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Stalin and German reunification: archival evidence on Soviet foreign policy in spring 1952

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Gerhard Wettig
Gerhard Wettig
Affiliation:
Bundesinstitut für ostwissenschaftliche und internationale Studien
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Abstract

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Type
Communications
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , June 1994 , pp. 411 - 419
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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References

1 Text: Dokumente zur Deutschlandpolitik de Sowjetunion, I ([East-] Berlin, 1957), 289–93.Google Scholar

2 Cf. Graml, H., ‘Die Legende von der verpassten Gelegenheit’, Vierteljahreshefte für Zeitgeschichte, XXIX (1981), 330–1.Google Scholar

3 Ibid. pp. 310–11; Graml, H., ‘Nationalstaat oder westdeutscher Teilstaat’, Vierteljahreshefte für Zeitgeschichte, XXV (1977), 838–42.Google Scholar

4 Steininger, R., Eine Chance zur Wiedervereinigung? Die Stalin-Note vom 10. März 1952. Darstellung und Dokumentation auf der Grundlage unveröffentlichter britischer und amerikanischer Akten, Archiv für Sozialgeschichte, Supplement 12 (Bonn, 1985).Google Scholar

5 For this line of argument see, inter alia, Meissner, B., ‘Die Sowjetunion und die deutsche Frage, 1949–1955’, Geyer, D. (ed.), Osteuropa-Handbuch. Band Sowjetunion, Teil Aussenpolitik I (Cologne-Vienna, 1972), pp. 482–3.Google Scholar

6 ‘Das Schlusswort von Walter Ulbricht auf dem 15. Plenum des ZK der SED, 24–26. Juli 1953’ [= text of a secret document], Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, 12 June 1957, pp. 364–70; speech by Walter Ulbricht, Neues Deutschland, 28 Nov. 1961; speech by Nikita S. Khruschev, Izvestiia, 10 March 1963. In the meantime, also the original texts of Malenkov's, Khruschev's Molotov's and Bulganin's accusations against Beria at the CPSU Central Committee meetings of 2–3 July 1953 have been disclosed (‘Delo Berria. Plenum TsK KPSS, iiul' 1953 goda. Stenografischeskii otchet’, Izvestiia TsK KPSS, 1991: I, 139–77).Google Scholar

7 While the revisionist school of thought largely takes it for granted that a positive Western response was expected in Moscow, the traditionalists point to evidence which indicates the opposite (see e.g. Graml, H., ‘Die Legende’, op. cit. pp. 316, 326–8, 340Google Scholar; H. Graml, ‘Nationalstaat’, op. cit. pp. 832–4, 838–9)

8 M. Gribanov to A. A. Gromyko, 24 Feb. 1951, Arkhiv vneshnei politiki Rossiiskoi Federatsii (henceforth: AVPRF), 082, 38, 112, 250:387/Zeo.

9 Reported by S. Kudriavtsev to [deputy foreign minister] V. A. Zorin, 6 March 1951, AVPRF, 082, 38, 112, 250: 446/Zeo.

10 M. Gribanov to A. A. Gromyko, 3 Aug. 1951, AVPRF, 082, 38, 112, 250: 1475/Zeo.

11 M. Gribanov to A. la. Vyshinskii, 15 Aug. 1951, AVPRF, 082, 38, 112, 250: 1558/Zeo.

12 M. Gribanov to A. la. Vyshinskii, 27 Aug. 1951, AVPRF, 082, 38, 112, 250: 1642/Zeo. This document is annotated in the addressee's handwriting.

13 M. Gribanov to A. E. Bogomolov, 8 Sept. 1951, AVPRF, 082, 38, 112, 250: 1760/Zeo.

14 M. Gribanov to A. E. Bogomolov, 15 Sept. 1951, AVPRF, 082, 38, 112, 250: 1810/Zeo; M. Gribanov to A. la. Vyshinskii, 20 Sept. 1951, AVPRF, 082, 38, 112, 250: 1842/Zeo.

