRUPTION OF THE

ALLIANCE IN EUROPE AND TEND TO ISOLATE WEST GERMANY.NOT ONLY'

Pitdfli FRANCE 3UT INTERNATIONALLY.

c0hk2ht: tps foreign minister souetikes

uch moments of disenchantment with the atlantic alliance.

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IT IS CLEAR ONLY THAT THE IDEA OF AN IDC REVIVAL HAS COME CP. IT SHOULD NOT BE ASSUMLD, ON THE BASIS OF THLSE PRIVATE REMARKS THAT ANY DECISION BY THE BONN GOVrRNMEN: IN FAVOR OFUROPEAN FORCE IMPENDS.)

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Original document.

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