Archive

Large scale document archive

1990 Feb 16 - 1990 Feb 28
Prime Ministerial Private Office files

PREM19/2999
Germany (Internal situation in East Germany: policy towards German reunification) (Part 2B)

Source: TNA, PREM19 series
Release date: 2016 Dec 30
Classification: Secret
Page count: 211
Themes: British relations with the Federal Republic of Germany, German unification, 1989-90, Foreign policy (Western Europe - non-EU), Foreign policy (Central & Eastern Europe), Defence (general)

PREM19/2999 - download whole file (PDF, 39.17 MB)

Selections from this file

Showing items 21 - 40 of 49

Date Value Title
90 Feb 21 We Major Germany: UKE Moscow telegram 289 to FCO (1207Z) (“Germany: Sir P. Cradock's call on Adamishin”) ["somewhat histrionic" presentation of Soviet views; meeting of the Four plus Two should be held before the East German elections or we would find ourselves rubber-stamping a decision made between the two Germanies; would be convenient for Soviets if British proposed this; "British and Soviet views were very close"] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 21 We Major Germany: UKE Warsaw telegram 157 to FCO (1715Z) (“German Reunification: Polish views”) [Mazowiecki's letter to the Four Powers leaders asking for issue of borders to be dealt with at the beginning of the unification process, leading to a treaty] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 21 We Major Germany: Polish PM Mazowiecki letter to MT (unification of Germany) [need for a peace treaty to settle German-Polish border, work to begin now, not after unification; MT agrees] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 22 Th Major Germany: UKE Paris telegram 224 to FCO (1654Z) (Two Plus Four meeting) [French insist Oder-Neisse line must be confirmed by treaty - MT: "At last - they are openly beginning to sing our tune"] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 22 Th Major Germany: UKREP Brussels telegram 531 to FCO (1822Z) ("German Unification: visit of German State Secretaries to the Commission") [Germans urged need for "a positive view by outsiders" and criticised Commission document as too negative, damaging to DM] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 22 Th Major Germany: UKE Rome telegram 151 to FCO (1605Z) ("De Michelis addresses Parliament on European integration") [accepts no IGC before Dec 1990, but thinks it will finish by April 1991 - Powell comment: "Totally unrealistic"] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 22 Th Major Germany: Powell letter to Norman Stone and others (Chequers seminar on Germany) [MT seeks "an understanding of the lessons which can be drawn from Germany's history - not just in this century - for the handling of German unification and the united Germany with which we will soon be dealing"] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 22 Th Major Germany: UKE Rome telegram 150 to FCO (1540Z) ("Visit to Rome by Genscher, 21 February") ["Genscher seeks to reassure Italians on German intentions regarding unification and EC integration"] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 22 Th Major Germany: No.10 record of conversation ("Germany: Four plus Two") [Powell, Kossov: negotiating mechanism for future of Germany; recent political developments in Soviet Union] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 23 Fr Major Germany: Powell briefing for MT (“Telephone call with President Bush”) [topics - unification, pace less frenetic; your consultations with other European leaders; Aug 1990 visit to Aspen] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 23 Fr Major Germany: FCO letter to No.10 (“Germany: Four plus Two”) [Soviets, Britain and France in favour of early meeting; to be discussed by Bush and Kohl at Camp David this coming weekend] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 23 Fr Major Germany: No.10 conversation record (1450Z-1513Z) (MT, Hurd) ("German unification: the wider consequences") [Hurd: "we must not appear to be a brake on everything ... come forward with some positive ideas of our own", strengthening and expanding CSCE framework; Hurd urged similar approach to EC; MT "not prepared to lead the United Kingdom into a European federation"] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 23 Fr Major Germany: UKE The Hague telegram 63 to FCO (1210Z) ("Meeting between Delors, Lubbers, Kok and Van den Broek") [reports of a "fireside chat" on implications of unification for EC, with results unsatisfactory for Dutch] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 23 Fr Major Germany: UKE Bonn telegram 237 to FCO (1304Z) (“Poland's Western Border”) [Federal Government rejects an early treaty on Poland's western border, publicly rejecting Mazowiecki's plan] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 23 Fr Major Germany: UKE Moscow telegram 310 to FCO (1252Z) (“Sir P. Cradock's call on Chernyaev: Germany”) [on Germany "our views and interests were close to those of the Soviet Union" - Germany had the right to unification and it was likely to happen quickly, but "we had to get the right external framework"] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 24 Sa Major Germany: UKE Moscow telegram 316 to FCO (0720Z) ("Sir P. Cradock's call on International Department, CPSU: Germany") [events proceeding at pace of a cavalry charge; "stupid and fruitless to impede unification", but should happen in an "orderly character"; any hint of German nationalism would turn Soviet public against perestroika] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 24 Sa Major Germany: No.10 letter to FCO (“Meeting with academic experts on Germany”) [MT "feels that she does not know enough about Germany, its history and what makes Germans tick. She wants to spend half a day talking to a small group of people who DO know a lot about this, and learn from them"; with UKE Washington telegram 452 of 24 Feb] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 24 Sa Key Germany: No.10 conversation record (1300Z) (MT call to President Bush) [MT voicing concerns of non-Germans - "unification was going to happen. But they were worried about the speed of it and at Germany's reluctance to consult"] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 26 Mo Major Germany: UKE Moscow telegram 321 to FCO (1030Z) (“Soviet views on Germany”) ["no doubt among responsible Russians that German unification is going to take place"; they hope to influence and delay, hence pressing for early meeting of Two Plus Four; their most pressing concern a binding legal settlement of Germany's post-war borders] [declassified Dec 2016]
90 Feb 26 Mo Major Germany: UKE Washington telegram 460 to FCO (2218Z) (“Kohl in Washington: Press Conference”) [jointly with Bush, asserting shared view that united Germany should remain a full member of NATO] [declassified Dec 2016]