15 This document has not been found but its contents can be deduced from reference in a number of other documents: A. Gromyko to V. M. Molotov, 21 Jan. 1952, enclosure: A. Gromyko to I. V. Stalin, AVPRF, 07, 25, 100, 13: 124/ag; A. Gromyko to I. V. Stalin, 25 Jan. 1952, AVPRF, 082,40, 11, 255: 101a-Ge; A. Gromyko to I. V. Stalin, 28 Jan. 1952, AVPRF, 07, 25, 100, 13: 173/r.

16 A. Gromyko to V. M. Molotov, 21 Jan. 1952, enclosure: A. Gromyko to I. V. Stalin, AVPRF, 07, 25, 100, 13: 124/ag.

17 A. Gromyko to I. V. Stalin, 25 Jan. 1952, AVPRF, 082, 40, 11, 255: 101a-Ge; A. Gromyko to I. V. Stalin, 28 Jan. 1952, AVPRF, 07, 25, 100, 13: 173/r; Postanovlenie TsK VKP(b): O meropriiatiiakh po uskorniiu zakliucheniia mirnogo dogovora s Germaniei i sozdaniia edinogo, demokraticheskogo, miroliubivogo germanskogo gosudarstva, 8 Feb. 1952, AVPRF, 07, 25, 100, 13: 1633SS/6.

18 Text: Dokumente zur Aussenpolitik der Regierung der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, I ([East-]Berlin, 1954), 73–6.Google Scholar

19 Aksënov, Iu. S., ‘Apogei Stalinizma: Poslevoennaia piramida vlasti’, Voprosy istorii KPSS, 1990: II, 100–1.Google Scholar

20 A. Gromyko to V. I. Stalin [not later than 21 Jan. 1952], AVPRF, 07, 25, 100, 13: 124/ag.

21 This assessment has been summarized from a document which the U.S.S.R's diplomatic mission in the G.D.R. sent to the third European department of the foreign ministry on 15 March 1952 and which was then transmitted with the department's full approval to, inter alia, Gromyko, Vyshinsky and Stalin (Ekonomicheskii i politicheskii obzor polozheniia Zapadnoi Germanii v 1951 godu, 15 March 1952, 082, 40, 042-Ge/2, 254: 1248 resp. 675/3).

22 M. Gribanov to A. E. Bogomolov, 8 Sept. 1951, AVPRF, 082, 38, 112, 250: 1760/Zeo.

23 A. Gromyko to I. V. Stalin, 28 Jan. 1952, AVPRF, 07, 25, 100, 13: 173/r.

24 A. Gromyko to I.V.Stalin, 25 Jan. 1952, AVPRF, 082, 40, 11, 225: 101a/Ge. Largely identical: A. Gromyko to I. V. Stalin, 21 Jan. 1952, AVPRF, 07, 25, 100, 13: 124/ag.

26 Ibid.

26 Gribanov to Chuikov and Semënov [no date], AVPRF, 082, 40, 11, 225: 101a/Ge.

27 Proekt pis'ma pol'skomu pravitel'stvu [no date], AVPRF, 082, 40, 11, 225: 101a'Ge (enclosure).

28 A. Gromyko to A. la. Vyshinskii, 18 April 1952, AVPRF, 07, 27, 162, 42: 3347/r; Wilfriede, Otto (ed.), ‘Sowjetische Deutschlandnote 1952. Stalin und die DDR. Bisher unveröffentlichte handschriftliche Notizen Wilhelm Piecks’, Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Arbeilerbewegung, 1991: 3, 374–89Google Scholar (introduction and notes by Pieck relating to the S.E.D. leaders' conversations with Stalin on 1 and 7 April 1952).

29 Graml, H., ‘Die Legende’, op. cit. pp. 329–30Google Scholar (on the basis of U.S. diplomatic documents).

30 Iz dnevnika A. la. Vyshinskogo, 1 April 1952, AVPRF, 07, 27, 160, 42.